Department Chair LOR

Started by obamasmama
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obamasmama

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How is the Department Chair LOR considered by residency programs. Planning to apply internal medicine, and deciding if I need to get an additional LOR. If a program requires three letters of recommendation, do I need three from attendings I worked with during a rotation, or is the Chair LOR + 2 additional LOR sufficient?


Thanks!
 
I would get, and submit, a Dept letter and 3 LOR's. The main reason -- you should assume that one of your letter writers won't get it done. If that happens, you'll still have 3 (Dept + 2 more).

If you have a late SubI, only submit 3 letters, get one from the SubI and submit it later in the application cycle.
 
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HipiMochi said:
Sorry I know this is an old thread - but what if I never worked with my school's chair? Should I still get the letter from her?
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If you’re on great terms with an attending (obviously same department) and can explain the situation well, most of us would write a letter and have either the chair of the department sign or co-sign. I personally don’t give a damn and have written many a letters I never signed. Otherwise you’re gonna get a generic fluff piece, you still might, but odds are slightly better you won’t.
 
HipiMochi said:
Sorry I know this is an old thread - but what if I never worked with my school's chair? Should I still get the letter from her?
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i was in that situation - never even met the chair before i needed a letter. He met with me, asked me to send him my CV, a quick write up (one page) of my story. We met, - he asked me some questions. THen he asked me to get comments from a few pathologists (that was a pathology chair, i am applying for pathology) that he can use as quotes. So he wrote a letter to me without knowing me, but inserted comments from pathologists who DID know it. Of course I havent read the letter myself, but several interviewers mentioned that they loved my letters. So i think it all worked out.
SHort version - dont worry, everyone is used to it, You will be ok
 
Tenk said:
If you’re on great terms with an attending (obviously same department) and can explain the situation well, most of us would write a letter and have either the chair of the department sign or co-sign. I personally don’t give a damn and have written many a letters I never signed. Otherwise you’re gonna get a generic fluff piece, you still might, but odds are slightly better you won’t.
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M&L said:
i was in that situation - never even met the chair before i needed a letter. He met with me, asked me to send him my CV, a quick write up (one page) of my story. We met, - he asked me some questions. THen he asked me to get comments from a few pathologists (that was a pathology chair, i am applying for pathology) that he can use as quotes. So he wrote a letter to me without knowing me, but inserted comments from pathologists who DID know it. Of course I havent read the letter myself, but several interviewers mentioned that they loved my letters. So i think it all worked out.
SHort version - dont worry, everyone is used to it, You will be ok
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The problem though is that I only get 4 letters. And I have other attendings (not in my field) that can write me extremely strong letters because they loved me. It just bums me out to waste a letter simply to fill a “department chair” requirement. Should I just send it out to the programs requiring a chair letter then?
 
HipiMochi said:
The problem though is that I only get 4 letters. And I have other attendings (not in my field) that can write me extremely strong letters because they loved me. It just bums me out to waste a letter simply to fill a “department chair” requirement. Should I just send it out to the programs requiring a chair letter then?
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from what i understand - they do it for a reason. To make sure your home department loves you (Vs you are a crazy psychopath that dont want to come anywhere near). you should send chair letter everywhere. And at least 2 letters should be from your field, - the letters from other medical fields can show you as saint, which is great. but what you NEED to show is that other doctors who are already practicing in your field wants you as a colleague - this is why it is CRUCIAL to have letters from your field.

what you should do, in my humble opinion, is get someone who loves you (attendings) write COMMENTS that the department chair can include into his/her letter. This way the department chair letter will have a personal touch, while also having a weight of the department behind it.
 
HipiMochi said:
The problem though is that I only get 4 letters. And I have other attendings (not in my field) that can write me extremely strong letters because they loved me. It just bums me out to waste a letter simply to fill a “department chair” requirement. Should I just send it out to the programs requiring a chair letter then?
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Uhh, you should probably get at least one or two letters from the field you are applying.
 
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Tenk said:
Uhh, you should probably get at least one or two letters from the field you are applying.
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Yes I have those as well. I will have 2 letters in the specialty I am applying to. What I’m saying is that I would like to fill the other 2 letters from attendings in other specialties who really liked me and with whom I worked very closely rather than spend one of them on a chair letter with someone I never worked with.
 
HipiMochi said:
Yes I have those as well. I will have 2 letters in the specialty I am applying to. What I’m saying is that I would like to fill the other 2 letters from attendings in other specialties who really liked me and with whom I worked very closely rather than spend one of them on a chair letter with someone I never worked with.
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Are neither of those attendings friends with your home chief?
 
If you're applying to IM, the "Chair letter" is a misnomer. It doesn't actually come from the chair. Instead, it's a Department of Medicine summary letter, usually written by a committee whose job it is to write them. They are sometimes signed by the chair, and at some places the chair actually interviews each student and then adds some information to the letter.

If you're coming from a DO school, it's completely useless. None of the DO schools that I have reviewed submits a department letter of any value. I would just submit 4 other letters. But if you decide to do it, don't worry that you didn't work with the chair - expect the letter to be useless.

The most useless dept letter is the one from SGU. It's exactly the same for every student, with their name inserted.
 
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