Vet Shadowing and Asking vet for letter of recommendation

[ec0021]

Hello.

I just started shadowing 4 vets at a veterinary hospital and will be shadowing this week and then another week at the end of the month. A letter of recommendation from a vet is recommended or required for most vet schools. Can I ask one of the vets I am shadowing to write me a letter of recommendation after having only known them for a week? Would you recommend waiting to ask for the letter after my second week of shadowing? Should I ask for it in person or send an email?

Also, can I ask my large animal vet (who I've known for years) to write me a letter of recommendation even though I have never shadowed her and I only see her about once a year when she comes to treat my horses?

How would you ask/word your request for a letter of recommendation?

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for shadowing? I worry about being in the way so I'm not very involved in most activities and I'm afraid to ask questions.

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[Doktor Timo]

You can, but it's probably not going to help much. The kind of letter that adcoms are looking for can't be written by a vet who's known you for two weeks unless they just lie. Plus, assuming you're honest about your experience on your VMCAS, the adcom is going to see that you've only worked with that vet for two weeks. That's not going to impress them. The LA vet you mentioned is probably going to be equally unhelpful.

Are your two weeks of shadowing your only veterinary experience?

 

[doe_eyes]

I personally wouldn't ask vets you've only known for 1-2 weeks for a letter of rec. Honestly they will most likely say no. Do you have any other veterinary experience? You want to ask someone who knows you really well, who can speak about your character and your strengths. If not, then I would try to shadow/work/intern with a vet for a longer period of time and maybe build up your experience hours. You want letter of recs that will help strengthen your application, not weaken them.

 

[PrincessButterCup]

Keep in mind that most applicants have over 500 hours of shadow/work experience, and many have over 1000. Just a handful of veterinary hours (if that's really all you'll have) will not make you competitive for that portion of the schools' assessment.

 

[cowgirla]

I personally wouldn't ask vets you've only known for 1-2 weeks for a letter of rec. Honestly they will most likely say no. Do you have any other veterinary experience? You want to ask someone who knows you really well, who can speak about your character and your strengths. If not, then I would try to shadow/work/intern with a vet for a longer period of time and maybe build up your experience hours. You want letter of recs that will help strengthen your application, not weaken them.

This.

I would likely say no if asked. Yeah, I could write a letter, but chances are it would be pretty ambivalent. "This person showed up for 80 hours, they were on time and didn't completely freeze up when asked questions. Oh, and they got poop on them and didn't cry, the end"

If you want the best letter it needs to be from someone who knows you well, knows your strong points, and is willing to write a "positive" letter not just "a" letter.

Now, if you already have a kickass letter from someone whom you've worked with for years, this might be a decent second letter to back up the first letter. But it probably won't stand on its own.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Hello.

I just started shadowing 4 vets at a veterinary hospital and will be shadowing this week and then another week at the end of the month. A letter of recommendation from a vet is recommended or required for most vet schools. Can I ask one of the vets I am shadowing to write me a letter of recommendation after having only known them for a week? Would you recommend waiting to ask for the letter after my second week of shadowing? Should I ask for it in person or send an email?

Also, can I ask my large animal vet (who I've known for years) to write me a letter of recommendation even though I have never shadowed her and I only see her about once a year when she comes to treat my horses?

How would you ask/word your request for a letter of recommendation?

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for shadowing? I worry about being in the way so I'm not very involved in most activities and I'm afraid to ask questions.

Are you planning on applying this cycle? Have you spent any other time with any other veterinarians? Even more important than having a LOR from a vet is truly knowing what you are getting yourself into...you simply can't appreciate the realities of the profession having only spent a week in a veterinary clinic.

If you have to ask a veterinarian that you've never worked with (or one you've only know for a week) for an LOR you are probably not ready to apply.

