2007-08 SLOR for the 09 Match?

[Old_Mil]

What do you use for LORs for 3rd year ER rotations if you're going to be in the 09 match? Or do you wait a year and contact preceptors who you rotated with a year prior and have them use the 08-09 version?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[zinjanthropus]

What do you use for LORs for 3rd year ER rotations if you're going to be in the 09 match? Or do you wait a year and contact preceptors who you rotated with a year prior and have them use the 08-09 version?

neither - you use SLORs from your 4th year externships/home program electives. The experience you will have as a fourth year will be different from that you are having as a third year (more autonomy from attendings and slightly different eval criteria -- i.e. work ethic, can we picture this person working here/in EM?)

 

[Old_Mil]

neither - you use SLORs from your 4th year externships/home program electives. The experience you will have as a fourth year will be different from that you are having as a third year (more autonomy from attendings and slightly different eval criteria -- i.e. work ethic, can we picture this person working here/in EM?)

The way my 4th year is structured (mandatory school requirements, etc), I'm not going to be able to take any ER electives 4th year until after my ERAS is submitted. Suggestions?

 

[WallowaWanderer]

The way my 4th year is structured (mandatory school requirements, etc), I'm not going to be able to take any ER electives 4th year until after my ERAS is submitted. Suggestions?

If you can re-structure things then I think it would be in your best interest. You want this letter to say things like "Old_Mill works on the level of an intern or resident, has good follow through with his patients, manages multiple complex patients at one time, etc." It will be hard for a faculty member to say that unless you are given a lot of responsibility in the department, and often times 3rd years aren't given that kind of responsibility (if you are, then great). There's also a bunch of boxes to check on the SLOR and my guess is that you will be compared to a 4th year on these parameters. Your SLOR is the numbero uno part of your app, so I would try and have at least one EM rotation in by Oct 1. You can submit your ERAS and designate your letter writers before the letter is written. When the faculty member writes the letter it gets sent to the programs you specify automatically.

 

[zinjanthropus]

If you absolutely can NOT change your fourth year schedule, here is what I would do in order to get 2 SLORs into your file and get your ERAS submitted on time...

1. Pick an EM faculty you are familiar with at your home institution now and talk with them. Let them know you are going to do EM and ask them to mentor you,etc. Then, as fourth year gets closer, if you can't do a full rotation in EM before October, ask that same faculty member if you can come in and do enough shifts in the ED on your own time (i.e in July or August) that the person would be comfortable writing you a strong SLOR. That way you don't have to wait around for an official rotation to begin in the late fall/winter.

2. You will need 2 SLORs and it's best to get the other one from an away rotation (for audition purposes and to show that you can function out of your comfort zone). Set up your externship for as early in the year as possible (certainly no later than October or November if possible). You can go into ERAS and designate the letter writer and then get that letter in ASAP.

Bottom line is that interviews move early and fast in EM. I was surprised at how many of my interview offers came in before the dean's letter even came out on November 1. The rest of my offers (except for 2 programs I still haven't heard from) came in within the next two weeks. You really want to submit your ERAS as early as possible with or without the SLORs in place - but you don't want that SLOR missing for too long or you probably won't hear from many places (extremely important component of the application in EM)