ack! LORs from residents? from M.D.s?

[that dr. jack]

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so i still haven't been able to find a D.O. that will write me a LOR, and i now have a total of 4 secondaries. i called one D.O. that i met briefly and two others that i thought might be able to help, but no one has called me back.

option 1: there's a family practice residency program at a hospital i work at all the time, and they have many D.O.s, most of them from western. if i could get one to write a LOR for me, would that be acceptable?

option 2: i also have a "glowing" LOR from an M.D. neurologist that i've worked with for four years, but how bad would it be to send it instead of a LOR from a D.O. to the schools that don't require one, but "strongly recommend" it?

this doc knows me extremely well, and was able to write a very strong letter because of our extensive work experience together and his personal knowledge of my drive to be a doctor. he's been like a second father to me, and we've spent many late nights talking when he's called me in. i'm sure he knows more about me than any D.O. that i know briefly would.

 

[Robz]

My point is if you have a "glowing" recommendation then that should be the one sent. It would be much better than one by a DO who can only say that you are nice and should do good in school. Not as personal or persuasive. I honestly have no idea what "strongly recommended" means other than the obvious. I wondered this as well. I kinda lucked out though in my case. I had two DO's that I shadowed offer me if I wanted a letter from them. The main thing I can offer for my advise is send in the recommendation letters that you have and make you walk on water. If you can get a DO letter later then send that but since most schools are rolling I think it would be to your advantage to get the file complete as quickly as possible.

 

[lealf-ye]

If you have an interview, you can explain the situation to the interviewer and I think he/she will understand if he is reasonable. Why is it such a big deal for DOs? Not MDs.

 

[group_theory]

Actually, if you have glowing recommendations from MDs and want to apply to schools that require DO letter

you can have the DO write

"I have talked to this person and am satisfy that this person understands the concepts and principles of osteopathic medicine. I think (s)he will make a wonderful contribution to the osteopathic community" - Sign XXXXX, DO


This will satisfy the DO letter requirement. Just make sure you have other LORs that talks about you (and perhaps your clinical experience)

that's what LECOM told me when I asked them how detailed they wanted the DO letter.

 

[lealf-ye]

Originally posted by group_theory
Actually, if you have glowing recommendations from MDs and want to apply to schools that require DO letter

you can have the DO write

"I have talked to this person and am satisfy that this person understands the concepts and principles of osteopathic medicine. I think (s)he will make a wonderful contribution to the osteopathic community" - Sign XXXXX, DO


This will satisfy the DO letter requirement. Just make sure you have other LORs that talks about you (and perhaps your clinical experience)

that's what LECOM told me when I asked them how detailed they wanted the DO letter.

I think you are not supposed to know what they said.

 

[that dr. jack]

that's the thing that gets me. i know i love the idea of being an ostepathic physician, but unfortunately, there are few osteopathic neurologists or orthopaedic surgeons.

sending one later does appea, though, but i worry about my chances for an interview. i'm average at best WRT grades and MCAT. i have lots of professional medical experience, but it's paid, and it's not like i can volunteer that much with my job.

 

[lealf-ye]

Me too. I have not voluteering for more than a year and I know it is hurting my chance of getting in.

 

[that dr. jack]

do you think the lack of recent volunteer experience will hurt you? do you have paid medical experience?


the thing that sucks is that i've worked in medicine for four years. if i want to call in sick, i have to make sure there's no work for me to do. my husband is amazed i'm actually at home right now instead of on-call. yes, i get paid, but bartenders make more than i do. obviously, i could do many other jobs, but i live my life cold, tired and hungry working hours on end because i absolutely love the patients.

someone told me that volunteering is better because it shows you're altruistic. i told them to come to work with me one day and find out what altruism is, because every nurse and allied health tech you see is a consumate altruist- not just the docs and volunteers.

 

[lealf-ye]

Originally posted by that dr. jack
do you think the lack of recent volunteer experience will hurt you? do you have paid medical experience?


the thing that sucks is that i've worked in medicine for four years. if i want to call in sick, i have to make sure there's no work for me to do. my husband is amazed i'm actually at home right now instead of on-call. yes, i get paid, but bartenders make more than i do. obviously, i could do many other jobs, but i live my life cold, tired and hungry working hours on end because i absolutely love the patients.

someone told me that volunteering is better because it shows you're altruistic. i told them to come to work with me one day and find out what altruism is, because every nurse and allied health tech you see is a consumate altruist- not just the docs and volunteers.

I think paid medical related job counts too, but please double check with others who really know about the admission.

My pre-med counselor do suggest me to volunteer at hospital but I am just too lazy. That is bad.

 

[that dr. jack]

yeah, it sucks to think about working some more hours after a long day of school and/or work.


i think my friend was referring more to allopathic schools with regards to volunteer vs. paid work, because ostepathic schools almost always say they like clinical experience, which is such a good idea. when i volunteered, i saw nothing to the capacity of what i get to see every day at work, and i volunteered in the mental health unit and CICU.

 

[lealf-ye]

True, volunteer is a walk in the park. There is no way you can understand medicine by just volunteering. I feel some exposure is good, but extensive long hours of volunteer experience will not be necessarily helpful.

 

[that dr. jack]

Originally posted by lealf-ye
True, volunteer is a walk in the park. There is no way you can understand medicine by just volunteering. I feel some exposure is good, but extensive long hours of volunteer experience will not be necessarily helpful.

you are so right on that point. there is definitely a point of saturation with hospital volunteering.

my volunteer experience was largely non-medical, and was short bursts of varied stuff here and there every couple of years. i thought it was far more interesting to volunteer at a radio station or a political campaign than to go into the hospital on my days off to volunteer.

having said that, i will be volunteering starting next month at an AIDS clinic affiliated with a hospital so i can get a more in-depth look at that section of healthcare. i wish i could've started earlier, but between school and wrok, there was barely time to take a bath and eat.

 

[lealf-ye]

Good luck!!!

 

[Forensic Chick]

I'd say go ahead and have the MD with the great recommendation letter send it in. Then, continue in your quest for a DO to write you a letter. I know how hard it is in the new HIPAA days to find a doc to shadow, but some schools that I applied to said that a DO letter was required. I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area where they are a fair amount of DO's in practice -- but I feel bad for those pre-meds in small cities and towns who want to go DO but can't find a DO in a 100 mile radius. A doctor is a doctor is a doctor and while I understand why they want you to shadow a DO to get the experience - it shouldn't be required.

Best of luck!

 

[that dr. jack]

Originally posted by Forensic Chick
I'd say go ahead and have the MD with the great recommendation letter send it in. Then, continue in your quest for a DO to write you a letter. I know how hard it is in the new HIPAA days to find a doc to shadow, but some schools that I applied to said that a DO letter was required. I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area where they are a fair amount of DO's in practice -- but I feel bad for those pre-meds in small cities and towns who want to go DO but can't find a DO in a 100 mile radius. A doctor is a doctor is a doctor and while I understand why they want you to shadow a DO to get the experience - it shouldn't be required.

Best of luck!

thanks! i think that's the best idea. the crappy thing is that i live in LA, and you'd think there would be D.O.s all over the place, but sadly, i've had a hard time. i'll just continue the cold-calling and pray for the best.

i got my secondaries from CCOM and PCOM yesterday, and man, PCOM seems to rule. a digital library?! sweet! now to convince myself that cold weather (or rather, anything but 72 degrees all the time) won't kill me....