Why?
PA programs want to see that you understand the PA profession. In my experience, shadowing was the best way to learn about PAs. Not only is this an opportunity to establish relationships with current PAs, but also to see what their role was on the health care team and how it varied between specialties and between practices. PAs are part of a team in which they can work more independently or collaboratively, which changes depending on the specialty and practice. They also enjoy lateral mobility, or the ability to change specialties without additional schooling.
My Experience
I shadowed PAs in ambulatory surgery, orthopedic surgery, dermatology, and family medicine for a total of about 54 hours. I enjoyed each of my experiences and saw a variety of procedures. Most times, I shadowed for around four hours at a time; the PAs were kind enough to allow me to return on multiple days. It was encouraging to see the team-based approach in all specialties. Additionally, many of the PAs I shadowed had worked in multiple specialties. They commented on the benefits of the lateral mobility of the job, which gave them the opportunity to explore their interests as well as adapt to different stages of life since some specialties have more consistent schedule than others. In fact, my shadowing experiences solidified my decision to be a PA rather than an MD or NP. After shadowing in four different specialties, I found that I enjoyed different aspects of each one and would enjoy the ability to change specialties.
Overall, my shadowing experiences were one of the most integral contributions to my decision to be a PA. I made the initial decision to pursue a career as a PA my junior year of high school, and each shadowing experience affirmed that decision.
Advice
Use your connections! It never hurts to ask, and sometimes shadowing opportunities can come from the most unexpected places. Family and friends can be great places to start inquiring. Three of my shadowing experiences were from a couple of family friends who knew PAs working at different practices. Then, one of the MDs at one of the surgery centers I shadowed at connected me with a different center in another city. Through those two initial connections, I’d found four shadowing experiences! I also started calling and emailing practices to see if they would allow shadowing. I suggest starting with the office manager. I either had the office manager set up the day and time, or they connected me directly with the PA to set up shadowing. At the very least, if you cannot shadow, see if the PA would be willing to answer questions you have. I interviewed one PA on the phone after she bought a car from my parents. It was a weird way to get connected, but she was more than willing to share her experiences with me. In conclusion, don’t be afraid to ask! You never know who might know a PA, and the worst they could say is no.
Before you go, develop a short list of questions to ask. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the PA profession in general, specifics about the role PAs play in particular specialties, the best and most challenging parts of the job, and advice from someone who has been in your position. In my experience, the PAs were more than willing to answer any questions I had, even when I thought it was too basic! Learn as much as you can while you’re there by being prepared.
Be professional. When setting up your shadowing opportunities, clarify what the expectations will be for you beforehand. There is so much that can vary from practice to practice, so it is important to know what it will be like. Specifically, ask what you should wear and how much involvement to expect. Some practices require business casual attire, some will provide scrubs, other may allow you to wear jeans and a nicer top. Likewise, some PAs will let you sit in on appointments as long as the patient is comfortable, but other specialties, like surgery, may require approval from the supervising physician to observe in the operating room. The office managers I contacted were always willing to communicate and clarify those things that I asked about.
Follow up. After shadowing, thank the PA and office manager for the opportunity. If you do shadow in surgery, it is also a good idea to thank the surgeon for allowing you to shadow. This can be a simple email or a handwritten card, whichever you prefer. If you connected well with the PA and/or they mentioned shadowing in the future, it would also be good to mention that in the note, possibly even mentioning a general time that you want to shadow again. There were PAs I shadowed multiple times over the span of a few years and emailed with questions periodically. One of my favorite parts of the PA community is the support that I have seen – PAs love collaborating with each other and supporting future PAs.
Get to know the PAs you shadow. They have interests and lives outside of working as a PA. I always enjoyed hearing why they chose to become a PA, where they went to school, and what their career has been like since graduating from PA school. Forming relationships with PAs was also great because I had people to ask questions not only when I was shadowing, but also throughout my PA journey. I asked PAs I had shadowed for advice on everything from gaining patient care experience to choosing programs to apply to.