Clinical related experiences come in various forms—volunteering at a hospital, clinic, or doctor’s office, or shadowing a physician. A sample list of organizations where UMBC students have completed clinical related experiences, is at the bottom of this page. Formal programs through which students were able to connect with a physician for shadowing are also included. Students can approach shadowing very informally by asking to shadow their primary care physician, a physician-friend of the family, or a physician listed within a student’s health insurance directory.
How to Find a Doctor to Shadow
Within the United States and Baltimore, there are endless opportunities for observing health practices and shadowing licensed professionals. Although, if a student is interested in global volunteerism, there are serious ethical issues to consider as detailed in the following links: The Risks and Benefits of Medical Volunteerism, How to Volunteer Abroad Ethically and Avoid Scams, and AAMC’s Guidelines for PreMedical Students During Clinical Experiences Abroad. If you go abroad, make sure your experience does not exploit people in other countries, does not undermine the infrastructure of other countries, and does not perpetuate the myth of “any help is better than none.”
How to Document Clinical-related Hours
Documenting shadowing or other types of clinical-related experiences is very informal. There is no official paperwork to complete, nor is there official paperwork to obtain from the clinic or hospital. Students should track their clinical/shadowing hours in a personal notebook. For each experience, it is suggested that students log the date, number of hours spent observing, the name of the professional(s) they shadowed, the name of the hospital or clinic where the experience took place, and what they learned and observed (in general, what procedures or surgeries did the student observe, what career advice was given by the professional, patient-doctor/dentist relationship observations, unusual diagnoses or patients, etc.)
Regional, clinical-related opportunities
Adventist Healthcare Shady Grove Medical Center (Rockville, MD) Ask about the Summer Stepping Stones program.
Adventist Healthcare Washington Adventist Hospital (Takoma Park, MD) Ask about the Summer Stepping Stones program.
American Osteopathic Association: Find a DO to Shadow
Children’s National Medical Center (Washington, D.C.)
Holy Cross Hospital (Silver Spring & Germantown, MD)
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
Kennedy Krieger Institute (Baltimore, MD)
LifeBridge Health Centers (various locations in Maryland)
Mercy Health Clinic (Gaithersburg, MD) Scribes and interpreters needed.
Mercy Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland (various locations in Maryland) The Catonsville, MD and Columbia, MD locations have employed past UMBC pre-med students as scribes.
Physiciancy (a scribe company located in Annapolis, MD)
Scribe America (various locations in Maryland)
Shepherd’s Clinic (Baltimore, MD)
St. Agnes Hospital (Baltimore, MD) If you are interested in general volunteer opportunities or the dementia prevention volunteer program, please contact 410-368-2817.
Suburban Hospital (Bethesda, MD)
UMBC’s Sports Medicine Department Student Athletic Trainers Program. Contact the UMBC Director of Sports Medical Services to apply.
University of Maryland Medical Center (Baltimore, MD)
Summer Opportunities for Pre-Health Students
Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP)
Summer Enrichment and Pipeline Programs
National Science Foundation
Summer Research Programs for pre-MD/PhD undergraduates
Looking for a DO to shadow? UMBC students have gained DO shadowing experiences over the past few years from some of the offices listed below:
Baltimore magazine’s Doctor Directory
Annapolis Rheumatology LLC, Annapolis, MD, 410-897-1941
Doctors Emergency Service P.A. (DESPA) at University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Glen Burnie, MD, 410-787-4000
Mace Medical, Essex, MD, 410-391-6996
Maryland Spine and Sports Surgi-Center, Clarksville, MD, 443-535-9900
Parkview Medical Group, Mt. Airy, MD, 240-215-6310
Parkway Neuroscience and Spine Institute, Frederick, MD, 301-797-9240
St. Agnes Hospital’s Department of Emergency Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 667-234-2000
University of Maryland Family Health & Wellness Center at Cheverly, Cheverly, MD, 301-618-2273
The UMBC PreMedical & PreDental Advising Office does not officially promote, sponsor or recommend any company or organization. Information is gathered for students and made available to them.