Get Involved with Student Shadowing

Inspiring the Next Generation of Family Doctors

Call for Volunteers – 2024 Student Shadowing Program Now Open

For more than 15 years, the Student Shadowing Program (Shadowing Program) has proudly provided newly accepted medical students from the Universities of Alberta and Calgary the opportunity to experience firsthand family medicine practice and all it has to offer.

The ACFP alongside the Alberta Medical Association’s Sections of Family Medicine and Rural Medicine, are currently looking for family physician volunteers who are excited to share their enthusiasm and inspire students to make family medicine their specialty of choice.

This year, placements will occur between June 8th to 28th and August 10th to 25th. Participants can choose their dates and times of availability and they will be matched to a student accordingly.

Become a Family Physician Volunteer

Please complete our intake form below. Please also take time to read through our guidelines.

Shadowing Program Success

Growing every year, the Student Shadowing program has received strong support from our volunteer family physicians and medical students. In 2023, it connected a total of 84 incoming medical students with family physician mentors across the province. The students shadowed shifts in both urban and rural family medicine practice settings such as walk-in clinics, private practice offices, hospitals, and emergency rooms.

What Our Participants Are Saying

“I think this is one of the most valuable things that we do at ACFP. Get the students early and treat them well in our clinics. They will remember us all throughout med school. The impact is very minimal on the practice flow as well. They have no skills to hone yet so their role is to watch and absorb. “

“I really enjoyed participating in the program. I loved the opportunity to showcase the variety in family medicine. The program was very well organized and easy to participate. I look forward to participating again in years to come.”

"Participation in the ACFP Shadowing Program has sparked my interest in considering family medicine as a potential career goal. I was inspired by the breadth of practice that family physicians undertake, in addition to the opportunities available to focus on specific areas or specialize further in areas like women's health/labour and delivery, emergency medicine, sports medicine, etc.”

“Useful for the students. Funny that even though for most students, the only contact with medical system has been with their family docs, yet still seems they really are not aware of variety and complexity of what a family doc does, so this program really seems to open students' eyes and get them actively considering a career in our specialty.” 

“It was extremely rewarding to hear the medical students be pleasantly surprised regarding the diversity of family practice, and the flexibility that we have as family physicians.”

“The opportunity to shadow showed me just how diverse, interesting, and possibly rewarding that family medicine could be. I was also very fortunate to have an excellent mentor to shadow in each of my two placements. I think the program is highly valuable for incoming medical students to take part in and I recommend it to all students starting medical school.”

Volunteer for Our Student Programs

The ACFP offers a number of programs that provides students opportunities to learn more about what a career in family medicine has to offer including the shadowing program, student info sessions, and clinical skills nights.

Contact our email address below to be added to our volunteer list.