Chair's letter for integrated CT

[bubsy84]

I'm wondering about letters of recommendation for the integrated CT programs. Many of them are pretty new so looking at their website doesn't reveal a whole lot of information - I'm hoping somebody here might be able to help out...

My main question is if a "Chair's letter" is required for the integrated CT programs, the way it is for general surgery programs.

Many gen surg program websites don't say that they need a chair's letter, but based on my conversations with others, it's naturally assumed that the department chair will write you a letter. Does the same thing apply for the I6 programs? If so, is the letter supposed to come from the chair of surgery? At my school, the "division of cardiac surgery" is somewhat removed from the "department of surgery". I think that technically the "division" exists underneath the "department" but that's all politics...in reality it's a totally separate service that doesn't go to gen surg grand rounds/M&M, doesn't have residents, etc...

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[eloitres]

I can't answer for sure for integrated CT as I'm integrated vascular but for vascular you definitely should have a letter from the vascular chair/chief and vascular program director. It would look suspicious if you didn't. I imagine its the same for CT.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

I'm wondering about letters of recommendation for the integrated CT programs. Many of them are pretty new so looking at their website doesn't reveal a whole lot of information - I'm hoping somebody here might be able to help out...

My main question is if a "Chair's letter" is required for the integrated CT programs, the way it is for general surgery programs.

Many gen surg program websites don't say that they need a chair's letter, but based on my conversations with others, it's naturally assumed that the department chair will write you a letter. Does the same thing apply for the I6 programs? If so, is the letter supposed to come from the chair of surgery? At my school, the "division of cardiac surgery" is somewhat removed from the "department of surgery". I think that technically the "division" exists underneath the "department" but that's all politics...in reality it's a totally separate service that doesn't go to gen surg grand rounds/M&M, doesn't have residents, etc...

There are several CT departments that are separate from General Surgery. If thats what your program has, I would try and get a letter from the CT chair. If it's a part of General Surgery, I would still get the CT division head to write a letter as well. It shows that you have interest in the field and if they are writing a letter, you would have spent some time with a rotation in that field to know what you're getting yourself into.

 

[bubsy84]

Thanks for the replies

My school doesn't have an integrated CT program, and CT is technically part of general surgery, but mostly only in name. So it sounds like letters should be: general surgery department chair, CT surgery division chair, one other (most likely CT) surgeon?

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Thanks for the replies

My school doesn't have an integrated CT program, and CT is technically part of general surgery, but mostly only in name. So it sounds like letters should be: general surgery department chair, CT surgery division chair, one other (most likely CT) surgeon?

Sounds reasonable. If you are applying to general surgery as well, you should get two additional general surgeons to write you letters and see if the dept chairman could do two letters, one for each program.

 

[themp]

If your school has a separate department of cardiothoracic or cardiac surgery, you should try and obtain a letter from the CT chairman, which you should use in lieu of your general surgery chairman letter for your CT applications along with CT letters. Do not send a cardiothoracic chairman letter to general surgery programs (unless you'd like to get rejected) - you need to send the general surgery chairman letter to the general surgery programs (along with general surgery letters). There can maybe be some minimal overlap on non-chairman letters with regards to cardiac vs. not, if you have an absolutely amazing letter from someone famous for instance, but be careful - general surgery programs want letters from general surgeons and cardiac programs want letters from cardiac surgeons. CT programs will be more tolerant of general surgery letters than general surgery programs will be of letters from cardiac surgeons. Letters from thoracic surgeons can go either way since they kind of toe the party line.

If there is no separate department of cardiac/CT surgery, you should probably send your general surgery chairman letter to both I6 and general surgery programs. You'll still need cardiac If there is no separate department of cardiac/CT surgery and you're fortunate enough to have a CT surgeon as the chairman of surgery, you're golden and life is easy.

If your school has a cardiothoracic surgery residency program (especially if it is an I6 program), you should attempt to work with and obtain a letter from the program director. If your school doesn't have an I6 program but has a traditional CT residency/fellowship, getting a letter from the PD couldn't hurt - it's a small world.