Letters of Recommendation

[lynne8832]

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[lemons24limes]

I think you should be fine. And if I remember correctly there is a button you can press on VMCAS that lets you read the letter of recs but it will just notify the school that you saw it if you choose to submit that one

 

[finnickthedog]

I think you're overthinking this.

You didn't ask her for a letter. She offered. It's highly unlikely that she offered to write you a letter only to provide a negative one. Most people aren't that malicious. Do you really think that she is?

 

[Trilt]

I think you're overthinking this.

You didn't ask her for a letter. She offered. It's highly unlikely that she offered to write you a letter only to provide a negative one. Most people aren't that malicious. Do you really think that she is?

This. A late entitled client being a bitch is not going to make someone suddenly decide they don't think you should be a vet.

 

[JaynaAli]

The logical part of my brain already knows this, but I have honestly been really worried that she will include this scenario in the letter and it will reflect negatively on me.

I agree with the others that you’re worried over nothing. And on the extremely rare chance this person did include it, I think every single vet on the selection committee has had this same situation happen to them and they will see it for what it is…something you couldn’t control because it was another person’s entitlement causing an issue. If this happening means people can’t be vets everyone needs to quit because it happens all the time (unfortunately).

 

[LetItSnow]

The logical part of my brain already knows this, but I have honestly been really worried that she will include this scenario in the letter and it will reflect negatively on me.

You really are overthinking it. Most likely you're stewing on this and meanwhile, both the practice manager and vet have already forgotten it. Coaching you on how to handle situations isn't the same as viewing you as deficient.

Nowadays people are absolutely nuts. EVERYBODY complains.

I can't even begin to imagine including something like this on a letter of recommendation because .... it's just such a non-event. And what would I write? "A client of ours was upset that we wouldn't see them immediately after they missed their scheduled time slot, and eventually left the building after lynne8832 failed to calm them down"? Like.... what? Who cares? How do you even work that into a letter in a meaningful way?

The focus of a letter is a more broad-based evaluation of a candidate's skills and aptitude and a general "would I want this person as a colleague"?

Refocus. Move on. This isn't a thing.

As a personal word of advice ....... you're investing a LOT of emotional energy in a situation that is going to occur pretty much daily if you go into clinical practice. Laugh at this owner rather than letting them bug you. That owner was a pompous, self-entitled, idiot. Treat them as such.

 

[CoffeeQuestionMark]

You're going to realize some day that this doesn't make any sense just a bit stressed out right now.

A person mentioning a bad experience knows that the letter is going to do them any favor. Again as the above mentioned it would be very malicious to do this as they know that could mean the difference of getting into school. Typically, if a person doesn't feel they can honestly write a good letter they'll just refuse to write the letter.

Additionally, what would she be saying about the people she hires in her clinic if she doesn't believe in them/like them/want them to achieve their goals? Would hurt her own credibility to write a bad letter.

To offer to write a letter means she thinks you are fit to be a vet and she thinks it would be beneficial for her to write one.

 

[thankdog]

