Page 18 - Delaware Medical Journal - January/February 2019
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As the leaves were starting to change in mid-October, the Apollo team conducted at MSD, with a trio of Past Presidents carrying the education mantel. MSD Past President Prayus Tailor, MD discussed the various types of medicine, MSD Past President Nancy Fan, MD informed the students about the DIMER program,
and MSD Past President Dr. Kahlon moderated the session and led the training on HIPAA.
Using an online sign-up system that tracked the list of available physicians and available time slots, the participating high school students were able to individually choose their shadow doctor
(and specialty). In preparation for the shadow day, students were given a primer that contained basic information about each physician’s specialty. This included information such as what the specialty covers, common conditions, and common treatments, giving students a chance to prepare before their shadow day. For the physicians, all student documentation was provided before the shadowing day so that the physicians only hosted students who had appropriate education, and formal HIPAA training. The pilot session of the Apollo physician shadowing experiences took place in November — just three months after the
THE REVIEWS & OUTCOMES
To better gauge student feedback of the pilot, surveys were sent after the initial Educational Information Session and again after the shadow date. The responses were overwhelmingly positive, with 93% of the participants stating they would recommend the program. The top suggestion from students was to increase the number of shadowing experiences offered from more than just one per student. One of the main goals of the program was to increase the students’ knowledge about the physician career path in medical education, and 100% of the students who responded to
the survey agreed that the program had accomplished this goal.
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Del Med J | January/February 2019 | Vol. 91 | No. 1
Apollo Program:
Student Reflection
John Kepley
Iwas interested in the medical waiting room and the atmosphere
field from a young age and having
an opportunity to shadow a physician and to explore the true life of a medical professional was very exciting. I have had a few injuries in my life, so when the opportunity to shadow a physician arose, I thought it would be interesting to follow an orthopaedic specialist. I was able
to pick Dr. Jeremie Axe from First State Orthopaedics in Newark, which worked well because some of my family members and friends had seen him for care.
On the day of my shadowing, I left school early to get ready. I wasn’t sure what to wear, but I figured
it was better to be overdressed than underdressed. I put on my blazer and grabbed my notepad and was ready to go. My mind was wandering as I drove to the Sabre Building, thinking about the unique situation I was in. I was finally able to get a sneak peek of my dream. Once I arrived, it took me a second to gather all my thoughts and find the office. One kind woman had to help me find it. I walked into the
John Kepley shadowing Michael J. Axe, MD at First State Orthopaedics.
immediately changed. It went from a quiet office building, to a full running clinic, filled with patients who needed help. That’s what I find incredible about being a physician. A patient can walk in with a serious problem, and you get a chance to help them feel better.
I told the office manager I was
there to shadow Dr. Axe for the Apollo program, and she brought
me through the locked doors.
The atmosphere changed again.
I was on the other side of the
glass — going from the patient
I’d sometimes been, to the doctor I’ve always wanted to be. We’re all patients. We were born patients and spend our first days in a hospital. Many of us will die spending our last days there. But only a select few get to put on the white lab coats. For the first time, I got to see what that was like.
Dr. Axe introduced me to the rest
of the office, from his PA, Christian, to his many nurses. I spent my first 10 minutes analyzing and absorbing
