rainyday Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Hello my fellow pre-PA shadowing seekers. After experiencing many frustrations finding a PA to shadow, I recently discovered the (rather obvious but quite essential) keys. #1: Finding a PA or PA(s) who will let you shadow is nothing but a numbers game. If you only ask two and they both say no do not just give up in desperation. Just as getting interviews and acceptances is somewhat dependent on how many schools you apply to, you need to ask as many PAs as possible in order to have a better chance that one or more will say yes. #2: Ask them one on one. Stop posting in various online forums (including this one) asking the general online presence of PAs to let you shadow. Very few if any PAs will reply to these because they know that if they did they would be FLOODED by similar requests. I've seen people on this forum reply to pre-PAs' frustration by saying, "It's okay! Go to your state's PA society! Contact your prospective PA schools! Go to pashadowonline.com!" Unfortunately for me, none of these worked. At all. I never got in touch with even one PA through these resources. The best thing that you can do is contact PAs one on one. Whether this is in person, on the phone, through a letter, or through email. If you work in healthcare, contact PAs who work in your system even if you have never met them personally. Use search engines to find where other PAs work in your area, obtain their contact information if possible, and go for it. Be polite and professional and provide a resume of your experience or an explanation of why you want to shadow. If you do #1 and #2 I guarantee that you will find PAs who will let you shadow. Many of them have been in your shoes and are happy to help pre-PAs determine if the profession is for them. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted February 19, 2014 Administrator Share Posted February 19, 2014 I disagree. The best way to find a PA to shadow is via introduction from a mutual acquaintance. Use your social network to find a PA to shadow--the two I shadowed I found through my PCP and my EMS medical director. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainyday Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 I definitely agree with you there, Rev. Networking is always the best way to go. Unfortunately that path doesn't work out for everyone - the four PAs I was able to contact through mutual acquantance all had to turn me down because of regulations at their clinics/hospitals. My above advice would be best for those who have already tried their mutual acquaintance options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amina Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I was able to find PAs to shadow by using pashadowonline.com, introducing myself to PAs at the hospital I volunteered at, and by calling and visiting local clinics and offices. I was fortunate enough to have shadowed 9 PAs in 4 different specialities over 2 years. I'm still in contact with most of them :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigcatyoz Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Agreed rainyday. That's how I did it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicinePower Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 All sage advice. My problem is none of the hospital within a 50 mile radius allow any shadowing whatsoever. All of the clinics where PAs work are owned by the hospital, so the same problem applies. I ended up having to travel 700 miles and rent a room for a week, which resulted in an AWESOME experience, but it was a tremendous amount of work and financial investment for what should have been a no-brainer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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