Hi all. I am 99% sure that I am blowing this out of proportion, but I have been stressed about it.
I have worked as a veterinary nurse at an AAHA Accredited small animal clinic since May (with thousands of hours of experience at other clinics and internships). Recently, the practice owner/veterinarian at the practice offered to write me a letter of recommendation. I didn't ask her to, but I was discussing my vet school application with one of the other vets, and she said that she would be happy to write me a letter if I needed one. I took her up on it and sent the request through VMCAS. She is a fabulous veterinarian and practice owner. She is very particular about how everything is done at the clinic (which is to be expected when running such a busy clinic) and sometimes she corrects me on things such as communicating with clients, entering charges in the system, completing treatments for patients, etc. Again, I appreciate her feedback and I love to learn from her, but I am a bit worried about her writing me a letter of recommendation when it seems that she "corrects" me multiple times per day. Yesterday I was working with one of the other doctors at the practice and our 8:30 am appointment was late. The clinic's policy is that it is up to the doctor if they would like to reschedule the appointment, ask the client to drop their pet off to be worked in during the day, etc. The veterinarian asked me to call the client to see if they were still coming to their appointment. I called around 8:45 and she said that she was in the parking lot. She came into the building and one of the receptionists checked her in and placed her into an exam room. I updated the veterinarian on the situation and she asked me to tell the client that we would be happy to see her pet, but recommended that she drop him off for the day so that she did not have to wait until she was done seeing her next appointment, since her appointment time was over or mention that she could absolutely stay with her pet and we would see her between her next two appointments. I thought it was very generous of her to even offer to see the client and her pet as most of the previous clinics that I have worked at would have charged a late fee and had to reschedule. I entered the exam room, greeted the client, and politely offered her both options. She stated that she was very upset with our services and that she was late because her dog was scared and would not get into the car. I told her that I completely understood and reiterated that we were more than happy to still see her pet. She said that she refused to drop off and that "I should already know that he would not do well being dropped off due to his past anxiety at the vet." She said that she had been "waiting for a year and a half to get an appointment and refused to wait any longer." She essentially did not want to drop off or wait to be seen. She told me that our service was unacceptable, got up, and left the building with her pet. I told the veterinarian and she said that I handled it correctly and there was nothing more that I could do. The client then proceeded to leave a negative review, email the hospital manager (which contained lots of false information about our interaction), and call the hospital and demand to speak to the manager. I had a feeling that this would turn into a problem for me in the near future, although I don't believe it should have as I truly believe that I handled the situation in a mature and professional manner. The next day, the practice owner (who is writing me a letter), called me into her office and asked me to explain what happened during the appointment. She essentially told me that I should have phrased things differently and the client may not have left. She also said that the client was probably upset because her pet was so anxious that he had multiple accidents in the lobby (I was never made aware of this as I was in the treatment area when they were placed in the exam room). She said that if I had phrased it differently, the outcome would probably have been very different, but the client was very angry and left the practice and would not come back. She did not seem angry with me, but she definitely seemed to be placing blame on me for the outcome of the situation. I pride myself on my exceptional communication and customer service skills. I have only had a few experiences like this in the past and clients usually adore me. Last week I actually had a client hand-deliver me chocolates and a card because I went above and beyond to help her and her pet. My question is: should I be worried that the practice owner is writing me a letter of recommendation? I discussed the situation with the other veterinarian that I was with that day (who would have been seeing the appointment) and she said that she was also "talked to" about the situation. I told her that I was worried that it would impact the LOR that the practice owner would write me, but she assured me that it would likely be a positive thing as it would show her that I am teachable, mature, and can reflect and adapt in the future. However, I am still really worried that she will write me a negative LOR based on this experience that will impact my chances of being accepted this cycle. Should I leave the situation alone and allow her to write the letter or should I find a way to ask her not to write the letter? Any advice is greatly appreciated

The audacity of these clients never ceases to amaze me! I’m sorry you had such a negative client interaction. I agree with the previous posters that I don’t think you need to worry. If anything, these types of scenarios are important learning experiences. I’m sure your practice manager would agree. Unfortunately dingus clients seem to come with the territory. Try not to beat yourself up!

 

[LetItSnow]

Thank you so much for this, you’re right. I’m just worried since she is so picky/particular that she will tear me apart in her letter. But at the same time- why would she have offered twice to write me a letter just to make it a bad one? She’s busy running a busy practice and working 7 days a week so it doesn’t make sense to me that she would waste her valuable time writing me a BAD letter?

Believe me, writing letters is no fun. You don't do it for someone you don't want to help. It's just not worth it. I personally would never agree to write a letter for someone I didn't think would make a decent colleague - that's my litmus test for whether I agree to write one.

One more question: how BAD truly is a bad letter of rec? Like if for some reason she did write me a bad letter, would it essentially mean automatic rejection? I know that my other three letters are absolutely glowing, so I am wondering if the admissions committee would just ask me about it, consider the other letters, etc. or if it would be grounds for automatic rejection?

I have no idea. It certainly doesn't help. I cannot imagine it essentially means automatic rejection. Just depends on how a particular school goes about evaluating candidates.

I mean, in general, the right way to approach LORs is to ask "Can you write me a very positive letter of recommendation?" If the person says yes, then you just have to trust they aren't some devious schmuck intent on sabotaging you. *shrug*