Medical and clinical observation has increasingly become a valuable experience in preparing for medical school. Admission committees like to see that an applicant understands what it means to be a physician and that he or she understands the doctor-patient relationship. University Medical Center, operated by The University of Alabama College of Community Health Sciences, offers opportunities for students to shadow a variety of medical professionals in preparation for graduate work in a range of health care fields.
We offer a two-credit-hour course, CHS230 Medical Shadowing, in the spring and fall semesters. The goal of this course is to provide some of this important experience, and it is targeted at current sophomores and juniors with at least a 3.3 GPA who are planning to apply to medical school. Clinical shadowing with physicians at University Medical Center will be supplemented by group discussions and writings to help prepare participants to apply to medical school. All students must go through HIPAA training, pass a background check (current cost is $23 per student) and provide documentation of all required vaccinations and health screenings.
The course times are as listed in the catalog; however, the actual clinical shadowing will occur on a set half-day each week in the specialties of Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology or Psychiatry. Interested students need to complete the application for the course, which can be found in the Course Catalog, three weeks before the start of registration; applications are accepted starting three weeks and end ending one week before to the start of registration. Applications are reviewed and course participants determined at the discretion of the course administrator(s); students will be notified of their standing at least one day prior to the start of registration.
Each accepted student will be asked to rank preferred half days during the week and preferred specialties. Participation in this course requires students to have one full half-day per week available, free from other commitments. Students need to be at the clinic from 8:30am-12:00pm or from 1:30pm-5:00pm and should have 30 minutes before and after to allow for travel.
If you have questions about shadowing at University Medical Center through CHS230, please contact Breanna Lollar at bslollar@ua.edu or (205) 348-5127.
Undergraduate students interested in shadow opportunities should add themselves to the Pre-Health email list. For more information, check out The University of Alabama’s Pre Health site.