UCLA pre-health clubs are reopening shadowing opportunities for students.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-health students have had to navigate the challenge of gaining clinical experience with changing protocols surrounding COVID-19. Shadowing, one form of clinical experience, allows students to follow medical professionals through a typical day and understand the logistics and responsibilities that being a medical provider entails.
Dr. Amanda Kosack, a pediatrician at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, said shadowing is a unique opportunity for students to truly immerse themselves in the medical field. One way students can find these experiences is through the Pre-medical Undergraduate Learning through Shadowing Experience, a student-run organization – for which Kosack is the faculty advisor – dedicated to connecting students with shadowing opportunities through its partnership with the medical center.
“It gives them an idea of what medicine is in the real world – seeing actual patients – as opposed to some of the things that you may learn as a pre-medical student in the books,” Kosack said.
Kosack said the organization transitioned online during the pandemic, which was difficult because PULSE’s main focus was organizing hands-on shadowing experiences for members. With the help of the PULSE executive board, she said she helped establish virtual academic opportunities for students to still get involved with medical professionals. This included Grand Rounds, where speakers presented on different medical cases to students virtually.
Ali Al-Saleem, a third-year human biology and society student and the co-director of PULSE’s hospital operations, said he serves as a liaison between UCLA Health’s volunteer office, doctors at the hospital and students part of PULSE.
Al-Saleem said that he hasn’t noticed a great change in shadowing experiences since the implementation of restrictions surrounding the pandemic. The medical team has always supported undergraduate students and encouraged them to ask questions and actively involve themselves, he added.
Prior to the pandemic, Al-Saleem said two members of PULSE were scheduled per shadowing shift, and none shadowed in person during the first two years of the pandemic. When restrictions on opportunities slowly started easing in fall, PULSE allowed one member to shadow per shift to ensure that the medical team was not overcrowded.
Al-Saleem added that PULSE prioritized graduating seniors, as many had not had the chance to shadow before, allowing them to shadow the neurology stroke team during the spring and summer of 2022.
As a pre-medical student, Al-Saleem said shadowing has been an influential experience for him during his time at UCLA.
“Being able to see that in person for myself not only gives you a better idea of what being a doctor in practice looks like, but it also shows you how medicine is practiced at one of the leading institutions of healthcare in America,” Al-Saleem said.
Lorraine Jiang, a third-year human biology and society student and co-president of the American Medical Student Association – an organization that provides shadowing opportunities for club members through the Pediatric Continuity Clinic project – said AMSA is still transitioning back to in-person shadowing opportunities. Hospital administrators are still being careful with who is entering the hospital, she added.
Jiang said students shouldn’t be discouraged if they can’t find shadowing opportunities immediately. AMSA provides shadowing opportunities for members of the club who are selected after an application and interview process. Reaching out to physicians and medical students personally is another great way to search for opportunities, she added.
Al-Saleem and Jiang said shadowing is a gateway into the medical field and a way to envision themselves as future healthcare providers.
Al-Saleem said ensuring students at UCLA have access to shadowing opportunities is vital. He added that his focus is to provide an environment through PULSE that fosters connections between pre-health students and the healthcare field.
“(Shadowing) showed me that … as a person of color and as someone that comes from a disadvantaged background, I do belong within the healthcare space,” Al-Saleem said.
Shadowing is a way for students to take control of their future and engage in an activity that gives them a scope of the medical field unlike any other, Kosack said.
“It’s a very special opportunity to be a part of this program … it’s not just shadowing because it is just so much more,” Kosack said.
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