Fall 2008

A program organized by doctors at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital (BDH) and MSU’s Office of Health Professions Advising is bridging the gap between students interested in a clinical shadowing experience and local doctors willing to donate their time. A database of doctors, dentists, nurses, technologists, and department heads has been compiled and will continually be growing and updated as new professionals add their names.

The list states each professional's specialty, work location, offered shadowing activities, availability, special requirements, and contact information. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the professional he/she is interested in shadowing and make the appropriate arrangements. These commitments are meant to be long term, spanning from a month to a semester in length, meeting approximately once a week. The details will be worked out between each student and doctor. Please be considerate when scheduling; it’s a good idea to shadow only one doctor at a time. It would also be nice to send a thank you card once you have finished shadowing a professional.

Please be aware of the following expectations when shadowing a professional:

· Patient consent required (usually a verbal OK obtained by the doctor)

· Business casual dress code

· Cell phones silent while shadowing

· HIPAA forms signed (only for BDH, available from Ms. Wood in LJ 309 or on-line) Submit signed forms to the BDH Administration office on the first day of shadowing.

It is our hope that students will take advantage of this opportunity to the fullest, enabling them to gain a better understanding of the professions they are pursuing.

A copy of this database is available by contacting Dr. Sheila Nielsen-Preiss Director, Health Professions Advising at:

hpa@montana.edu or (406) 994-1670