Applying for medium tier specialty - chances without a specialist letter?

[pavetta]

Hi all,
I'm interested in Endocrinology. US grad rom a mid-tier US community hospital, The one Endocrinologist attending at my hospital refuses to write anyone a LOR since he's been cutting back and ready to retire. I've been searching high and low, contacted everyone possible and will likely not have a Endocrinology LOR. I was able to set something up at the nearby academic institution March/June but of course COVID hit and that got cancelled as it was deemed a 'non-essential' rotation despite fellowship apps start in June.

So my question to those in the know with admissions committees, PDs, aPDs, etc - how much will it kill my app if i don't have a Endo specialist letter, but otherwise have a decent app with pubs, posters, good PD/IM LOR? I'm confident I'll have solid LORs otherwise that can show them my interest and work ethic.

Basically - should I still apply and hope for the best, or is no endo letter a death sentence and goes straight to the trash bin.

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[mdjo]

I vote apply anyway and have your PD write in their letter that you were unable to do an away rotation. Programs will have to be forgiving of issues like this; you're not the only one affected in this way.

 

[rokshana]

This year will bring a lot of changes, so not quite sure what will happen.

That being said, even though endocrine is not very competitive, especially as a USMD student, not having a LoR will hurt.
Were any of your posters or publications endo related and/or presented at endo conferences? Who sponsored you for them?
Have you gone to talk to the Endo there and asked him and let him know that your endo elective has been cancelled due to the pandemic? Writing a LoR really doesn’t take much time ...and since most endo office are doing tele health and only seeing urgent appts, he surely has some time right now.

The other of course is to try to get an elective in June/July/August which could
Get you a letter.

And who knows what July will bring in terms of the fellowship season...

 

[rokshana]

I vote apply anyway and have your PD write in their letter that you were unable to do an away rotation. Programs will have to be forgiving of issues like this; you're not the only one affected in this way.

Well, frankly, she shouldn’t have waited til the end of her 3rd year to an endo rotation if she knew that a letter wasn’t possible from the endo attending she rotated with...most applicants will have a letter since electives could have been done in their 1st or 2nd years.

 

[pavetta]

The other of course is to try to get an elective in June/July/August which could
Get you a letter.

And who knows what July will bring in terms of the fellowship season...

Aren't applications due ~ July 15th? and interview invites shortly afterwards? I'm under the impression having a rotation in june/july/august won't mean much if all invites have been sent out by the time the letter gets uploaded.

 

[rokshana]

Aren't applications due ~ July 15th? and interview invites shortly afterwards? I'm under the impression having a rotation in june/july/august won't mean much if all invites have been sent out by the time the letter gets uploaded.

Interviews historically are September through October, so if a rotation done in June or July could still be submitted and be considered...August is pushing it, but still could help with a late interview offer.

You didn’t answer my questions though...

 

[mdjo]

Well, frankly, she shouldn’t have waited til the end of her 3rd year to an endo rotation if she knew that a letter wasn’t possible from the endo attending she rotated with...most applicants will have a letter since electives could have been done in their 1st or 2nd years.

It sounds like she had already done a home endo rotation, and also had an away rotation planned for the last third of her second year, which would have been a very reasonable plan. There will be lots of people who had to miss out on important clinical and research rotations due to this. Just explain it and emphasize how interested and excited you are.

Agree with rokshana that maybe you can bug the endo you already worked with a little more; maybe offer to write the letter for him?