Doctors for a Day: A Unique Program for ARHS Students

If you have an interest in pursuing a career in the field of medicine then Doctors For a Day may be the perfect program for you. Doctors for a Day provides high school students the opportunity to shadow a medical professional for an entire day on March 11^th. Applications are due by February 4.

The program was designed 17 years ago by Dr. Roger Allcroft, a plastic surgeon in Northampton,  “to try and give students a fun and interesting glimpse into what a career in the medical profession is like.”

Doctors for a Day is a state-wide program with a vast range of medical professionals who participate. Specialists such as pathologists, radiologists and surgeons allow students to follow them around in hospital and small practice settings. There is a veritable plethora of opportunities for a high school student to gain an understanding of real medical practice. This program also allows doctors to learn about the community in which they practice.

Participants can expect the day to be busy and full of interesting scenarios. Selected students will begin their day at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton where students and doctors will be matched according to interest.  Students shadow the doctors and learn about treatment, surgery and follow-up care. Dr. Allcroft reports that the most popular surgery to view is a facelift! After visiting with doctors, students return to the hospital for a kind to debrief.

Despite the fun that you might encounter, there is the policy of patient confidentiality and other serious matters to keep in mind at all times.

“You are literally sworn to secrecy to most of what you see, in other words you can go around talking about certain things” said Dr. Allcroft. There is also the issue of safety. There is the possibility that a student may pass out if he/she has to handle blood, saliva or other bodily fluids.

Doctors for a Day provides high school students with an unique opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of the medical field. The amount of experience that you can get from this to see if you really do want to become a medical professional totally outweighs the few downsides that you may encounter during the day.