2025-2026 HPA Sponsored SHADOWING Program

FOR Duke Undergraduates in 

TRINITY AND PRATT  (SOPHOMORES through seniors)

OVERVIEW

Shadowing or clinical observation is a critical component in preparing for a health career. We encourage all Prehealth students to shadow clinicians in their prospective fields of interests. Shadowing several times and in several different specialties can provide a realistic view of medicine, an understanding of the many ways one can participate in health care, and the skills and capabilities that are needed in a profession. For more information on shadowing, volunteering with patients and gaining clinical experience, see the webpage on Finding Experiences and HPA Shadowing Tips. 

The 2025-2026 Application period for shadowing opened in October 2025 and closes on July 31, 2026.  Once you are cleared, you will be allowed to shadow until September 30, 2026. You are required to complete the entire training and clearance process for each application period in which shadowing takes place. This shadowing clearance is only valid at Duke and is not transferable.  Deadline for completing the application, training modules, and obtaining medical clearance has past.  Students who completed Step 1 & 2 may proceed with obtaining Final Clearance in Steps 3 and 4.   

  • After receiving confirmation of the Student Health Medical Clearance dated after October 1, HPA will send a secure link to the Qualtrics Survey requesting the completion of a Shadowing Experience Report (SER) which includes the details of your experience.  It is important to maintain a copy of this link for use throughout the 2025-2026 Shadowing Period.
  • Contacting a physician or other healthcare professional.  Access the list of healthcare professionals provided by HPA using the Shadowing Student Access Portal (SAP) and use the sample templates to initiate contact and request an opportunity to shadow.  Consider HPA's Tips for Shadowing. Select DukeOAuth and enter your NETID to access the SAP portal.
  • Submit a Shadowing Experience Report (SER).  After the physician agrees with the schedule, complete the Qualtrics Survey to provide HPA with the start/end dates scheduled and other details of the experience for each physician and site/clinic location.  Please allow a minimum of three (3) business days for review.   The SER can be submitted as often as needed for final clearance; however, you are prohibited from shadowing without final clearance for each new experience and or site location.
  • HPA will email a Final Clearance notice to the clinician, healthcare professional and student via email that acknowledges the student has received clearance to shadow.
  • Students are prohibited from shadowing without the final clearance notification.
  • This step is repeated for each physician, location and new experience.  For example, shadowing a physician at two separate locations requires a FC for each location.
  • We also encourage you to track your experiences using HPA Prehealth Experience Log.