General Guidelines
Above all, this is not a hands-on type program; this is an observation only program.When shadowing at the hospital/clinics, there are certain guidelines that each student is expected to follow.You should always have the capacity to care.You will need to have the ability to communicate patiently and clearly with people from varied backgrounds and intellectual capacities. Listen to what is being told to you by the doctors, hospital staff, and public health officials.Being in a clinical setting requires alertness and the willingness to do as directed as well as being patient and in control in any given situation. Patient confidentiality is a necessity in any situation (See PHIA). You should be prudent enough not to converse about a patient except as appropriate. Always be reliable and prompt to your scheduled rotation time.
Scheduling Rotation Times
The scheduling of the rotations will be done by the coordinator and or by the attending director at your hospital. Students should confirm schedule times with the coordinator to ensure that no conflicts occur. The people working in offices are volunteering their time to work you into the doctor’s schedule. Always make it a priority to be extremely polite to them.
Preparation for Rotations
Most of all you should dress professionally since you are representing the program. Name tags will be provided to you by the hospital. Always wear your name tag during rotations at hospitals, or clinics. You would be surprised by the number of blank looks given to you by patients when your doctor forgets to introduce you. Dress with appropriate footwear. Wear shoes that will not slow your mobility down. We suggest bringing a pen and paper with you. This may be a good idea seeing how you will be subjected to a lot of new information while on rotation.
Attending Rotations
It is a major importance to be prompt and on time to your rotations. Doctors are often very polite, however, you never know what they may say to you if you are late.When you first arrive to the hospital for your rotation, check in with designated staff and allow them to give you permission to enter the clinical area. In regards to cancellations, please notify coordinator or attending director as soon as possible. Also, call them if you are going to be late so that they do not wait around for you.
Special Notes for Surgery
Prior to morning surgery you should eat a good breakfast because surgery times vary.The hospital provides scrubs required to be worn during surgery in the OR. Even if you own a pair of scrubs, you must use the sterile hospital scrubs. Always introduce yourself to the members of the surgical team. They are helpful and very nice. Please do not hesitate to inform someone if you are feeling dizzy or uncomfortable during a procedure as this occasionally may occur.
Other Suggestions
You should try to get a lot of sleep the night prior to your rotations. For some interns, this may be one of your first experiences of having to be present at a hospital so early in the morning on a daily basis. So, get yourself ready the night before as much as possible.
Lastly and most importantly try to enjoy yourself.The doctors and public health workers are all looking forward to having you as a student and they are volunteering their time just as you are.Make the most out of your experience. Stay as long as you wish if you are invited to do so. Engage in conversions with physicians and hospital staff, you may find that they can teach you a great deal of information. Speaking from my own personal experiences, there are times where you will feel like a medical student. Do not feel bad if you do not understand what the doctor is talking about or if you do not understand the medical lingo. This is a learning experience and the more familiar you are with the clinical environment, the easier the transition will be once you do become a medical student.
