Generic LOR for residency purposes

[microshar88]

I was wondering if one is applying to more than one specialty than Psych, is it of any value to add a generic LOR to meet the required 2-3 LOR's quota.

I know one has to be from a Psychiatrist but if you have 2 other ones that say you would be a valuable addition to any residency program, not specifically psychiatry residency program does it make a difference?

I was just wondering how much value this carries and maybe it may make some admission members wary.

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[splik]

yes it does

 

[microshar88]

If one is past the interview point, do LOR's make a difference? what im saying is lets say you got to the interview with just a Psych LOR and 2 generic ones. Is it damaging to not have a LOR that is not going to be Psych specific?

 

[Shikima]

I say get rid of LORs....

Hi, I'm Joe and I want to do (generic residency) because it's the best and I totally love it!

Won't you match me?

 

[microshar88]

I can feel your sarcasm, and I know I shouldn't have been so lazy and careless this past app season. However, I'm just trying to pinpoint what is was exactly that went wrong. I mean I did give LOR's and I did give a Psych letter.

I just wonder how much weightage LOR's get in this process after you get the interview.

 

[splik]

If one is past the interview point, do LOR's make a difference? what im saying is lets say you got to the interview with just a Psych LOR and 2 generic ones. Is it damaging to not have a LOR that is not going to be Psych specific?

you whole application matters it's not just the interview. we are sensitive about people applying to multiple specialties in psych because we don't want people who aren't committed or are just applying as a backup. so when i interview people and see vague LoRs you can bet they get dinged for it. Now if everything else in the application screams psych and they are a great candidate it doesn't matter that much but otherwise it does. This is even more important for marginal candidates like yourself.

 

[microshar88]

you whole application matters it's not just the interview. we are sensitive about people applying to multiple specialties in psych because we don't want people who aren't committed or are just applying as a backup. so when i interview people and see vague LoRs you can bet they get dinged for it. Now if everything else in the application screams psych and they are a great candidate it doesn't matter that much but otherwise it does. This is even more important for marginal candidates like yourself.

thanks I know this is where I went wrong. I had 1 from a Psychiatrist and 3 that were generic just saying I was a good applicant. I feel like such a loser.

 

[wolfvgang22]

I got two from psych (adult and child sub-I), one from pediatrics, and one from general surgery. Only the adult psych letter said anything about psychiatry being a good fit for me. The others just mentioned they would be proud to have me as a resident in their own program, which was nice. In fact, I think it shows I didn't blow off non-psych rotations but worked hard and enthusiastically for patients every day, not just when it interested me the most.
So, I wouldn't worry about this too much. You just want strong letters about you as a student, not generic ones that could be about anybody.

 

[notdeadyet]

I can feel your sarcasm, and I know I shouldn't have been so lazy and careless this past app season. However, I'm just trying to pinpoint what is was exactly that went wrong. I mean I did give LOR's and I did give a Psych letter.

I just wonder how much weightage LOR's get in this process after you get the interview.

Splik is right in that the final deliberation about applicants typically look at the entire package.

It is important to have at least one LOR come from a psychiatrist. For the other letters, it's not necessary that they come from psychiatrists, but they will be of much more value if they are recommending you to be a psychiatrist. I had a letter from a surgeon and an internist because they both knew me well, but both also talked specifically about how the skills they were familiar with would suit me well as a physician and how the talks I gave and the clinical encounters they witnessed showed I'd make a good psychiatrist.

When an applicant hasn't demonstrated a commitment to the field (and recommendations that don't mention what specialty you're applying to are concerning for that) many programs are going to be rightly concerned that you aren't going to be committed to your residency and potentially either dial it in or bolt after a year.

Don't think of yourself as a loser. You made it as far as the interview stage, and now that you've identified a weakness in your application that is entirely correctable, you'll likely have better luck next go 'round.

 

[Dharma]

Just to jump on this thread, when is the latest to add a psych LOR? I'll hopefully have one in the next month or two, but the opportunity to rotate at an ACGME psych program (I'm a DO student) will not be until late October. I would've had 2 psych rotations in the books beforehand but both will be at school affiliates, one of which has a psychiatry residency (community).

I want to make sure my app "screams psych" but the chances to do so are slim pickings from here on through. Only 3 electives in 4th year with only 1 of those before interview season concludes.

What do you guys think?

 

[thepoopologist]

thanks I know this is where I went wrong. I had 1 from a Psychiatrist and 3 that were generic just saying I was a good applicant. I feel like such a loser.

I'd like to put in my 2 cents. The interview process for psychiatry, at least at my place, is a bigger deal than scores or recommendations. Part of it is because we'd rather not rank a social misfit but a more important issue is that a lot of what we accomplish with patients is done on an interpersonal level. You had a period of time where you failed a Step I believe and were just thrashing yourself on here during the interview season. You seem to continue to thrash yourself when you come across a roadblock and not only do you end up feeling like garbage, you're feeling like garbage while you're trying to get past the roadblock. Maybe letting go of the self-hate and adopting a more can do attitude would do you good. I don't know, however I can say that the more confident applicants come across better during their interviews. We've (probably) never met and this is the internetz, but think about it.

 

[microshar88]

I'd like to put in my 2 cents. The interview process for psychiatry, at least at my place, is a bigger deal than scores or recommendations. Part of it is because we'd rather not rank a social misfit but a more important issue is that a lot of what we accomplish with patients is done on an interpersonal level. You had a period of time where you failed a Step I believe and were just thrashing yourself on here during the interview season. You seem to continue to thrash yourself when you come across a roadblock and not only do you end up feeling like garbage, you're feeling like garbage while you're trying to get past the roadblock. Maybe letting go of the self-hate and adopting a more can do attitude would do you good. I don't know, however I can say that the more confident applicants come across better during their interviews. We've (probably) never met and this is the internetz, but think about it.

Thanks, I know this is a bad habit of mine and I tend to dwell on things. A lot of it has to do with my poor self esteem due to the adversity I have had to encounter and the way my parents made me feel, but I'm working to get better at it. Which probably has to do with my lack of confidence.