Shadowing

Guidelines for Shadowing at Brody School of Medicine

Students who are interested in becoming a clinician may wish to visit Brody School of Medicine to obtain experience shadowing a medical provider in the Brody clinics or by volunteering in a research lab. There is an application process involved prior to beginning these experiences.

The first step is to identify a mentor who is willing to allow you to shadow with them. To get started, we recommend asking someone you know, such as your personal physician. If you don’t know anyone, you can also email a physician that you haven’t met. Briefly tell them why you are interested in learning more about their specialty and ask if you can shadow.

Once you have secured a mentor, please contact our office to request a shadowing application. We will email you liability forms and training modules for HIPAA and Infection Control. We also require verification of your immunization record including a Tuberculin skin test within the last 12 months and the following vaccines: MMR series (2 vaccinations), Varicella series (2 vaccinations), HepB series (3 vaccinations) and a flu shot for the current season. If you will also be shadowing at the hospital there will be a separate application for ECU Health Medical Center. Please allow two weeks for processing before scheduling your shadowing experience as we may need an update to your vaccinations or to obtain a titer to indicate immunity. If you have already secured a mentor please contact Dawn Robinson Little for an application.

Appropriate Dress: Each clinic may have different clothing requirements. For instance, while shadowing in the Department of Surgery you may need to wear scrubs for the OR and in a research lab, you may need to wear jeans which wouldn’t be appropriate in clinic but are necessary in some of the labs. It is best to check with your mentor to make sure you know what you are expected to wear. If you are unsure, business casual may be the safest option. Please visit this link to learn more about appropriate dress for your visit: Clinical Dress Code.

Parking on the ECU campus is by permit only. ECU students should park in the area designated by their parking sticker. If you don’t have a sticker you can obtain a parking pass from ECU Parking and Transportation. You can get a short term pass for a day, a week, or a month. If you will be shadowing over a duration of time, it may be best to ask which pass will be the most cost effective for your situation. There are also a few metered parking spaces in the visitor lot. The parking fee for the meters is .25¢ per 15 minute interval.

Please visit our Shadowing FAQ for other questions related to your shadowing experience.

Please arrive early for your shadowing appointment to ensure that you are in place before the patients arrive. Make sure to have contact information for your mentor’s office so that you can get directions to clinic in case you get lost in the medical complex. If you are unfamiliar with the medical campus, here is a link with directions and a map to assist your travel. Official Directions to the Health Sciences Campus: www.ecu.edu/cs-dhs/med/Maps.cfm.

If you are sick and need to reschedule, please let your mentor’s office know that you won’t be able to be there as scheduled due to illness.