Observerships or Job Shadowing

What are Observerships?

Observerships, also called job shadowing, provide the opportunity to observe healthcare employees in a workplace setting. Our purpose in offering Observations is career exploration.

Observerships:

• help individuals learn about health career options and the required occupational skills.
• are unpaid and do not fulfill any clinical or internship requirements.
• do not provide any hands-on experience or training.

Who is Eligible for Observerships?

To have an observership at Baystate Health:

• Individuals should be 18 years or older.
• Must secure a Baystate Health employee willing to supervise the observation.
• Non-Baystate Health employees may observe 8 hours annually. 

Baystate Health employees considering career advancement, Baystate Health volunteers, and students requiring shadowing hours for school applications may observe up to 40 hours annually. Employees who wish to observe must review and sign the observation agreement, including that it is an unpaid experience.

Getting Started with an Observership

The observer or the Baystate Health supervisor willing to accommodate the observer should contact the Healthcare Education Office to request clearance. The Healthcare Education Office will provide the observer with the onboarding paperwork. The observer must complete the onboarding paperwork, including agreeing to the observer policy and confidentiality policy. Then, the Healthcare Education Office will send a clearance email to the supervisor and the observer stating that the observer is cleared to observe.

Individuals may contact one of our healthcare professionals directly to request their supervision. The office or department manager(s) will accept the request at their discretion, considering the unit’s staffing resources, the nature of the patient population, and the procedures performed. Once a supervisor has been identified, please email AlliedHealth@baystatehealth.org with the observer’s and supervisor's names for onboarding and approval.

If an individual does not have a Baystate Health employee willing to supervise, please email AlliedHealth@baystatehealth.org, including the type of certification one wishes to shadow, to request placement for a one-day Observation. Baystate does not guarantee placement services for observerships due to the number of observation requests.

Brief Overview of Observership Policies

• Observation experiences are uncompensated and passive in nature. Observers may not participate in direct or indirect patient care, management, or patient care responsibilities. Participation in any clinical or laboratory procedure is strictly prohibited.
• During observation experience, one must refrain from using a cell phone, keeping them out of sight while with patients to avoid any appearance of privacy concerns.
• Observers will not be provided user access to BH’s network, electronic medical record, and/or systems.
• No personal information gained during this experience is to be publicized.
• Professionalism must be maintained at all times.

Baystate Health does not accept requests for general observation experiences from international medical graduates who wish to pursue residency or fellowship in the United States, regardless of whether they reside in the U.S. or abroad.

For more information on Observerships, please contact the Healthcare Education Office at 413-795-7275, or AlliedHealth@baystatehealth.org.