Finding a PA, a MD, a NP or any healthcare professional to shadow is super tough! Here are some tips I made for IG : 

1. Utilize your connections

Think about people you know - who might connect you to a PA. You may want to ask your parent's friends that work in a hospital or medical clinic or even ask your own doctor. I asked my best friend's brother who was working as a MA in a doctor's office for shadowing opportunities. I wasn't able to shadow that PA but she referred me to other PAs that were willing to take on shadowers :)

2. Internet

I used yelp and searched medical clinics with PAs. I gave multiple clinics a call and asked if the PAs would allow me to shadow them. I received a ton of no's but two worked out for me! Also, check job sites like Indeed or professional sites like LinkedIn to find local PAs!

3. Join organizations / Hospital Volunteer programs

I joined USC's Alpha Epsilon Delta (Pre-medical Honor Society) and I got most of my PA shadowing opportunities here. Many of these students have shadowing experience already or know where to go. I found my Ortho PA mentor through this and shadowed my PA for about 1.5 years. Utilize the PA club at your school if you have one -I was able to shadow a Derm PA from the resources I got from it. 

If you join hospital volunteer programs, you’re more than likely to bump into a PA at some point. Yes, you’ll be a patient greeter or transporter, but this opens up the door for you. If you find a PA in that hospital that is willing to have you shadow, you have all the paperwork done already! You can further network at this place too.

It's honestly all about networking! Reach out to people because it'll give you more information about possible connections. Don't be discouraged from all the no's you'll get. Keep searching! 

Jazmine