Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children, Fairfax High School Develop Student Observership Program
Select Students Will Shadow Hospital Staff and Physicians for Class Credit
Falls Church, VA – (April 13, 2010) — Beginning this spring, physicians and staff at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children will continue Inova Health System’s tradition of healthcare education and training by welcoming a select group of students from Fairfax High School. Eleven students who are interested in healthcare will have the opportunity to shadow and observe doctors, nurses and other hospital staff.
“Inova is very interested in establishing and growing relationships with young people in our community,” said David Ascher, MD, Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children. “By bringing high-school students into the hospital, we can show them opportunities in various healthcare careers and hopefully inspire those who want to go into medicine to follow those dreams.”
“This is a rare and wonderful opportunity for these students. This is not television. These are real doctors, real patients with their families, and life-changing glimpses into potential careers,” said Steve Smith, Fairfax High School Human Anatomy and Physiology teacher.
Each student in the observership program will spend 15 hours at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children and will visit individually to allow for a one-on-one experience. The students will round with a Hospitalist team to expose them to medicine and interact with medical students. For example, a student’s five-hour day might begin by attending morning report with a hospitalist and then going to hospital rounds and sub-specialty rounds. He or she may have lunch with a medical student or resident to discuss the medical profession and how to become a successful pre-med student.
Fairfax High School staff selected the student observers, focusing on those who have a serious interest in medicine. The students will be required to record what they learn at the hospital through journaling, and then write a research paper and presentation about their experiences.
Inova Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.
Hi I am International medical graduate currently in Virginia.I would like to shadow in the Department of Pediatrics and looking into the months September-November.
Any information would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Neha
Students may participate in the Physician Observership program at Inova hospitals, sponsored by the individual departments. Observerships may be requested by medical students, university students, high school students and laypersons who have not yet earned a medical degree.
Please read and follow these steps to secure an observership.
#1
Choose a physician whom you wish to shadow. If you don’t yet have a physician to serve as your preceptor, search the Inova physician directory for names of physicians in the specialty area that interests you. You must contact the physician’s office directly to ask him or her to serve as your preceptor. We cannot place students with a preceptor. You can use our Find a Doctor search: http://www.inova.org/physicians.
#2
Once you have a physician to shadow, ask the physician to contact their Department Chairman to proceed with the observership approval process. Students please do not contact the Department Chairman’s office directly. Only your preceptor can request that observership arrangements be finalized.
Length of observerships
Inova observerships are available for a maximum of two days, or 16 hours, per quarter. The observership can be broken out (four 4-hour days, for example), but cannot exceed 16 hours per quarter. No overnight on-call sessions are allowed.
If you are interested in spending more time with your preceptor, we recommend you find a physician in private practice so that you can shadow him or her in the office. However, the 16-hour time limit is in effect if the physician brings you into an Inova hospital.
If you are interested in a second observership with a different doctor, you may make those arrangements with the physician. However, the observation with the second physician will need to be at a different Inova hospital than your first. Observers may not spend more than two days total in any three-month period at a single Inova hospital.
Thank you for useful information. I tried to search doctor and wanted contact them through mail. However, I could not find the email .And I am not sure whether have to contact through phone number . I would be grateful if I could get information regrading such.
We apologize, but we do not have physician email addresses, please find physician office addresses and phone numbers in our Find a Doctor at http://www.inova.org/physicians.