Hi there! I work in a nursing facility as a CNA and I am having one of the licensed practical nurses (LPNs) that I have worked with closely write a letter of rec. I was wondering if I should have one of the charge RNs co-sign the letter or if this is unnecessary?
Do I need someone to co-sign my letter of rec from a licensed practice nurse (LPN)?
- Thread starter jpr0719
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Was the LPN your direct supervisor?
Some schools ask for supervisor letters if you held a paid position, so if that’s why you’re requesting this letter, make sure whoever you ask had direct supervisory responsibility for you. Other than that, I don’t think a letter from an LPN would benefit your application much at all (regardless of who co-signs).
Some schools ask for supervisor letters if you held a paid position, so if that’s why you’re requesting this letter, make sure whoever you ask had direct supervisory responsibility for you. Other than that, I don’t think a letter from an LPN would benefit your application much at all (regardless of who co-signs).
At my facility, usually there is one CNA and one nurse assigned to a wing of residents, but this LPN is not technically my overarching supervisor. The reason I wanted to include a letter from her is because she has seen me interact with patients so she would be able to provide commentary on my bedside manner.
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Unless your target school(s) explicitly tells you to get a letter from someone commenting on your clinical skills, don't bother with this one.
A letter of rec from an LPN might be useful if you were applying to nursing school, but it's not going to help you for medicine - in fact, many schools have specific requirements about the types and number of LORs you're allowed to submit, and a good number would not allow/consider a letter from a nonphysician health professional.
If a medical school wants to see an LOR from a healthcare professional, they'll almost certainly ask you to obtain one from a physician, and they'll explicitly state this in their admissions requirements. This, however, is fairly rare (more common in the DO world). Most admissions committees primarily want to see letters from BCPM faculty.
Do you have access to the MSAR? If not, I recommend you purchase a subscription right away. The MSAR has all the LOR requirements for every US MD school in their database. It's very helpful to understand the LOR requirements for every medical school on your list upfront, before you start seeking them out. You will find that many medical schools are fairly strict in terms of the letters you are allowed to submit.
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Yea but I think your idea is a good one. Wherever the buck stops--start there.
