Physician shadowing survey results, question by question

Does your field involve procedures?

One answer.

• Yes85%
• No15%

Reported in the abstract as a percentage.

What is your practice setting?

One answer.

• Government or VA hospital30%
• Community hospital23%
• Private practice21%
• Academic medical center18%

Reported in the abstract as percentages. The remaining 8% fell into other settings.

Have you ever supervised a high school student for a medical shadowing experience?

One answer. Number of physicians out of 43.

• Yes27 of 4363%
• No16 of 4337%

What activities do you typically allow high school students to participate in?

Select all that apply.

• Discuss medical cases with the physician78%
• Observe patient encounters70%

Only the two leading activities have been tabulated for this question.

Which factors are most important for making a student's shadowing experience meaningful?

Choose up to three. Share of 43 physicians selecting each.

• Direct observation of patient care30 of 4370%
• Ability to ask questions22 of 4351%
• Interaction with physicians19 of 4344%
• Career guidance17 of 4340%
• Understanding clinical reasoning15 of 4335%
• Structured educational activities15 of 4335%
• Exposure to different specialties14 of 4333%
• Exposure to medical procedures8 of 4319%
• Research project involvement8 of 4319%
• Mentorship or relationship with a physician7 of 4316%

The form did not enforce the limit of three, so some physicians chose more.

What are the biggest barriers to providing a meaningful shadowing experience?

Select all that apply. Share of 43 physicians selecting each.

• Lack of physician time34 of 4379%
• Lack of formal shadowing structure24 of 4356%
• Patient privacy and confidentiality22 of 4351%
• Hospital or institutional policies22 of 4351%
• Liability or administrative concerns19 of 4344%
• Difficulty coordinating schedules18 of 4342%
• Student preparedness and professionalism15 of 4335%
• Uncertainty about what students may do12 of 4328%
• Other3 of 437%

Which resources would make it easier to provide a high-quality shadowing experience?

Select all that apply. Share of 43 physicians selecting each.

• Student orientation program or handbook28 of 4365%
• Clear institutional guidelines on what students may observe26 of 4360%
• Suggested questions or discussion topics19 of 4344%
• Short physician guide for supervising students17 of 4340%
• Pre-shadowing educational materials17 of 4340%
• Professionalism expectations16 of 4337%
• HIPAA and confidentiality training14 of 4333%
• Structured shadowing schedule12 of 4328%
• Mentorship guidance12 of 4328%

How useful would standardized guidelines for high school shadowing be?

Scale from 1 to 5.

4.26average out of 5. 32 of 43 (74%) chose 4 or 5.

• 0
• 1
• 10
• 9
• 23

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

How likely would you be to host a high school student if appropriate resources were available?

Scale from 1 to 5.

4.16average out of 5. 31 of 43 (72%) chose 4 or 5.

• 1
• 2
• 9
• 8
• 23

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

40 of 43 (93%) chose 3 or higher. The stricter count of 4 or 5 is used across this site.