Will a doctors letter of recommendation help med school app?

[grapp]

Hi,

How significantly would a doctors letter of recommendation help your medical school app?

I'm thinking of asking two I've shadowed lots side by side, basically.. I plan on asking if they think I have the potential to become a good doctor and whether or not they could write me a strong letter of recommendation..

Would this help my med app, if so, how much? Should I get one from a charge nurse to solidify it?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[spiffysteve]

Having a letter from a doc is a very good idea. I believe some schools actually require a letter from a physician if you don't have a committee letter. Getting one from the charge nurse is unnecessary and probably won't help much at all.

Are you currently in high school? If you are, you may want to hold off on getting a letter from him/them. By the time you apply it will be four years old, which is a pretty old letter. If you can keep shadowing or working for them somehow and ask them for a letter later on in college, it may work out better for you.

 

[ndafife]

1. You are in high school. Stop worrying about LORs that won't be necessary for ~4 years.

2. Shadowing LORs generally don't carry much weight. What are they going to write about? "Grapp did a good job following me around and staying out of the way." Granted there are exceptions, but for the most part when there are so many that fall in that line there really isn't all that good of an impression on them

 

[grapp]

Having a letter from a doc is a very good idea. I believe some schools actually require a letter from a physician if you don't have a committee letter. Getting one from the charge nurse is unnecessary and probably won't help much at all.

Are you currently in high school? If you are, you may want to hold off on getting a letter from him/them. By the time you apply it will be four years old, which is a pretty old letter. If you can keep shadowing or working for them somehow and ask them for a letter later on in college, it may work out better for you.

That's the plan.

 

[IlDestriero]

A letter from someone you shadow has no value. Unless it says something negative, then it would have some value, though not the kind you want.

 

[gyngyn]

No. Physician letters are generally regarded as fluff at MD schools. There are a few exceptions (Chicago Med, the AZ schools and Utah(?)). A shadowing letter is not recommended.
Some undergraduate committees may require a clinical letter as a proxy for having some clinical experience.

DO schools do love a DO letter of any kind.

 

[grapp]

No. Physician letters are generally regarded as fluff at MD schools. There are a few exceptions (Chicago Med, the AZ schools and Utah(?)). A shadowing letter is not recommended.
Some undergraduate committees may require a clinical letter as a proxy for having some clinical experience.

DO schools do love a DO letter of any kind.

I see... I'm actually considering Utah University of Medicine at the top of my list. But, what you said is significantly noted. However, you say they are regarded as fluff?
Would it hurt if I received a super strong letter of recommendation? If you don't think I should include it, I wouldn't. But, in the meantime I may get a DO letter of rec... Worst case, I don't ever have to use it. Thanks for the advice.

 

[grapp]

A letter from someone you shadow has no value. Unless it says something negative, then it would have some value, though not the kind you want.

I see.. When I'm working as an ER tech, I may ask one of the peers I work with? As it represents clinical time? Thanks for the advice.

*let me know if it's a decent idea, or not a good one*

 

[p0gono]

Utah(?).

Yes, Utah still requires a "clinical" letter of some sort. A physician letter counts, as far as I know.

 

[gyngyn]

Would it hurt if I received a super strong letter of recommendation? If you don't think I should include it, I wouldn't. But, in the meantime I may get a DO letter of rec... Worst case, I don't ever have to use it. Thanks for the advice.

I haven't seen a strong letter of evaluation from a high school experience.
I've never seen a strong shadowing letter. What could he say? "Grapp was super unobtrusive and quiet while shadowing, causing us hardly any trouble at all."
This is what we are looking for: https://www.aamc.org/download/349990/data/lettersguidelinesbrochure.pdf

 

[grapp]

I haven't seen a strong letter of evaluation from a high school experience.
I've never seen a strong shadowing letter. What could he say? "Grapp was super unobtrusive and quiet while shadowing, causing us hardly any trouble at all."
This is what we are looking for: https://www.aamc.org/download/349990/data/lettersguidelinesbrochure.pdf

I was thinking more like this. Grapp seemed very interested in the medical field, he remained quiet when need be and asked lots of questions. I was impressed with his knowledge on internal medicine without any prior experience. He has volunteered here for so and so long and I've noticed his hard-working stature, as well as responsibility. I think that Grapp would make a great canidate for medical school.

Sincerely, (Doctor's Name) M.D.

I was thinking more realistically like that. Anyhow, I won't include one unless I get one from a D.O.

*updated, I just read your link, that seems like a good idea.*
I plan on getting one when I am working as an ER Tech, but I understand your point.

 

[gyngyn]

I was thinking more like this. Grapp seemed very interested in the medical field, he remained quiet when need be and asked lots of questions. I was impressed with his knowledge on internal medicine without any prior experience. He has volunteered here for so and so long and I've noticed his hard-working stature, as well as responsibility. I think that Grapp would make a great canidate for medical school.

Sincerely, (Doctor's Name) M.D.

I was thinking more realistically like that. Anyhow, I won't include one unless I get one from a D.O.

*updated, I just read your link, that seems like a good idea.*
I plan on getting one when I am working as an ER Tech, but I understand your point.

The nature of the shadowing experience does not allow for an appreciation of the qualities that a good LOE would contain.

 

[Goro]

In my 12+ years of being on the Adcom, every doctor's letter looked like this, save one. That was a bad one.

So you can see why gyngyn says that they're fluff...they are fluff.

I was thinking more like this. Grapp seemed very interested in the medical field, he remained quiet when need be and asked lots of questions. I was impressed with his knowledge on internal medicine without any prior experience. He has volunteered here for so and so long and I've noticed his hard-working stature, as well as responsibility. I think that Grapp would make a great canidate for medical school.

Sincerely, (Doctor's Name) M.D.

I was thinking more realistically like that. Anyhow, I won't include one unless I get one from a D.O.

*updated, I just read your link, that seems like a good idea.*
I plan on getting one when I am working as an ER Tech, but I understand your point.

 

[grapp]

In my 12+ years of being on the Adcom, every doctor's letter looked like this, save one. That was a bad one.

So you can see why gyngyn says that they're fluff...they are fluff.

I understand it more, thanks Goro.