Ah, the beauty of networking :) To make a long story short, I ended up getting back in touch with an old friend (whom I met through another friend whom I met through jdate 7 years ago..) Yea, I know.
Anyways, without really knowing what he was up to, other than the fact that he was in his first year of med school when I first met him, I decided to facebook him. Upon reading his profile, it turns out that he is a neurology resident at the same med school where I am doing my research! Fabulous! What a small world...
I'm sure you know what I did next. I asked him if he knew any doctors who would be willing and able to let me shadow them for one or two days a week. He emailed me back and gave me a few contacts, one of which was the Chief of the neuro department (!!!!!). Let's call him, Dr. A.
I immediately called Dr. A and left him a voicemail explaining who I was and what I was looking for. To my surprise, he called me back and the conversation went something like this:
ring ring
Me: Hello?
Dr. A: Hi this is Dr. A, I'm returning your call?
Me: Oh yes, thank you for taking the time to call back. *smiles*
Dr. A: Ohhh uhh yes, sure. ... *pause* What do you want?
Me: (?!!?!?!) Uh. Well I am interested in any shadowing opportunities that you might offer .. I -
Dr. A: Okay, well are you a student?
Me: Yes, I am currently earning my second bachelors degree in biology and I am pre-med. I'm actually doing some research in the neurology department and I hope to gain experience from a clinical perspective as well... *holds breath and bites nails*
Dr. A: I see. Alright well, I have a few other students who are interested. How many hours do you have in mind?
Me: Well, I understand that everyone is busy so I wanted to allocated about one or two days a week toward shadowing, with probably 1 1/2 - 2 hours per day. My schedule is flexible, however. What days are most convenient for you?
Dr. A: I think Thursdays, Tuesdays. Maybe Wednesdays....
Me: Alright, perfect. Those are actually my lighter days as well .... ;) I'm still familiarizing myself with my schedule, but would you like me to email you once I figure out the exact times?
Dr: A: Yea do that. Email me with the times. I wont be checking my email until after Labor Day though..
Me: Fair enough.
Dr. A: Here is my email -...... *give me his email* So when you figure out the times, you email me. Okay?
Me: Certainly. Thank you again!
Dr. A: Sure. Have a good day.
*click*
Clearly, it seemed as though Dr. A has done this many times before, but hey, its MY first time :) I'm much more excited about this than any other prospect. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I actually spoke to him over the phone. Who knows. I'm so happy that I got in touch with my old friend too :) I owe him a thank you.
I'll email him the doc on friday and hopefully this will work out. How great would it be to shadow the chief of neurology???
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