I will never forget when I was in third grade and I made (or rather acquired) this friend who was very much my shadow for several months. At first it was fun. I felt very special, and I was certain this meant I was better than the other girls in the class she didn't choose to follow. Then it got old. Did you know that a shadow follows you everywhere? Even into the bathroom? And, I was surprised to find out, my “shadow” began to talk like me. Same phrases. Same volume, same intonation. When she started to wear the same bell bottom patchwork jeans as me, that was the final straw. This kid was trying to be me, and at 8 years old, I was annoyed. I maturely decided it was time to sever our friendship before it got ugly, and so I punched her. It was the one and only physical fight I have ever had with a classmate, and I am embarrassed about it to this day, many decades later. Kathy, if you're out there, I am so very sorry.

Every once in a while, I'll receive an e-mail that was mass mailed, either through my state organization or through my involvement at my university employer, with a subject line "shadowing experience needed." The content of the e-mail usually conveys that there is a student who wishes or needs to have a shadowing experience in his or her quest to become a PA. Many of you get these too, I am sure. And now, in the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit something to you. In the past, I never even opened these. A shadow? Had one once. Didn't work out.

But, you see, I am an older (ARGH), wiser person now, not a third-grader, and I understand the value of a role model in the form of a mentor. Someone who a prospective PA student might shadow. And, although the idea of someone following your every move, asking you questions about the choices you make and why you make them, making you JUSTIFY yourself, might at first seem unsavory, I offer you this. Did you know that having an inquiring and enthusiastic kid ask you questions will make you (gasp) think about WHY you do some of the things you do for your patients? This might lead to (HORROR) the need to dig up recent literature on the particular subject. Furthermore, you may find yourself (SHUDDER) changing the way you practice.

Working example: when I first got my case of the mentoring spirit, I thought it might just be a passing illness. I'll just take this one kid, and then my professional duty will be done. Finished. Cured. I was working in surgery at the time, and there she was, at 6:30 in the morning, ready to round with me, wearing a smile of all things. Before coffee. As I told her about our first patient, who was preparing to have abdominal surgery later that day, I introduced this young prodigy to the idea of stress dose steroids. The topic was, I thought, way above her head and would impress upon her how “important” I was as a PA. “I have heard that the use of steroids may interfere with healing,” she quietly murmured. With my most convincing academic voice (and my whole two years of experience backing me up at that time), I confirmed that what she heard was indeed correct. “Why?” she asked me, looking much like Little Suzie Who, “Why then do you give the extra dose of steroids when steroids may interfere with the healing process?”

Rock my world. This kid had a point. It made me think: what else do I do without fully investigating the “why”? This inquiry led to me to the literature and, to be honest, it made me a better PA, both then and now. I wasn't cured of the mentoring spirit, I caught it. The chronic form. I have to say, I still have it. These kids have me looking stuff up constantly. And I am so happy about it.

Now, I understand that in some practices, it is difficult or may even seem impossible to find the time to mentor a potential PA. I am not even talking about preceptoring, which is a bigger commitment with an even greater payback to the practicing PA. The commitment to mentor is well worth the time invested. To those of you who are already in the game of mentoring, you know what I am talking about. If you have thought about it but have yet to take the leap, now's the time (see Physician Assistant Shadow Online for one way to get started). Being a mentor or allowing a prospective PA to shadow is a win-win situation. To tell you the truth, I think it might be better for you than it is for the student. In any case, it promotes the type of camaraderie that runs through our profession and through health care in general. And it may even force old dogs (me) to learn new tricks.

Dawn Colomb-Lippa is a professor of physician assistant studies at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. This blog post expresses her personal views and does not express or represent the views or policies of AAPA.