Early in medical school, medical students traditionally received little instruction in patient care settings. The transition to clinical instruction was often abrupt. Kolb's model of experiential learning states that “learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” 1 This belief that learning best occurs in the setting of experiences, not a vacuum, is consistent with the recent national push towards including more clinical experiences earlier in the course of medical education. In order to help better develop students’ ability to function. effectively in the clinical settings, we suggest going “beyond shadowing” during early clinical experiences. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.