Virtual Shadowing: Hours & Med School Rules | BeMo®

Virtual shadowing is an online alternative to in-person physician shadowing that allows premed students to observe patient care remotely. In this guide, we explain whether MD and DO medical schools accept virtual shadowing, how many hours you need, and whether it is enough to strengthen your medical school application. You’ll also learn how to list virtual shadowing on AMCAS or AACOMAS and where to find free opportunities.

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What Is Virtual Shadowing?

Virtual shadowing is when a student observes a healthcare professional through remote viewing. Students either watch recorded or live videos of medical procedures, patient interactions, consultations, or daily clinical operations.

Attendance of webinars or virtual Q&A sessions by professionals are also considered a type of virtual shadowing. As a recent development, certain digital platforms have been designed to simulate in-person shadowing experiences more closely. Although it might feel like you’re a passive observer, you are still learning vital skills about patient centered care, just through your computer monitor.

Do Medical Schools Accept Virtual Shadowing?

Medical schools in the US accept virtual shadowing to fulfill premed requirements. In Canada, however, shadowing is not a medical school requirement. Canadians wanting to apply to US medical schools must plan their shadowing years in advance for this reason.

Does Virtual Shadowing Count for MD and DO Schools?

Virtual shadowing is widely accepted by most MD and DO medical schools as a valid form of physician shadowing. However, virtual shadowing is not considered hands-on clinical experience and should supplement, not replace, in-person clinical experience whenever possible.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many medical schools started to acknowledge virtual shadowing as an appropriate alternative when in-person experiences were unavailable. Many medical schools continue to accept virtual shadowing as a valid form of clinical experience, although the strong preference for in-person exposure to patient care remains.

MD programs now count virtual shadowing as an observational experience that strengthens your application, especially if your exposure shows thoughtful engagement and reflection. DO programs also view virtual shadowing through a similar favorable lens if your experiences combine osteopathic exposure with shadowing a practicing DO physician.

For both MD and DO programs, interactive or live virtual sessions tend to be favoured over passive, or pre-recorded sessions as the former format is seen as being of a higher educational quality than the former. Competitive MD and DO applicants will typically combine:

Interactive virtual shadowing hours
In-person physician shadowing
Hands-on clinical experience (e.g., volunteering, scribing, patient care roles, etc.)

Combining virtual and in-person experiences will allow you to show commitment to understanding the nuances of clinical practice and its day-to-day realities across a variety of clinical settings.

Does Virtual Shadowing Count as Clinical Experience?

Virtual shadowing is viewed by medical school admissions as observational physician shadowing and does not count as hands-on clinical experience. Clinical experience, as defined by medical school admissions, refers to roles with direct patient interaction, which includes:

Hospital or clinic volunteering with patient contact
Medical Scribing
EMT or paramedic work
CNA or medical assistant roles.

Virtual shadowing, by contrast, involves remote viewing of physician-patient interactions. While witnessing these interactions will strengthen lessons about clinical reasoning and communication, you are not a direct participant in a patient’s care.

Keeping this distinction in mind, admission committees are looking for applicants that can demonstrate a firm understanding of what physicians do and a high level of comfort working with patients directly. For this reason, virtual shadowing fulfills the first requirement but not the second. If you’re able to meaningfully connect virtual shadowing experience to your motivation for pursuing medicine, then it can strengthen your application, becoming a valuable part of a well-rounded premed profile.

Still not sure about the difference between shadowing and clinical work? Check out the infographic below:

How Many Virtual Shadowing Hours Do You Need?

There is no official minimum number of virtual shadowing hours required by MD or DO medical schools. Competitive applicants, however, typically complete 40 to 100+ total shadowing hours, ideally combining their virtual and in-person clinical experiences.

Admission committees evaluate virtual shadowing based on context rather than focusing on strict numbers. They are looking for whether you understand the role of a physician and what it means for effectively delivering patient-centered care.

How Many Virtual Shadowing Hours are Competitive?

While there is no strict benchmark, strong applicants tend to:

Shadow between 40-100+ hours
Expose themselves to more than one specialty
Combine virtual and in-person physician observation
Reflect thoughtfully on what they learnt about patient-centered care

Ultimately, quality and depth matter more than raw hours. Admission committees are more interested in what you learned from your virtual experiences rather than if you completed 50 versus 80 hours.

Virtual Shadowing vs. In-Person Shadowing: Main Differences, Advantages, and Disadvantages

Understanding the main differences, advantages, and disadvantages of virtual shadowing is vital in making informed decisions about how effectively pursue shadowing opportunities. For example, you may choose to explore a new specialty via virtual shadowing, and then, if you find it fascinating, try to connect with a physician nearby whom you can shadow in person.

