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Survey Of Osteopathic Medical Students Regarding Physician Shadowing Experiences Before And During Medical School Training., Erik E. Langenau, Sarah B Frank, Sarah J Calardo, Michael B. Roberts

Erik E. Langenau

Introduction: Shadowing a physician is an observational experience which includes a student observing a licensed healthcare provider caring for patients. Shadowing is commonly done by students before and during medical school, but little is known about the nature or extent of these extra-curricular observational experiences.

Objective: We hypothesized that shadowing experiences were common yet variable. We investigated the prevalence, nature, and perceived value of medical student experiences with shadowing physicians (both before and during medical school).

Methods: This survey-based study was non-experimental with a cross-sectional convenience sample of osteopathic medical students about their shadowing experiences before and during medical school. …