 

[ec0021]

Thanks for your responses. I don't have any other shadowing experience. I worked in wildlife conservation for 2 years after undergrad, however, and did semi-vet related things in those jobs. I VIE tagged endangered toad species metamorphs (basically can use tiny needles to be precise). I anesthetized ground squirrels using isoflurane and pit tagged (basically microchipped) chipmunks. I collected tissue DNA samples from turtles. However, none of this was under vet supervision. It was under MS candidates, PhD candidates, and wildlife biologists. Also, my supervisor for the squirrel job was not a very nice person and while she said she would be happy to provide me with a good letter of recommendation for future wildlife jobs, I'm pretty darn sure her letter will not be very good, partly because going to vet school isn't exactly a wildlife job and partly because I know she provided an unhelpful recommendation to another job I applied for. (She told someone else that she told my potential employer that she couldn't comment on my ability to do the job since she only saw me work with squirrels.)

If I manage to shadow my LA vet for a couple days during the summer, do you think I could ask her for a letter of recommendation after that? I asked to shadow her and she said not at the moment because they have 4 other shadows but if one leaves then yes. My summer is completely booked with work and shadowing except for the weekends so I imagine I can only get 1-3 days in with her before mid-August when I want to submit my applications.

 

[that redhead]

Thanks for your responses. I don't have any other shadowing experience. I worked in wildlife conservation for 2 years after undergrad, however, and did semi-vet related things in those jobs. I VIE tagged endangered toad species metamorphs (basically can use tiny needles to be precise). I anesthetized ground squirrels using isoflurane and pit tagged (basically microchipped) chipmunks. I collected tissue DNA samples from turtles. However, none of this was under vet supervision. It was under MS candidates, PhD candidates, and wildlife biologists. Also, my supervisor for the squirrel job was not a very nice person and while she said she would be happy to provide me with a good letter of recommendation for future wildlife jobs, I'm pretty darn sure her letter will not be very good, partly because going to vet school isn't exactly a wildlife job and partly because I know she provided an unhelpful recommendation to another job I applied for. (She told someone else that she told my potential employer that she couldn't comment on my ability to do the job since she only saw me work with squirrels.)

If I manage to shadow my LA vet for a couple days during the summer, do you think I could ask her for a letter of recommendation after that? I asked to shadow her and she said not at the moment because they have 4 other shadows but if one leaves then yes. My summer is completely booked with work and shadowing except for the weekends so I imagine I can only get 1-3 days in with her before mid-August when I want to submit my applications.

Asking your LA vet for a letter is similar to asking a vet you shadowed for two weeks for a letter - neither has enough time to truly assess your qualities as an applicant to veterinary school. They may say you're a nice person, or you take good care of your animals, or you showed up on time, but they won't be advocating for your admissions based on important things like communication, hard work, critical thinking, etc. You need more time with a veterinarian, not just for a good letter of rec, but so that you understand the field and so that your application is competitive. If you're shadowing for two weeks that adds up to approximately 80 hours...that is not enough veterinary experience for a competitive application, even if you have a 4.0.

 

[mmmdreamerz]

Thanks for your responses. I don't have any other shadowing experience. I worked in wildlife conservation for 2 years after undergrad, however, and did semi-vet related things in those jobs. I VIE tagged endangered toad species metamorphs (basically can use tiny needles to be precise). I anesthetized ground squirrels using isoflurane and pit tagged (basically microchipped) chipmunks. I collected tissue DNA samples from turtles. However, none of this was under vet supervision. It was under MS candidates, PhD candidates, and wildlife biologists. Also, my supervisor for the squirrel job was not a very nice person and while she said she would be happy to provide me with a good letter of recommendation for future wildlife jobs, I'm pretty darn sure her letter will not be very good, partly because going to vet school isn't exactly a wildlife job and partly because I know she provided an unhelpful recommendation to another job I applied for. (She told someone else that she told my potential employer that she couldn't comment on my ability to do the job since she only saw me work with squirrels.)

If I manage to shadow my LA vet for a couple days during the summer, do you think I could ask her for a letter of recommendation after that? I asked to shadow her and she said not at the moment because they have 4 other shadows but if one leaves then yes. My summer is completely booked with work and shadowing except for the weekends so I imagine I can only get 1-3 days in with her before mid-August when I want to submit my applications.