Here is a summary of the main differences between virtual and in-person shadowing:

Advantages of Virtual Shadowing

Virtual shadowing has several distinct advantages over in-person shadowing, ranging from flexibility to cost.

1. Not Restricted to Geography Location

You can join specialists outside of your town, city, or state in a different time zone, so you can learn when it’s convenient for you!

2. Open to More Specialties

You’re able to shadow specialties that you might be less familiar with or interested in. For example, you might think that radiology is simply not your thing, and you might not have wanted to risk spending a lot of money and time on pursuing a shadowing opportunity in radiology in person.

3. Offers Clarity

You are able to pursue experiences that can help you decide whether you want to pursue both MD and DO programs. If you are set on becoming a primary care physician, then maybe your medical school pool can be expanded by including the best osteopathic medical schools.

4. Fits Around Your Schedule

You will have access to physicians from all over the world from the comfort of your home. Without having to commute or travel anywhere, you will be able to choose opportunities that are suitable for your academic, extracurricular, or work schedule, and plan them appropriately.

5. Cost Effective

You minimize a lot of the expenses associated with in-person shadowing, such as gas, car rental, accommodations, and even flights! For example, if you are looking to shadow a DO physician, but are unable to find one near you, you might have to fly to a different part of the state or even the country.

Disadvantages of Virtual Shadowing

While there are some undeniable advantages of virtual shadowing, it has three main disadvantages compared to in-person shadowing.

1. Limited Networking

Virtual shadowing can be less personal than in-person opportunities. Even interactive or live sessions can limit your opportunity for one-on-one connection as some physicians allow hundreds of students to shadow them at a time, allowing for little opportunity for one-on-one connection.

2. Limited Support System

The physicians you shadow often become your recommenders and connection to other specialists. They can also help you find other premed opportunities and provide insight into how to make your medical school application stand out. If you limit your shadowing to virtual opportunities only, you may not be able to make strong connections with the physicians you shadow.

3. Less Personal

The format of your virtual shadowing sessions may limit your ability to ask questions. If you need any clarifications after a patient encounter, you may need to wait before you get a response.

Whether you decide to pursue virtual shadowing, you’ll need quite a few hours of shadowing experience to convince the admissions committee that you have taken serious steps to test drive your career. Don’t go overboard by jumping from one doctor to the next, and try to commit some hours to each experience, but do not be afraid to explore your options via both virtual and in-person shadowing!

If you are wondering how to ask to shadow a doctor, the good news is that the process is the same as if you’re requesting to shadow them in-person. Reach out to them via email and explain that you are a premed looking to gain some shadowing experience in their field.

Check out how you can ask to shadow a doctor:

How to List Virtual Shadowing on AMCAS and AACOMAS

Your virtual shadowing experiences can be included in your AMCAS Work and Activities section (for MD programs) or the AACOMAS Experience section (for DO programs). They should be categorized as Physician Shadowing or Clinical Observation, and their entry needs to include the following:

Session format (i.e., recorded or live)
What specialties were observed
Number of total hours
What new perspectives, approaches, or strategies you gained

Admission committees tend to view listed virtual experiences more favourably if their entries show thoughtful reflection. To ensure that your entries come across as meaningful, we recommend that you avoid these common mistakes:

Listing as clinical employment
Inflating hours (e.g., double counting webinars)
Vague descriptions (e.g., “observed patient care”)

While proper format is important, failing to explain specifics about what you learned about your virtual experiences will be more detrimental to how your entries are received.

AMCAS: Entry Format and Example

Within your AMCAS Work and Activities section, you can list your virtual shadowing experience using the following format:

Experience Type: Physician Shadowing/Clinical Observation
Organization Name: Name of the hosting program or physician
Contact Information: Program coordinator or physician
Total hours: Cumulative hours
Description: The length of this portion of the entry will vary depending on whether you’ve selected most meaningful or not.

Sample AMCAS Entry

Experience Name: Virtual Physician Shadowing — Internal Medicine

Organization: XYZ Virtual Shadowing Program

Dates: May 2024 – August 2024

Total Hours: 45

Description:

Observed live and recorded patient consultations in internal medicine and cardiology. Learned how physicians’ approach differential diagnosis, communicate complex treatment plans, and navigate ethical decision-making in patient care. Reflected on how effective communication builds patient trust and improves adherence to treatment.

