Mayo Clinic ARZ Gastroenterology Elective

[ChristianoRonaldo]

Hello! I was recently accepted into the 4-week Gastroenterology elective at Mayo Clinic Arizona. However, they state in the acceptance email that they do not provide letters of recommendation.

"Students receive a breadth of experience working with various physicians on the hospital service. Due to the limited time frame students spend with each physician, letters of recommendation are not provided at the end of the rotation."

Would it be better to find another elective or accept this one?

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[JP2740]

Do you need a letter of recommendation?

 

[ChristianoRonaldo]

Not sure. I'm an IMG (Canadian citizen). I have a 6-week US elective already (3-week Surgery & 3-week Oncology) which I can get two letters from. I also have a research connection for another letter. I would assume an elective with no LOR doesn't add much to an application (just a guess).

 

[AlteredScale]

Hello! I was recently accepted into the 4-week Gastroenterology elective at Mayo Clinic Arizona. However, they state in the acceptance email that they do not provide letters of recommendation.

"Students receive a breadth of experience working with various physicians on the hospital service. Due to the limited time frame students spend with each physician, letters of recommendation are not provided at the end of the rotation."

Would it be better to find another elective or accept this one?

Well, are you confident that you will get strong letters at this point in time? if so, then that's fine. If not I absolutely would drop that elective. I don't understand the point of even offering the rotation if your faculty won't even offer to write LORs...like I have been on rotations where I had a new attending every week and just asked the last attending or the attending that I connected the best with that whole time.

 

[JP2740]

Not sure. I'm an IMG (Canadian citizen). I have a 6-week US elective already (3-week Surgery & 3-week Oncology) which I can get two letters from. I also have a research connection for another letter. I would assume an elective with no LOR doesn't add much to an application (just a guess).

It adds nothing to your app. I would only do it if you valued that experience for whatever reason.

 

[ChristianoRonaldo]

Okay thank you everybody. Probably going to decline it and look for another.

 

[Redpancreas]

Hello! I was recently accepted into the 4-week Gastroenterology elective at Mayo Clinic Arizona. However, they state in the acceptance email that they do not provide letters of recommendation.

"Students receive a breadth of experience working with various physicians on the hospital service. Due to the limited time frame students spend with each physician, letters of recommendation are not provided at the end of the rotation."

Would it be better to find another elective or accept this one?

I wouldn't waste my time. I don't think the name matters. Any away should be accompanied with a letter unless you desparately need clinical exposure and this is the only place that will take you.

 

[ChristianoRonaldo]

Update: I declined the Gastro elective but was offered a Radiation Oncology elective at the Mayo Clinic, Arizona. This department provides letters of recommendation as per usual. I will be applying to Internal Medicine in Canada and the States for the 2023 match. Would a letter from Rad Onc speak to my ability as a potential IM resident, or would it not benefit my app? Thank you in advance!

Canadian IMG, Ireland, YOG: 2023

 

[Dral]

It will not benefit you nearly as much as a letter from an internist. I would again look elsewhere and only do the rotation if you cannot find anything else more related to IM for that time frame.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Update: I declined the Gastro elective but was offered a Radiation Oncology elective at the Mayo Clinic, Arizona. This department provides letters of recommendation as per usual. I will be applying to Internal Medicine in Canada and the States for the 2023 match. Would a letter from Rad Onc speak to my ability as a potential IM resident, or would it not benefit my app? Thank you in advance!

Canadian IMG, Ireland, YOG: 2023

If it was at least remotely similar to IM then it would be fine, but rad onc is basically one of the specialties that has very little in common with other kinds of clinical medicine. I don't think it would be helpful either.

That said, as an IMG you do need to maximize your US CE, so I would only drop it if you can reliably get another US elective.

 

[ChristianoRonaldo]

If it was at least remotely similar to IM then it would be fine, but rad onc is basically one of the specialties that has very little in common with other kinds of clinical medicine. I don't think it would be helpful either.

That said, as an IMG you do need to maximize your US CE, so I would only drop it if you can reliably get another US elective.

It will not benefit you nearly as much as a letter from an internist. I would again look elsewhere and only do the rotation if you cannot find anything else more related to IM for that time frame.

Thank you both so much.

 

[ChristianoRonaldo]

Which would be a better LOR for the US match in Internal Medicine:
Mayo rad onc or Canadian outpatient (community) cardiology?

to reiterate: I already have 6w of university USCE lined up – 3w Heme/Onc & 3w General Surgery.

Thank you SO much in advance!

 

[GoSpursGo]

Mayo rad onc and not close.

You need US CE. Period.