When you hear people talk about shadowing in the medical space they are referring to following a healthcare professional such as a physician around for a couple of hours or a full day to see what that profession is like.
When applying to medical school the admissions committee likes to see that you have done some type of shadowing because this lets them know that you have at least seen what you are potentially getting yourself into.
I do want to add that consistency is everything so that means that if you consistently shadow two hours a month for six months versus six hours sporadically every few months it will show that you are committed to the activity.
Traditionally shadowing has been done in person but since the pandemic in 2020 online shadowing has been a thing that schools will take into consideration as well.
Since everything is back open to the public now as of 2024 you still could do some online shadowing to supplement shadowing that you cannot do in person but in-person shadowing may serve you better so you can get the in-person experience.
A good website for virtual shadowing for both medical and premedical students is Motivated Med (Virtual Shadowing – Motivate MD ). This website is unique because it offers quizzes and soap notes as well as more complex cases to challenge all levels.
Overall, participating in shadowing will allow you to get more experience in the medical space and look into different specialties. It will also show admission committees that you are committed to the cause.