Pre-Medical Student Shadowing

The American Academy of Family Physicians promotes the expansion of a diverse workforce to enhance equitable access to primary care across the United States. Shadowing opportunities for students in middle school, high school, college, and throughout medical school offer critical early exposure to the various career options available in family medicine, foster mentorship and shape career aspirations. The AAFP supports shadowing opportunities for students, particularly in historically and intentionally excluded communities.

The AAFP recognizes that access to shadowing opportunities is often limited by institutional, regulatory, and operational barriers, including employer and health system policies related to compliance, liability, documentation, and productivity expectations. The AAFP also recognizes the right of the patient to decline a student shadow in the patient encounter. These barriers can restrict the ability of physicians and practices to offer shadowing experiences, even when there is interest and capacity to teach.

Thus, the AAFP encourages academic institutions and community practices to leverage resources to collaborate with local schools and advisors to offer students shadowing opportunities. The AAFP also recommends strengthening recruitment, development and retention of family physician preceptors for shadowing through enhanced, sustained institutional support.

The AAFP further acknowledges the opportunity cost associated with providing shadowing experiences and the significant time and effort required of preceptors to teach, supervise, and mentor students. Valuing the educational contributions of preceptors is essential to sustaining and expanding shadowing opportunities and supporting the pathway into family medicine. Therefore, the AAFP recommends providing resources, support, and training to enable family medicine departments, divisions and institutions to offer financial and professional incentives for community-based family physicians who offer shadowing opportunities.

(July 2011 BOD) (July 2026 BOD)