gamecaco4 Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I'm just starting my last semester before finishing my associates and am beginning to get the required HCE and shadowing hours needed for a PA program. The place I will be working doesn't have PA's so getting in with "co-workers" isn't an option with this job. Is it presumptuous to write letters to different offices if I don't specifically know the PA? I've been thinking about volunteering at a local clinic that serves the totally uninsured so that might be an option. The problem is that this place is so completely overwhelmed with clients that I don't think they would have time to shadow a still 2 years out from applying undergrad. What have you used to get shadowing hours? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicinePower Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Depending on your geographical region it can be very difficult to get shadowing hours. I live in Boston where there are no shortage of hospitals of PAs but so many of the hospital had blanket "NO SHADOWING" policies that I ended up having to travel to Columbus, OH and rent a room for a week in order to shadow a very excellent PA. Is it presumptuous to write letters and such? Absolutely not. Despite being super busy you'll find that most PAs enjoy teaching and having a shadow. There are some who don't or won't, which is a shame, but most do. Good luck in finding a PA to shadow and good luck in college! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skyblue3 Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I was a total newbie and had no shadowing hours when I applied. I googled my state PA association and cold contacted PAs off there. Amazingly, I had three immediate responses and one PA let me shadow him the following week. I think if I would've aggressively pursued the other two PAs, they would've eventually let me come in, but I already got in to PA school by then. I also suggest going on LinkedIn and getting in touch with PAs that are in your network and sending messages. I connected with a PA, and while her clinic did not allow shadowing, we did meet over coffee and chat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliss929 Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 Depending on your geographical region it can be very difficult to get shadowing hours. I live in Boston where there are no shortage of hospitals of PAs but so many of the hospital had blanket "NO SHADOWING" policies that I ended up having to travel to Columbus, OH and rent a room for a week in order to shadow a very excellent PA. Is it presumptuous to write letters and such? Absolutely not. Despite being super busy you'll find that most PAs enjoy teaching and having a shadow. There are some who don't or won't, which is a shame, but most do. Good luck in finding a PA to shadow and good luck in college! That sounds extreme. If you still need shadowing hours in the Boston area, try Lahey Clinic/Lahey health. Large system in suburbs north of Boston (Burlington, Peabody, Beverley, Lexington). I shadowed 200+ hours there. To get additional hours, I simply googled hospital name + physician Assistant/PA-C, then sent a polite email to each PA, requesting to shadow. The first three PAs I found this way all responded quickly and were very accommodating. There is a PA shadow registry out on the internet too. PAs willing to take shadows put their contact info up, and you search by state: http://pashadowonline.com Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Epangerl Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I e-mailed and joined my state's PA organization. The administrator for the state PA organization was also listed local contact on the shadow registry mentioned above. She forwarded my e-mail to some PAs. One PA has let me shadow and is open to having me come back a few times a year. One couldn't let me shadow her at her current job with a big name organization, but let me interview her. I kept in touch and I mentioned I have current HIPAA, OSHA bloodborne pathogens, BLS for the Healthcare Provider, and First Aid certificates I got on my own, plus current on all vaccinations, including having had the Hep B series, plus I'm a patient within the same big name system. She let me know when she got another job and will let me shadow her there once she's established. It was easier to get shadowing for a place that was only recently bought by a big name, and was not geographically close to the main hospital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamecaco4 Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 Thank you all so much! I really appreciate these responses and feel confident in the ability to get some shadowing hours over the next few years. As the contact person from a college I plan to apply to said, the ad-com looks at shadowing hours more than HCE. She says they believe it shows that the applicant has seen first hand what a PA goes through on a day-to-day basis and will, from that, know that this is the path they want to take. Again, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliss929 Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 Looks like the PA Shadow Online website is currently down for maintenance. But, in the interim, they have a facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Physician-Assistant-Shadow-Online/120215664734797 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARONEUS Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 You might try contacting the PA schools in your area. Many of the schools' preceptors are also open to shadowing. Plus, since some schools have a preceptor network that spans the entire state (buy a Prius if u get in, you'll use it) so even if the school is hours away from you they may still have contacts in your area. Also, this works good if you need a LOR. Having one from a preceptor that the school is familiar with wouldn't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceschlorff Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I'm just starting my last semester before finishing my associates and am beginning to get the required HCE and shadowing hours needed for a PA program. The place I will be working doesn't have PA's so getting in with "co-workers" isn't an option with this job. Is it presumptuous to write letters to different offices if I don't specifically know the PA? I've been thinking about volunteering at a local clinic that serves the totally uninsured so that might be an option. The problem is that this place is so completely overwhelmed with clients that I don't think they would have time to shadow a still 2 years out from applying undergrad. What have you used to get shadowing hours? In my town, a lot of the bigger healthcare companies would not take students who just wanted to shadow because they already had actual PA students doing their rotations there....so after calling a bunch of those places and having it go no where...I googled family owned medical practices in my town. I called a few of them that listed PAs on their websites and found shadowing opportunities that way....I just introduced myself over the phone and said I was looking to apply to PA school and wanted to know if it would be possible to shadow one of their PAs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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