Why it’s a strong entry

The description is focused on clinical reasoning and doctor-patient interactions, concluding with a personal insight into how effective communication fosters patient trust and treatment outcomes.

AACOMAS: Entry Format and Example

For the AACOMAS Experiences section, you’re able to list virtual shadowing experiences using the format below:

Experience Type: Shadowing
Physician: Physician’s name as well as title (i.e., DO or MD)
Total Hours: Cumulative hours
Description: describe what you learned while highlighting osteopathic principles or holistic care approaches

Sample AACOMAS Entry

Experience Type: Shadowing

Physician: Dr. Jane Smith, DO

Total Hours: 30

Description:

Observed virtual patient encounters in family medicine with emphasis on holistic assessment and preventive care. Gained insight into osteopathic philosophy and the importance of treating the whole patient rather than isolated symptoms.

What it’s a strong entry

The description highlights holistic care approaches and provides a succinct yet in-depth reflection on core osteopathic principles.

Where to Find Free Virtual Shadowing Opportunities

Medical school admissions do not view virtual shadowing programs with equal weight. When selecting virtual shadowing opportunities, it is crucial that you prioritize programs that offer structured clinical care, interactive sessions, and physician-led discussions. If you’re unsure where to start your search, then consider looking up virtual shadowing opportunities with the following institutions or platforms:

University and Teaching Hospital Programs

Academic medical centers and teaching hospitals often have virtual shadowing webinars, case discussions, or grand rounds as part of their programs. Students can gain exposure to real clinical scenarios across multiple specialties, and these programs can be found through:

Hospital websites
University pre-med advising offices
Official AAMC resources.

These programs tend to be highly credible due to their affiliation with well-established institutions.

Professional Medical Associations

Case presentations or educational webinars are hosted on occasion by specialty organizations, which students can freely attend. Family medicine or surgical associations, for instance, may offer virtual sessions that simulate shadowing experiences of their affiliated physicians. Overall, these programs are a great way to gain exposure to niche specialties that you might not have access to in your local area.

Online Structured Platforms

Several virtual shadowing platforms provide free structured sessions, and some will award a certification of completion, allowing you to verify and track your total shadowing hours. If you are considering this option, make sure that sessions are physician led, there is a clear documentation of shadowing hours, and there are plenty of opportunities for physician engagement.

How to Evaluate a Virtual Shadowing Program

Not all virtual shadowing programs will offer valid educational experiences. You will need to evaluate the validity of each virtual shadowing program. Before you rush to sign up, be sure to ask yourself the following checklist:

Are the sessions physician-led?
Are patient cases discussed in depth?
Are there opportunities to ask questions? If so, in what format?
Are you able to verify the hours you’ve completed?
Are you able to find clearly stated educational objectives?

If you can answer each question with a clear and confident “Yes!” then there are high chances that the program offers valid educational experiences.

Remember that the benefits of shadowing, whether it's in person or virtual, are mostly up to you. Virtual shadowing can be a rewarding learning opportunity where you can engage with a wide variety of specialists in the medical field, so at least give it a try!

FAQs

1. What is virtual shadowing?

Virtual shadowing is similar to in-person shadowing as you will observe the everyday responsibilities and patient interactions of a doctor. The key difference is that instead of doing this in person, you will be doing this via a computer screen.

2. Is virtual shadowing considered to be clinical experience

No, virtual shadowing is not considered to be clinical experience. Admission committees define clinical experience as involving direct patient interaction.

3. Do medical schools accept virtual shadowing?

Yes, MD and DO medical schools accept virtual shadowing, especially if it supplements in-person shadowing experiences when possible.

4. How many hours should I complete?

While there is no strict benchmark on the total number of virtual shadowing required by medical school applications, strong applicants tend to have around 40-100+ shadowing hours in total.

5. What are the advantages of virtual shadowing?

Virtual shadowing has several advantages compared to in-person shadowing, which include: no geographical area or time zone restrictions, more variety of specialties and it’s less expensive.

6. What are the disadvantages of virtual shadowing?

Virtual shadowing tends to be less personal, so you have fewer opportunities to build a strong bond with the physician you are shadowing.

7. Can I include my virtual shadowing experience in AMCAS Work and Activities and similar application components?

Yes, you can. Remember, you do not need to feel that you must include ALL your experiences in these kinds of sections. Only choose to include experiences that affected your choice to become a physician. If a virtual shadowing opportunity was such an experience, make sure to include it!

8. Where can I start looking for virtual opportunities?

There are many great virtual shadowing opportunities that are offered to students through hospital programs, medical associations, and online platforms. Be sure to check the validity of these programs for signing up.

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo