Awakened Anesthetist

[Your Complete Guide to Understanding Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants] Pt. 5 How To Land + Leverage Those Darn Shadowing Hours

• Season 5 • Episode 81

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Curious about what it truly means to be a Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant (CAA)? You're in the right place! From nearly two decades of experience, I share a clear and comprehensive breakdown of the CAA profession. Think of me as your older sister or best friend, guiding you step-by-step through the essentials—from what CAAs actually do to how much money we make, no topic is off limits. Whether you're an aspiring AA student or simply exploring a career in medicine, this guide equips you with the insights you need to understand the CAA profession.

In Part 5 I am answering the question, "How to Land and Leverage Those Darn Shadowing Hours?"

Other Popular Episodes in this Series

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Previous episodes with Sarah Whitfield, CAA HERE and HERE

Great Book for Shadowers HERE

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SPEAKER_01:

Defensiveness is one of the top ways to disqualify yourself as a competitive candidate. Defensiveness is going to cause so much trouble in your anesthesia training as well. If you're defensive, you're not being teachable.

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to the Awakened Anesthetist Podcast, the first podcast to highlight the CAA experience. I'm your host, Mary Jean, and I've been a certified anesthesiologist assistant for close to two decades. Throughout my journey and struggles, I've searched for guidance that includes my unique perspective as a CAA. At one of my lowest points, I decided to turn my passion for storytelling and my belief that the CAA profession is uniquely able to create a life by design into a podcast. If you are a practicing CAA, current AA student, or someone who hopes to be one, I encourage you to stick around and experience the power of being in the community filled with voices who sound like yours, sharing experiences you never believed possible. I know you will find yourself here at the Awakened Anesthetist Podcast. Welcome in. Welcome everyone to Awakened Anesthetist Podcast, and welcome to our understanding the CAA profession. This is a little series on the podcast where I take a deep dive into some of the mysteries, some of the big questions behind this profession. So I'll link in the show notes some of the previous episodes, things like how much does a CAA make, what exactly is a CAA. There's also one called What a CAA is not. And this is just my attempt at helping those who are interested in the profession, the pre-AA community, or just perspectives in general, get their feet wet, sort of understand from a CAA what this profession entails, because we know how hard it is to find really reliable information on this profession. So I wanted to welcome my special guest today, who's going to be helping me discuss all things shadowing. Her name is Sarah Whitfield. She is a CAA as well as the creator and founder of AspiringCAA.com, which is a platform that helps pre-AAs become CAAs. And I'm just really excited to talk all things shadowing with her. So welcome, Sarah, to Awaken Annesotist.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited to be on your podcast.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And actually, Sarah has been on here before, and we've actually discussed a little bit of shadowing before. But um, and I will of course link those, but because shadowing is such a mystery within this profession, we wanted to have a much longer conversation. So if people are new to you, Sarah, people are totally new to the CAA profession and just came across this podcast. Can you just briefly describe who you are, um, what you're doing within the CAA profession, and why you're specifically qualified to talk so detailed about shadowing?

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. So I'm Sarah Whitfield. I am a practicing certified anesthesiologist assistant. And I have been for about eight years now. And I am the founder of aspiringCAA.com. And that means that I've interacted with a lot of pre-CAAs who are trying to get accepted to CA school. And a big part of that process is getting shadowing opportunities. So I have helped coach lots of people through that process on a step-by-step level because it's easy to just give generic advice like find shadowing, but what are the actual steps that you have to go through to do that? And then on another level, too, I have admissions committee experience. I was on an admissions committee for an AA program for five years. So I've actually seen how that shadowing translates to an application. I've looked at the number of hours that people have shadowing. I've looked at the descriptions that they've written to describe those experiences. I've read thousands of personal statements that articulate how and why that shadowing was impactful or meaningful to that person. So between the admissions committee experience and the coaching experience, I have a unique perspective to really dive into the ins and outs of shadowing.

SPEAKER_00:

Okay, so prospectives who are listening or people who want to get into this profession likely know that shadowing is a requirement on the CASA application to get into each and every AA program. Can you give us a little background on why shadowing is important, why it's asked, and what the student should be using the shadow experience for?

SPEAKER_01:

So I certainly remember my first time shadowing. I ended up shadowing at two different hospitals before I applied, which was great because then I got to see a couple different settings and a couple different hospitals because each hospital does do things a little bit differently. And it is nice to see that. So at this point, that is 10 plus years ago. But shadowing is still a requirement today for people who want to get accepted to CIA school. And the reason it is required is because programs want students who really know what they're getting into. They want students who are excited to be there and who are going to stay. Right? Programs don't want somebody who's gonna show up, realize, oh wait, I didn't really realize what I was signing up for, and then withdraw from the program. That's certainly what they what they don't want. So they want staying power, they want students who have a good grasp on what they're getting themselves into. And shadowing is really the foundational way to do that. Now, there are other other ways as well to get familiar with the profession, but shadowing certainly is the one that's required and it's foundational, and it's the one that allows you to actually see the responsibilities, see the workflow, see what is required of a CAA, and you know, see both the pros and maybe the the the cons, just like there are with any job. Now I have read lots and lots of applications, probably thousands of applications at this point. And so I've seen what it looks like for somebody to really understand and know about the profession. And when I'm trying to assess that from an admissions committee standpoint, I'm certainly looking at the shadowing hours. And something I do want to mention, it's not just about the absolute hours. I'm also looking for other ways throughout the application that this person is showing me that they know about this profession. So I'm looking at the personal statement. Do they use, do they even call the profession the right thing? Are they using the proper jargon? Have they actually been paying attention and learning while they were in their shadowing opportunity? So, yes, shadowing is important. It is foundational. And it can still be true that you also need to go one step further in your application and show how that shadowing actually affected you, what you actually learned from that shadowing experience. So we start with shadowing and then we move into that process of showing how shadowing actually made an impact on you. And that's where we're really making sure that you're intentionally doing that in your application. That's where that kind of comes into play. And I think that's where I am uniquely qualified to offer some perspective on that. Since I have, like I mentioned, read many, many applications and I've had people shadow me in the OR. And like I mentioned, 10 plus years ago, I was the one shadowing in the OR. So I kind of can come at it from all the different perspectives. So from a perspective student, from somebody who has had shadowers in the OR, and from somebody who has actually looked at applications at a very large volume to really see and understand how that shadowing shines through on the application.

SPEAKER_00:

So leading up to this episode, you pulled your audience and gave me a list of all the most frequently asked questions I've asked my audience on Instagram and in my email community. I also specifically reached out to the pre-AA Network, which is a new-ish network on Instagram. It's at PreAA Network, as well as the Pre-CAA Non-Traditional Student Association, which is also on Instagram and their website. Um, and they are at nt.preca. And they sent me a whole batch of questions. And so let's start off with a rapid fire round, and we're gonna do it as rapidly as possible, knowing that I'm a yapper. And we will then follow up with some much more in-depth answers. So, okay, are we ready for the rapid fire, Miss Sarah? Let's do it. Okay, here we go. There's about 10-ish. All right. Which types of providers can a pre-AA shadow for the hours to count?

SPEAKER_01:

They can shadow an anesthesiologist, a CAA, or a CRNA.

SPEAKER_00:

How many shadowing hours is enough? The minimum that the school requires. How many shadowing hours is overkill?

SPEAKER_01:

More than 50.

SPEAKER_00:

Should you have your mom DM a CAA on LinkedIn or Instagram with a shadowing request?

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_00:

If offered to sit during my shadowing experience, like sit in a chair, should I sit down?

SPEAKER_01:

Definitely.

SPEAKER_00:

Is the shadowing requirement waived if I have experience as an anesthesia tech or some other in the operating room position? Not at most schools. Are people grading me or assessing me when I shadow? Absolutely. Should I send a thank you follow-up? For sure. What do I wear to show up as a shadow? Probably scrubs. Should I introduce myself to people in the OR or wait until the person I'm shadowing does it? Get clarity beforehand with your preceptor. Love it. Okay. Those were so rapid. Great job.

SPEAKER_01:

It was hard. It was so hard for me to be rapid.

SPEAKER_00:

I had more to say about all of them. Uh yes, I know. I knew that was gonna happen. But okay, let's dive into some of the longer questions. Again, these were submitted by our mutual communities and the pre-AA network and the non-traditional student association of pre-AAs. Um, okay, the number one most asked question, and we're just gonna start out with it because it lays the groundwork, is how can I get shadowing hours?

SPEAKER_01:

This is such an important question. And the answer is pretty robust because there are a lot of different ways to go about finding shadowing. And what I'll say is if you've been trying one of the techniques that I'm about to mention and you've not been having success, that is your cue to pivot and try one of these other techniques that I'm gonna share. Right. So, number one, I would say work to leverage your network. You might have healthcare providers in your own circles. So it might be a friend's parent or a family member. So start asking around. And it doesn't just have to be a CIA, you can start trying to get in touch with anyone who has ties to the operating room. For example, when I'm in the operating room, I try to learn everybody's name. I try to be familiar with everyone in the OR. So if you can network with somebody or find somebody in your own circle who has ties to the OR, like a circulating nurse or a scrub tech or even a surgeon, they could introduce you to an anesthesia provider. So think about your broader network. Don't just ask yourself, well, do I know any CIAs? Because the most likely answer is you probably you don't. So I want you to start thinking more broadly. The other thing I want you to start thinking about when it comes to leveraging your network is reach out to upperclassmen who are also pursuing anesthesia or who are also pursuing the healthcare field. They likely have already gone through the shadowing process and might have contacts that they would be willing to share with you. So that's a very, very powerful tip to reach out to upperclassmen at your university. Another option is to start reaching out to local hospitals and surgery centers. When you reach out, yes, that's going to be most likely a cold reach out, so a cold call or a cold email. Sometimes these hospitals or surgery centers have a shadowing office that you can reach out to. So I would recommend starting by simply looking up their website and seeing what kind of contact information you can find. Other ways you can start trying to get shadowing is through networking in person. So you could attend an anesthesia conference. You could attend the Quad A Annual Conference, which that stands for the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistance. They do have an annual meeting that has hundreds and hundreds of CIAs and prospective CAAs and CAA students. And they also have representatives from many, many, many different hospitals. So that's a great opportunity to see which hospitals are allowing shadowers and if you can get contact information to set up shadowing. The FAA, the Florida Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants, also has an annual meeting that is a great place to meet anesthetists. You can also think about using online platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook groups, but you can also contact state academies. State academies are present in a lot of states, not every state just yet, but a lot of states do have state academies, and you can find their websites. I actually have an article on my website that links to each and every single CIA academy website, and you can email them, introduce yourself, explain why you're interested in the CIA profession, and explain that you would love if they would be able to help you find shadowing. And then a few other tips that I like to mention are making sure that you are willing to travel. As much as we all wish things would be convenient and easy, and just a 20-minute drive down the road to the local hospital. The reality is many applicants are traveling to get shadowing. And I'm not just talking about traveling an hour away. I have seen applicants travel out of state to get their shadowing hours. By the way, if you do that, that should absolutely show up in your application very clearly. When I would look at an application, it was tremendously impressive to me to see somebody go to that length to fulfill the shadowing requirement. And the other tip that I'll say is be persistent, be persistent. If you keep getting no's, the only way forward is to continue asking and searching until you get a yes. I know it can be discouraging if the first few people say no, but please, please, please hear me that that is normal. It is very normal for this to be a process that takes multiple months. So I do like to recommend starting early. And in fact, some of the most creative ways that I've seen people get shadowing. Um, I remember one person told me, Sarah, I emailed 40 people before somebody said yes. And I was so impressed by that persistence. Somebody else told me that they had an extended family member who was getting a procedure at the hospital. And this pre-CAA asked if they could attend in the pre-op area with their family member. And they ended up introducing themselves to the anesthesiologist and asking if they could schedule a time to shadow. And the anesthesiologist said yes. So that is Whoa, that's definitely one of the most creative ways that I've seen somebody find shadowing. But hopefully, what you're you're taking away from this is that there's a lot of different ways to try. And so get creative and see if you can find a way that that maybe you haven't thought of. And one more technique that I'll I'll mention, although I typically do like to recommend this as a more of a last resort, is recommend as uh reaching out to CAA programs. So some CAA programs are willing to help coordinate shadowing opportunities for you. The reason I typically say as a last resort is just because they can get overwhelmed with volume. And it's great if you can achieve this requirement on your own without needing the program to help you. Hmm.

SPEAKER_00:

I have follow-up questions. I'm gonna be the person who's listening that's like, wait a little, like, let's backtrack. Um, first, I wanted to say, just as like an overall message that I hear you saying is that this is a long game. This is not like a couple questions, a couple emails, and you're there. It may happen like that, especially if you have an anesthesia provider in your inner circle. Um, but plan on it not happening like that. And I love that you highlighted the idea that let's say you don't have an anesthesia professional in your inner circle, uh an anesthesiologist, a CRNA, or a CAA, but maybe you have a surgeon or your cousin's a scrub tech. You could shadow your cousin, the scrub tech, set that as the groundwork while you're there, have your cousin introduce you to some anesthesia people, and then start building that relationship. And we're talking this is going to take probably months or a year. So if you are a pre-AA, you want to start thinking about this how early? How, you know, far out should we start looking at shadowing if we're pre-AA?

SPEAKER_01:

I would say as soon as you realize you're a pre-CAA, it really is not too early to start. It's not like these hours expire. So if even if you're a freshman and this is something you're thinking about, I encourage you to go ahead and start getting the shadowing hour hours. Not only because it can take a while to find shadowing successfully, but also because shadowing is a technique that you're going to use to confirm if it's the right profession for you. And while I love being a CAA, I think it's one of the best professions out there. At the same time, it is not for everybody. So if you're considering it early on, like as a freshman, go ahead and get that shadowing opportunity and it will either confirm that this is what you want to do, and it will give you motivation to chase after it as hard as you can, or it's going to show you maybe this isn't the right profession for me. But now I have time to pivot and pick something else. So I think there are really multiple reasons why it's great to start getting shadowing as soon as you realize that you're interested in anesthesia.

SPEAKER_00:

She lives in Idaho, but her mom had a church friend who was an anesthesiologist who practiced in California. And if anyone is uh knowing somewhat about the CAA profession, you would probably know that CAAs are not in either of those states, neither Idaho nor California. So she went through the hoops basically to hook up with this anesthesiologist, like, you know, have her mom hook up, make the connection. Then the California hospital's protocol was that she had to be a volunteer at this California hospital before they'd even consider her as a shadow. So she had to go through all the volunteering setup and classes. And this meant she was flying from Idaho to California, you know, a lot. And then finally, this resulted in enough volunteer hours that she could then apply to be a shadow. And then she shadowed this anesthesiologist, I think for maybe three days in a row. So she lived with her parents for three days, shadowed as many hours as she could, those three days, and had an incredible experience. But the whole process took months and her own money and her traveling. And just I was so impressed by her. I'm impressed by her for many reasons, but the fact that that is the lengths you have to go to can be discouraging, but also it is possible. Um, and if you put that much effort into it, what I'm hearing you say as a former admissions committee member, that you will then put that in your um application and it makes you stand out. It makes you look so committed. Is that correct?

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. I think that example sums it up beautifully, that it's not always going to be easy. But if you are committed to getting an acceptance, you're gonna figure out a way to make it work.

SPEAKER_00:

Mm-hmm. Love it. Okay. Um, I am gonna scroll through our questions because I knew this was gonna happen where some of the questions would get answered in another question. Um, but my brain lit up when you were saying, okay, you could reach out on social media, you could email people or or someone you know sent 40 emails. So let's dive in a little bit into what you're actually saying. We've already covered you, do not ever have your mom reach out to a CAA or anyone in healthcare and say, how can my Suzy Q or Pete Joe uh be a CAA shadow? Um, so what do you do? What do you say, and which social media outlet maybe is the best? Is it email? Is it LinkedIn? Let's hear your thoughts.

SPEAKER_01:

I tend to like LinkedIn and email. I think those get the most traction and they feel a little bit more professional than say Facebook. I think it's really important in terms of what you include in the message when you reach out. So, first, it always needs to start off with an introduction. And that would include your full name, your status. So when I say status, I mean explain that you are a pre-CAA student, you go to school at X, Y, Z University, and you are a junior. So just kind of put some context around where you are either as a student or as a non-traditional applicant. And in the introduction, also mention how you found them. I always appreciate when somebody was reaching out to me, they kind of explain some background, like, oh, my friend mentioned this, or I was intentionally looking on LinkedIn for CIAs and I came across your profile. So just kind of give them that background information. It makes it feel warmer, it makes it feel more intentional when you include how you found them. Then express genuine interest in the profession. So take a sentence or two, it doesn't have to be super long, but just briefly explain what is drawing you to the CIA profession. It's okay if you don't know everything about it yet, right? At this point, you probably haven't shadowed because you're trying to find shadowing. So don't let this part stress you out. It doesn't have to be something super deep, but just a sentence or two about what got you interested in exploring it further. And then come out and state very clearly that you are reaching out for a shadowing opportunity. You don't have to be shy about that. Just say politely, I would love to shadow you to further my understanding of the CIA profession. And then what I would say is share your availability and above all, share that you are flexible. So you don't want to just share availability because that could be interpreted as a little bit demanding. But if you add that component of this is when I'm available, but I will work around your schedule. When you say it like that, it comes across as very professional and not assuming of the other person's time. So it's gonna make it easier for them to say yes, if you include your availability and include your flexibility. Then I would say it's nice if you acknowledge that you understand that there may be some red tape or some protocols around the shadowing experience. A lot of hospitals do have protocols. They have paperwork, or they might have training modules, or you might need a temporary badge. There's so many things that a hospital might require of you. You might have to show your immunization records. I actually had to do that when I shadowed 10 years ago. So it's really important to just acknowledge that and say, hey, I'm willing to do whatever, whatever it takes. It shows that you know that this might not be just an easy process, but you're gonna be there to stick it out because you're committed. So that shows shows your commitment. And then I would say express gratitude and and be polite. So just thank them for their consideration, even though they haven't responded yet. You know, they're gonna take the time to read your message. So a simple thank you so much for taking the time to read this and thank you for your consideration. You don't have to pre-thank them for letting you shadow them because you don't know the answer yet, but certainly it's a polite gesture to show some some gratitude. And then I would say sign off with a professional signature block. I think that really elevates your message. So your first and last name, and then you could include your contact information, so your email address, your cell phone number. And if you wanted, you could even include your city or your university just to give some context around who you are. It's kind of easier to remember. Um, I think when you structure it that way and you include each of those items, it helps them feel like, oh, I I kind of know that know why this person is reaching out to me. I know a little bit of background on them. I can tell they're serious, I can tell that they have a genuine interest in this profession. And the likelihood of them saying yes really does increase. And I want to uh uh elaborate a little bit on why I really discourage parents from reaching out. I personally have had multiple parents land in my inbox. And the reason why I discourage that is because it makes it seem like the student isn't the one driving the interest. It makes it seem like the parent is the one interested in their child becoming a CIA. And that's not what I want to see. That's not what the admissions committee wants to see. The admissions committee wants to see that the applicant is truly the one driven to become a CIA. So that's just a little bit more background information. Um, parents out there, if you're listening, I love that you are so invested in your child's success. And at the same time, it's important to keep in mind that they do need to be a little bit more independent in this process.

SPEAKER_00:

You are so generous with that because I'm like, no, do not know parents. I know it's it's interesting to receive, I get a lot of DMs from parents, which is just even less professional. Like I do too.

SPEAKER_01:

And I will be honest, I have started, you know, politely mentioning that. So, you know, I think it's going to be received really well if your student reached out because it's gonna really highlight their interest.

SPEAKER_00:

You are the nicest person I know. Um, okay, let me ask some questions to dive deeper and to like really paint this picture. So I think I want you to elaborate on some of those behind the scenes. Like, can a CAA, if you reach out to them and say, I want a shadow, can that CAA who maybe wants you to shadow them is okay with it? Can they drive an okay for you to shadow at their hospital? Like, can they alone get the permission for you to shadow? Or are you always gonna have to go through some sort of HR, you know, educational committee of the hospital to get your badge and your immunization. So talk to me about that in 2025.

SPEAKER_01:

It depends on the hospital. I wish I could tell you a universal rule or a universal protocol, but the truth is each hospital has the authority, has the independence to decide what it looks like at their location, which means sometimes there is a lot of red tape, there is a lot of paperwork, there's a whole nother department that you're gonna have to apply through. At other locations, sometimes it is enough where if the anesthetist vouches for you, you can just show up. And as long as you're professional, there's there's no problems. So once again, it's really location dependent. And I would say the best thing to do is just ask when you're reaching out to the person you're shadowing. And like I said, mention, hey, I'm willing to do whatever it takes. Any any paperwork, any application process, I'm happy to do that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. And uh thank you for explaining that because I do think that's one of the hard parts about shadowing is that there are different protocols at every single hospital, and you, the prospective AA student, does not know that inner working. It's like calling the White House and being like, Hey, can I come over? And you know, maybe if you knew the right person. And they'd be like, come on in. But generally, there's probably going to be some sort of red tape now. I would say just in 2025. It's definitely been harder over the years to get just that walk-in experience to shadow, yeah, I'm going to bring my son or daughter. You know, that's that was definitely my experience 20 years ago. There was something else I wanted to pull out from what you said, which was, you know, little tips about how to appear very intentional, very professional when you reach out. Even if it's a colder reach out, there's ways to warm up your email, meaning, as you said, to say how you know this person. And I also love to see that this is an email that's been sent directly to me. This is not a stock email that was sent out to 40 CAAs you found on LinkedIn, but it is for me to me. So if you offer things like where you are in the world versus where I am, I'm in Kansas City. So everyone who DMs me or emails me and is like, hey, I'm from Olatha, Kansas, and I found you. And, you know, gives me a little bit of that personalization. It feels more like I'm helping a friend out. Um, because at the end of the day, this is extra work that you are asking a CAA to do for free. And CAAs are oftentimes very willing to help people who want to be a CAA, who are diligent and intentional and professional, and we feel like are good, you know, examples of what a CAA is, we want to help that person. And you can look like that person in a really professional, intentional reach out, even a cold reach out. Would you agree with all that?

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely. I think that's a big part of getting a yes is coming across as authentic and somebody who has genuine curiosity. And when you present yourself that way, somebody gets excited to help you. And so absolutely, I agree with everything you just said. You are more likely to get a yes if it feels like a personalized message.

SPEAKER_00:

And the other thing I wanted to say, just as some tips, is that if you reach out to a CAA and maybe they give you one little step forward. Like, for example, someone reaches out to me and asks, where can I shadow in the Kansas City area? And I give them a list of three hospitals that they could contact, you should absolutely respond back to me and say, Hey, I followed up. I called these three hospitals. Here's where I am in the process. Because every time you connect with a CAA, you're embedding the chance to, you know, meet them in the future at the Quad A or at a different conference. Or maybe I become, you know, on some admissions committee. Like this world is very, very small. And you, if you have a CAA contact, you want to keep that contact warm. I love how we're using marketing terms here, but you want to reach back out to that CAA, thank them, even if they didn't actually have you shadow, they just gave you information.

SPEAKER_01:

I love that perspective because what I hear you saying is that networking is important. And I want you to think of shadowing as a form of networking, because the truth is it is. And I think that idea really rolls into the question that we also get of can I keep in contact with somebody that I shadow? And I think the the answer should always be yes. Try your very, very best to keep in contact, continue networking. Like you mentioned, send a follow-up message, even if you couldn't shadow them, but they maybe pointed you in the right direction. Mention, hey, thank you for that tip. Because then I successfully got shadowing. And after you shadow somebody, um, you know, send a thank you message or a handwritten thank you note. You know, you can feel out the situation as to what you feel is is appropriate. Sometimes you have to read, read the situation, read the room a little bit. But when you come back to this person that you shadow, when you reach out to them again, it starts to build a relationship. And that's what networking is. It's not just, oh, we met that one time when I shadowed. It's repeated interaction. So give them updates about what your next step was, even if it doesn't have anything to do with shadowing, even if it's, hey, I just wanted to mention that shadowing really solidified my interest in this profession. And I've decided to pursue it. I've signed up to take OCEM one and physics one. You know, tell them about your schedules. Tell them about the next steps that you're taking to make your dream of becoming a CAA a reality. And then that's going to open up a dialogue. And that's how you keep the conversation going. That's how you stay in touch.

SPEAKER_00:

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Okay. I'm sure there's more to say. There's always more to say, but let's go on to this other great question we got. Um, this was sent actually by Brandon, who leads the non-TRAD pre-CAA student association. And the question is: it's hard to come up with questions as the pre-AA, as the perspective that aren't just superficial when you're in the OR shadowing, especially if you are someone who is unfamiliar with anesthesia. So, what can you recommend to help them become more familiar with the anesthesia setting, the clinical, the operating room setting, and procedures so that the pre-AAs can ask, the shadowers can ask good questions. And this person also says his goal is to be able to ask deeper questions and develop a better understanding.

SPEAKER_01:

This is a great question. And the fact that you're asking this question, I think already shows your motivation and your interest. And ultimately, that's what the person who you're shadowing wants to see, that you have genuine interest and that you are genuinely motivated. I will say I have never been asked a question from a shadower where I thought, wow, that just wasn't deep enough. Because I fully understand where they are in the process. I understand that they are still learning the basics. At the same time, I think it can be helpful and set you apart if you are intentional about preparing before you, before you come to a shadowing opportunity. So you can start doing a little bit of your own research about what are the responsibilities, what is the workflow of being a CAA? You could read articles, you could watch YouTube videos, you could read a very basic anesthesia book. I'm not saying read a textbook. That's that's too much. That's too much to digest at this point, but just learn some basic terminology, learn some of the basic flow, like what does induction mean? What does maintenance mean? What does emergence mean? What are some of these tools that we use to manage the airway? What are some of the routine drugs that we use for almost each and every case? So if you start there, you're gonna go to your shadowing opportunity and recognize some of these things and then be able to ask questions based off what you already know, even if it's just a little bit. So I do want to take the pressure off a little bit because kind of what I heard from that question was you felt a lot of pressure to ask just the right questions. And I want to reframe that a little bit where when somebody comes to shadow me, I'm not I'm not over-analyzing their questions. What I ultimately want to see is that there's genuine interest and they are doing their very best to engage with what is happening in front of them. So, you know, those questions can be about the anesthetic itself. And you can take that opportunity too to just learn about the CIA's perspective about being a CIA. So that's a great time to ask about schedule or um or lifestyle questions. So there's a lot of different question types that you can ask, but like I said, take the pressure off yourself. Just try to think of it as how can I show this person that I'm genuinely interested?

SPEAKER_00:

Mm-hmm. Yeah. And what I hear you saying, and what is true for me as a shadowing preceptor is that I'm impressed when you're genuine, you're interested, and you're curious. I don't so much care about the specific pharmacological question you're asking me if you're like came up with some really quote unquote good question. Um, yeah, but you are being assessed, but you're being assessed in this um, you know, like larger way. And also a couple of things I wanted to throw in there. Um, since I have started doing pre-AA Matters, which is a professionalism course for the pre-AA community, I've been interacting much more with pre-AAs. And there's a book going around within that community called Anesthesia Made Easy. I'm I know you're nodding your head. I know you've heard of it. Um, it was around when I was, you know, way back when as well, but it's like less than 200 pages. It is super digestible. It is meant to be sort of a primer to your first step into an anesthesia rotation in medical school. And it is a very, very good, solid resource to read before your first day of shadowing. Um, and then I also wanted to just say that um so much of what Sarah's talking about and so much of what is perceived as a shadower by your preceptor is emotional intelligence and interpersonal communication skills. It doesn't really have much to do with your anesthesia knowledge. It matters, you know, can you be a foot away from me and make conversation and then and not feel like stalled or not feel super awkward? Um, can you read the room, which is a phrase Sarah used and is a very common phrase in anesthesia? Like, can you feel that emotional temperature when it is appropriate to ask questions and when it is more appropriate for you to kind of drop back if there's something, you know, more serious going on in the operating room or if it's more intense moment. And I would love to hear your perspective, Sarah, on when is it appropriate to ask questions and when is it not, and how do I read the room? Like how do I develop that emotional intelligence in an operating room if I've never been in an operating room?

SPEAKER_01:

I love this question because I have such a powerful tip. When it comes to being an anesthesia provider, if I am standing up and actively doing tasks, that's not a good time to ask me a question. I might be very focused on putting in the endotracheal tube. I might be very focused on putting in the IV or putting in the arterial line. So that might be a high task load time for me. But once I get settled and if my patient is stable and you see me sit down, that is the perfect time to ask questions. So I want your rule of thumb to be if the person I'm shadowing is sitting down, that's probably a low task load time where they have the capacity to both monitor the patient and field some questions. And I will say it can't hurt just to clarify and say, hey, I I prepared a few questions, would now be a good time? That just shows so much emotional intelligence, situational awareness, just getting that clarity before you start peppering them with questions.

SPEAKER_00:

Mmm, say it again in the back or for the back. Um, yes, I uh speak to this in preAA matters about how to set yourself up just from the moment you meet your preceptor, your shadowing preceptor is to have a debrief. You know, say who you are. And, you know, there's varying levels of comfort. Have you met this person never, or maybe just emails? So introducing yourself appropriately, saying where you are in your journey, as well as your goals. I love to have my shadowing student give me their goals for the day. And your goal may be I have never set foot in an operating room before. This is my very first time. My goal is to understand what the anesthesia machine is and how you move about the anesthesia machine and the patient during the beginning and end of cases or whatever it is. You know, that's that's the research on your end that you're gonna have to do, coming up with your goals. And then as you get more and more shadowing, you can try to find those deeper and deeper, as the question had been asking, like those deeper and deeper aspects to the profession that are going to allow you, the shadower, to choose the CAA profession because you want to be a CAA. That's the goal of shadowing is to know that you want to do this profession. And that's what the admissions committee also wants to see from you, right? To see that your shadowing experience solidified your understanding that you want to be a CAA. Can you say any more about that and like using your shadowing experience on your application?

SPEAKER_01:

Yes, I I love what you just said. I kind of want to reiterate something you said about kind of having a briefing beforehand to list your goals that shows so much initiative. And I love to see initiative in applicants. And the the little the briefing or the planning beforehand that you mentioned, I actually do the exact same thing with my CIA students when I'm precepting them in the morning. I say my expectations for the day. And I ask, especially if they're a second-year student, what kind of goals do you have? What do you need to work on? Do you need more A-lines? Do you need this case type or that case type? Do you want more uh more opportunity to function independently? Do you want to work on charting? Right. So I think that if you can already show those things as a shadower, it's going to be a good indicator, a positive indicator that you are also going to be successful as a student. And then to address the second part of that question as to how does this start to show up on the application? How do we translate what you saw into something positive, something that makes you stand out on the application? And I think there are a few different areas. So on your CASA application, there's an experience section and you'll select anesthesia shadowing, and then you actually get to write a description about it. So if you've already come up with goals each time you shadowed, those are great things to reflect back to and ask yourself, did I achieve that goal? Is that something that I could write down in the description? So if your goal was to get more familiar with the anesthesia machine and how the anesthetist interacts with the anesthesia machine, part of the description could be talking about what you learned about the anesthesia machine. Or if your goal was to see a general, a Mac, and a regional, wow, how powerful would it be to be able to write about that in the description section that you've seen all the different types of anesthesia. And then this can also be reflected in your personal statement as well. So, you know, part of that personal statement is really explaining why you want to be a CAA and to fully explain why you want to be one, of course, you have to have a good understanding of who they are and what they do. And that's where you can draw in those anecdotes, those stories that you actually saw and witnessed in the OR and how they affected you. So I always like to emphasize that you don't want it just to sound like a story that you're reporting on, right? You're not, you're not a reporter, you're sharing about yourself. So always tie your shadowing experience back to how it affected you, how it grew you, how it impacted you.

SPEAKER_00:

So good. Okay. We have hit so many high points. I just want to review to make sure there's nothing left on that pocket of questions. Uh Miss Kendall, Miss Kendall Gregg on Instagram asked this question. And Sarah, you're uniquely capable of answering it. So let me ask you. She asked, what types of questions are important to ask during shadowing and bonus if it helps in your interviews as well. And we've kind of touched on some of this already, but I would love to that second part. What is maybe an interview question that a student would receive that would point back to their shadowing where they would pull in their shadowing experience?

SPEAKER_01:

So when it comes to interviews, applicants should anticipate potentially receiving technical questions, meaning questions that have to do with anesthesia itself. And that is the perfect time to bring in those experiences. So when it comes to being asked a technical question, the first thing I want you to hear is that it is not make or break if you know the content of the answer. Okay. But what give us an example?

SPEAKER_00:

Can you give us an example just so we're on the same?

SPEAKER_01:

Sure, sure. So let's say you're in an interview and you're asked, could you explain to me the importance of pre-oxygenation prior to induction? So that that might be a question that you would get. And that's a very basic level question. And if you've shadowed, that would be certainly something you have seen. And it would be great if you, you know, if you knew the answer. But what I want to get across is even if you don't know the answer in depth, just at least attempt to answer the question. So you could sit start off with, from what I saw was shadowing, I remember that they did put the mask over the patient's face every time. And I saw that they turned the oxygen up. Now I I don't remember them specifically mentioning it, but it would make sense to me. Or I would think that it would be important for the patient to have uh a lot of oxygen in their lungs, because I know that there might be a period where they're not breathing before they put the breathing tube in. So, right, I explain that in very much not medical jargon. That's not how I would explain it if I were teaching in a classroom. That's not how I would converse with my students in the OR. But what I'm trying to show you is you can at least try to answer the question, even if it's not too super technical, right? There weren't a lot of technical words in there, but it showed me, hey, this person shadowed. They're clearly trying to recall what they observed. And so, from my perspective as a admissions committee member, I think, well, I can teach them all the technical jargon. Yes. But what I what I can see is that they're interested, they were paying attention, they're um, you know, they're they're good at observation, and those are all powerful things. And one more kind of comment while we're getting into this idea of interview. If you just get the answer flat out wrong, that's okay. I've seen so many people, I've accepted people, I've said yes to people, been excited to accept people who have gotten an answer wrong, but they were extremely teachable and showed curiosity when I corrected them and told them the right answer. And so I think that does tie back to shadowing because we really want to see curiosity and genuine interest. So even if you get it wrong and you're corrected, just say something like, thank you so much for sharing that with me. I'm excited to go and read more about that.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh my God. Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I'm excited to go home and read more about that. Just say exactly that if you get it wrong. If you get your interview question wrong. Also, when you're an AA student, let's talk about transferable skills. Everything we're talking about as a shadowing student will be a transferable skill to your experience as an SAA in terms of asking good questions, showing curiosity, how to show up with intention and perspective, even if you're totally new to an environment, which you will be constantly as an SAA. So, all good things. If you can master this as a shadower, you are well on your way to success in AA school. Okay, I think that is going to wrap up our general set of questions. Sarah and I are going to stay on after this, and we're going to record some bonus material, which will be coming out in another couple weeks. And we're going to talk about what CAA preceptors want you, the shadower, to know before you come into the operating room. So we got so many questions about, you know, of course, prepping and when can I ask appropriate questions and where should I stand and all of those sorts of things? And because they're all linked together and because it also takes a CAA perspective, um, Sarah and I are going to talk just like colleague to colleague about it. And so you can find that bonus content here in a couple of weeks. Um, Sarah, if preAAs want to work with you, follow up with you, they need future guidance from you, what is the best place to go to get in contact and to learn more?

SPEAKER_01:

I invite you to connect with me right on my website. Head to aspiringca.com. You will find my offering. So you'll see how you can get connected with me. If you would like me to coach you through the process of applying to CAA school. And if you have a follow-up question about that coaching, you can press the contact tab on my website and that'll send an email right to me.

SPEAKER_00:

And if there is like one free resource that you want anyone who's listening to like go first, go right now, what would that be on your website?

SPEAKER_01:

Ooh, so go to the resource tab. And the very first resource that I have listed is a recorded Zoom interview of me with a pre-CAA who was asking me basically the same questions that I get over and over again, which is great, but they're recorded and they're on demand and there's no paywall. You don't have to put in your email even. You just hop right on there and it's like I am just giving you all the info for people who are interested in this profession and for people who are trying to get answers to kind of the basic questions when you're first exploring a career path.

SPEAKER_00:

So, not necessarily about shadowing, just like all things CAA. This is my first contact. Watch this on-demand video.

SPEAKER_01:

Yes. Yes. Amazing. And even if you scroll down too, you'll see some shadowing resources too, like how to prep. And I have a shadowing tracker on there too.

SPEAKER_00:

Amazing. All right. Well, thank you so much. And I hope everyone feels much more resourced and prepared to shadow. We know it's kind of a wild world out there and it's really difficult. And we just encourage you, if you're really serious about the CAA profession, to just put the work, put the effort in. It will pay off. The profession is as amazing as it seems. And Sarah and I really um encourage you to keep going. So we'll talk soon, folks. Thanks for listening to Awakened Anesthetist. If this episode resonated with you, share it with a CAA friend, an AA student in your life, or a perspective, and let them know why you loved it. It's the most important thing you can do to support this podcast and its mission. You can always find more ways to connect with me and this CAA community at awakenedanesthetist.com, including an invitation to join season five Mindful Connections. These are free virtual gatherings open to anyone in our Awakened Anesthetist community. And while you're scrolling the website, check out my trusted CAA partners who make this podcast possible with a special thank you to my season five sponsor, Harmony Anesthesia Staffing. Talk soon.

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Mary Jeanne Roberts, CAA

Host