I guess think about it this way: If you were in a position where someone you hadn't spent much time with asked you to write them an LOR, it would be a difficult... She may say yes, but it's not going to be the best LOR simply because there's only two months left before VMCAS is due. When your evaluator submits the LOR on VMCAS they ask him/her how long they've known you. Do you have at least two other people to write you quality letters? How many veterinary hours do you think you can accumulate by Sept 15th? Keep in mind that many applicants have 1000+ hours so you would really need some pretty darn impressive stats in other areas to compensate for limited experience.

Just something to think about: if you waited a year to apply, consider how many more experience hours you would have and how much better your letter would be...

 

[pinkpuppy9]

Hello.

I just started shadowing 4 vets at a veterinary hospital and will be shadowing this week and then another week at the end of the month. A letter of recommendation from a vet is recommended or required for most vet schools. Can I ask one of the vets I am shadowing to write me a letter of recommendation after having only known them for a week? Would you recommend waiting to ask for the letter after my second week of shadowing? Should I ask for it in person or send an email?

Also, can I ask my large animal vet (who I've known for years) to write me a letter of recommendation even though I have never shadowed her and I only see her about once a year when she comes to treat my horses?

How would you ask/word your request for a letter of recommendation?

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for shadowing? I worry about being in the way so I'm not very involved in most activities and I'm afraid to ask questions.

Multiple schools recommended to me that I ask only DVMs that have known me for at least a year (I applied with a letter from a vet that had known me for a few months at the time of my first cycle). The vet that had known me for a few months wrote a very generic letter. The next year, the same vet's letter was awesome. 80 hours may seem like a lot, but it doesn't give you and the vet any time to get to know each other.

Asking a vet to who treats your animals and only knows you as a client for a letter is a bad idea, plain and simple.

When I asked my DVMs and non-DVMs, I simply asked "Would you be willing to write me a good letter for my application to veterinary school?" I would ask in person unless distance is an issue, in which case I'd try to call. Asking via email, especially vets who barely know you, may come off negatively.

Also...as someone who's end goal is zoo/wildlife, there is plenty a DVM can do with wildlife. Working with squirrels is no easy feat, either

 

[twelvetigers]

You need more hours. You need to get to the point where you have personal conversations with the vet. (Meaning, you know each other well enough to have a casual chat here and there.) Sorry if that makes things difficult, but it's pretty important to have good LORs.

 

[scott1818]

Also, does anyone have any recommendations for shadowing? I worry about being in the way so I'm not very involved in most activities and I'm afraid to ask questions.

You honestly have to just be assertive and persistent when it comes to finding new veterinary experiences. Contact all the vets in your surrounding area. Call them, email them, walk in, and do it over again if you have to. Don't be afraid to be a squeaky wheel. Obviously don't be rude or overly persistent because you don't want to turn anyone off or annoy them.

I was trying to get my first large animal experience last September and I contacted literally 18 different large animal vets within a 200 mile radius of me. It took a lot of time and work but eventually I got to shadow a vet for one very fulfilling week (got to see and work with about 9 different species).

And when it comes to asking questions, I am sure they love it when you do. Obviously if they are super busy or in the middle of something maybe not the most optimal time, but most certainly ask them after they are done. The more questions you ask, the more you get to talk with them. This helps them get to know you a lot better and become more comfortable with you and after a while I'm sure they would feel comfortable writing a good letter of recommendation for you. I honestly feel like the vet I worked for during that one large animal shadowing week would be able and willing to write me a good letter. Even though it was only 45 hours, we had a lot of time riding between calls where I asked lots of questions and he asked me many as well. After a while we were able to discuss things beyond vet med.

Basically what I am trying to say is, even though there's only a little time left before applications are due, get out there and get some good QUALITY experience. Quantity is great but quality, in my opinion, is better. Talk to your large animal vet and be persistent and I bet she will find a way for you to shadow some. If you can get a few good weeks with her, I don't see why you couldn't ask her for a letter.

Sorry for the novel, that's really the only way I know how to write. What probably could be said in 50 words, typically turns into 500 (not always a good thing).