Shadowing in Emergency Medicine
The Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Florida (UF) seeks to provide an environment that teaches the reward of caring for patients in an emergency department (ED) setting. Our priority is first to medical trainees within UF, including all UF College of Medicine (COM) students, house staff, fellows, and those in other healthcare units within the COM. We also recognize the importance of providing meaningful learning experiences to UF undergraduates and other interested learners about the value and breadth of emergency medicine.
Observorship, or shadowing, is a voluntary opportunity with an emergency medicine attending physician to experience their unique work environment.
Typical activities for shadowing include
- Observing patient-physician interactions in the emergency department
- Discussion of patient interactions with faculty and other members of the medical team including residents
- Participation in didactic activities
- Observing medical resuscitations
NOTE: We do not offer any academic credit or medical certification for shadowing in the Emergency Department. In addition, we DO NOT offer letters of recommendation to post-graduate residency or fellowship training for shadowing alone. Shadowing DOES NOT CONSTITUTE medical education, graduate medical education, continuing medical education, or training leading to licensure or board certification. The shadower is NOT a physician, medical staff member, or employee of UF COM and must not represent themselves as such. Shadowers are NOT ALLOWED to provide patient care, even under supervision.
Dress Code
The dress code for UF medical students is business casual or scrubs. The dress code for all other observers is business casual, and scrubs or a lab coat are not permitted.
Please click the button below for more information about the shadowing dress code and conduct expectations.
Approval process for prospective observers
UF Emergency Medicine Shadowing Application opens on the first Tuesday of each month at 1pm and will close after the maximum number of applications have been received. Within 10 business days of the application being submitted, a staff member will confirm whether shadowing documents have successfully been submitted and approved. Once the applicant has been approved to shadow, applicants will be scheduled with a faculty member for the following month.
Below is an example scenario to help you understand the process:
The UF Emergency Medicine Shadowing Application opens on Tuesday, July 1st, 2025. A potential shadow uploads all their required documentation appropriately. A “Request to Shadow Form” is then sent to the student and physician through DocuSign. Once completed, all documents are sent within 10 business days. If approved, the applicant will be scheduled for shifts meeting the physician’s preferences with plans for the applicant to begin shadowing by August 1st, completing their shadowing by August 30th.
Due to demand and availability, please expect at least 30 days from time of application submission to time of shadowing. Some faculty may be able to accommodate sooner, but this is an exception, not an expectation.
UF medical students are allowed to shadow at any time based on their designated attending’s availability. All other prospective observers must obtain approval from a UF EM faculty as well as the COM. These observers, once approved, are permitted to shadow a physician for up to 8 hours per day over the course of a 30-day period.
If you are a UF medical student interested in shadowing, please email EMED-UFEMShadowing@ad.ufl.edu with “Medical Student” in the subject line.
Faculty sponsor for non-UF medical students
Prospective observers outside of the COM must obtain approval from a UF EM faculty sponsor before seeking approval from the COM. Our UME coordinator may assist you in identifying faculty with the greatest availability. Prospective observers may also review the faculty page (https://emergency.med.ufl.edu/meet-the-team/meet-our-faculty/) and identify faculty that best suits their interest. Once a faculty sponsor is identified, it is the responsibility of the requesting shadower to complete all required forms listed above and submit them to the UME coordinator. Once all files have been received, our coordinator will process them through to the COM.
Please wait to submit your documentation until we have confirmed a faculty sponsor. Because of varying schedules of each faculty, not all faculty are able to accommodate an observer at the requested time. Please don’t be discouraged and know that there are plenty of faculty within the department willing to sponsor you. We can assist you in reaching out to faculty and please be patient as faculty may not respond for 48 hours.
Our application is currently closed. Please check back on the first Tuesday of next month! In the meantime, we recommend gathering the documents needed for submission, so they are available when you are ready and able to apply.
The UF Emergency Medicine Shadow application will be regularly opening on the first Tuesday of each month at 1pm with applicants beginning to shadow in the following month. It is planned to be on a first-come, first-served basis, so we recommend those interested complete documentation ahead of time to allow for a smoother submission process. Please see required documents below.
Forms required to shadow in Emergency Medicine
- Form of government issued ID
- Security and Confidentiality Agreement
- Proof of HIPAA certification via myTraining – (Example Here)
- Request to Observe Patient Care (only fill out highlighted portions of the document)
If you are interested in shadowing and have further questions, please email EMED-UFEMShadowing@ad.ufl.edu with “Shadow” in the subject line.
Please allow 10-14 days for application processing and approval once the application packet is received in full. The submission of an application is not an obligation for our department to provide a shadowing experience. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact us.