LOR question

[Doctor246853]

Hey guys, so my cell phys professor is a MD/PhD and I might ask her for a letter for the upcoming cycle. It has been super difficult to get a letter from the physicians I work with so my question is... will a letter from her count as a letter from a physician? She has a MD but hasn't practiced in decades and only does research and teaches. Thanks!

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[Roshan]

The goal of getting a LOR from a physician is so that the Adcoms can get a clinician's perspective on you. It will probably come across in the letter that the MD/PhD was your professor and the letter will be treated as a science LOR.

 

[theseeker4]

Hey guys, so my cell phys professor is a MD/PhD and I might ask her for a letter for the upcoming cycle. It has been super difficult to get a letter from the physicians I work with so my question is... will a letter from her count as a letter from a physician? She has a MD but hasn't practiced in decades and only does research and teaches. Thanks!

Does a school you are applying to specifically say they need a physician recommendation? If not, don't stress about it as they are not that helpful in general. If you do have a school that requires one, the best source is usually a physician that you have shadowed in the past. I agree with the prior response that if a school requests a physician recommendation, they want one from a practicing physician who has seen/worked with you in a clinical setting, or someone you shadowed in a clinical setting, not a professor who happens to have an MD.

 

[Doctor246853]

OK thanks. I didn't really focus on getting a letter from a clinical MD since the dual degree programs dont care too much about the clinical side of an application and I have 5+ years of clinical experience. I figured that, for an MD/PhD program, a letter from someone who has both degrees would weigh more in the research area. Am I wrong about this? PS. Sorry I just realized that I didn't clarify, I am also doing bench research with her for class credits as well.

 

[SN12357]

OK thanks. I didn't really focus on getting a letter from a clinical MD since the dual degree programs dont care too much about the clinical side of an application and I have 5+ years of clinical experience. I figured that, for an MD/PhD program, a letter from someone who has both degrees would weigh more in the research area. Am I wrong about this? PS. Sorry I just realized that I didn't clarify, I am also doing bench research with her for class credits as well.

MD/PhD programs won't care about the number of letters after your LOR writer's name, but they will care about her position and the work you did for her. So yes, it's definitely important to have strong research letters for MD/PhD programs.