Doctor not familiar with letters of rec

[artist27]

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I shadowed a doctor for a while and when I asked for a letter of rec, he said he would gladly write me one. I stopped by today and he directed me to his office manager and it seemed that they were both under the impression I just needed a quick note to confirm that I did shadow there. I explained to her that I needed an actual letter from a physician and said she would definitely be able to do that, and to send her all the info I need to be included. A few questions; the manager came off as if SHE was going to write the letter and not the actual doctor (she gave me her email address). I'm assuming this is fine, as long as its signed by the actual doctor. When I send her the info, should I emphasize that it needs to be signed by the doctor?
Also, it seems that neither her nor the doctor have any experience writing letters of rec. Are there any guidelines that I can send to her so they know what I'm looking for? Like a template or document with guidelines? I'm assuming I should send my basic resume but they gave me the impression they weren't really sure exactly how to go about writing this.
Thanks

 

[Dr.TonySoprano]

https://www.aamc.org/download/349990/data/lettersguidelinesbrochure.pdf

 

[TBV]

LORs from physicians you shadow mean very little to admissions committees. Unless you have done more with the guy than you lead on here, it won't matter if he knows how to or not.

 

[Law2Doc]

I shadowed a doctor for a while and when I asked for a letter of rec, he said he would gladly write me one. I stopped by today and he directed me to his office manager and it seemed that they were both under the impression I just needed a quick note to confirm that I did shadow there. I explained to her that I needed an actual letter from a physician and said she would definitely be able to do that, and to send her all the info I need to be included. A few questions; the manager came off as if SHE was going to write the letter and not the actual doctor (she gave me her email address). I'm assuming this is fine, as long as its signed by the actual doctor. When I send her the info, should I emphasize that it needs to be signed by the doctor?
Also, it seems that neither her nor the doctor have any experience writing letters of rec. Are there any guidelines that I can send to her so they know what I'm looking for? Like a template or document with guidelines? I'm assuming I should send my basic resume but they gave me the impression they weren't really sure exactly how to go about writing this.
Thanks

Write an effusive glowing letter about yourself that they can tweak or use as a model if they choose. Odds are it will be the letter you end up with.

 

[artist27]

LORs from physicians you shadow mean very little to admissions committees. Unless you have done more with the guy than you lead on here, it won't matter if he knows how to or not.

My school's prehealth committee requires a letter of recommendation from a physician. I don't see how else I would get a letter from a physician besides shadowing them, as no doctor is going to let me do anything else besides follow them around. I did talk to patients occasionally but do you suggest any other ways of getting a meaningful letter from a physician?
I did shadow him for a span of a couple of months so I do feel like he knows me quite well.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

My school's prehealth committee requires a letter of recommendation from a physician. I don't see how else I would get a letter from a physician besides shadowing them, as no doctor is going to let me do anything else besides follow them around. I did talk to patients occasionally but do you suggest any other ways of getting a meaningful letter from a physician?
I did shadow him for a span of a couple of months so I do feel like he knows me quite well.

Hm. That seems like a really odd thing for a pre-health committee to require, especially considering that shadowing LORs are usually considered fluff from what I've heard. But since it's required, there's not much you can do. Unless you've worked extensively with a physician doing research or something like that, a shadowing LOR is probably your only option. I wouldn't sweat it too much. I don't think it'll hurt your app.

For what it's worth, I've definitely had people ask me to write my own LOR so that they had something to go off of. I find it super hard to write about myself but it might not be a bad idea to offer!

 

[gyngyn]

Hm. That seems like a really odd thing for a pre-health committee to require, especially considering that shadowing LORs are usually considered fluff from what I've heard. But since it's required, there's not much you can do. Unless you've worked extensively with a physician doing research or something like that, a shadowing LOR is probably your only option. I wouldn't sweat it too much. I don't think it'll hurt your app.

For what it's worth, I've definitely had people ask me to write my own LOR so that they had something to go off of. I find it super hard to write about myself but it might not be a bad idea to offer!

They are using this as a quick and dirty way to ensure some type of clinical exposure.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

They are using this a quick and dirty way to ensure some type of clinical exposure.

Ah! I get it now. 🙂

 

[WhiteHatDoc]

I shadowed a doctor for a while and when I asked for a letter of rec, he said he would gladly write me one. I stopped by today and he directed me to his office manager and it seemed that they were both under the impression I just needed a quick note to confirm that I did shadow there. I explained to her that I needed an actual letter from a physician and said she would definitely be able to do that, and to send her all the info I need to be included. A few questions; the manager came off as if SHE was going to write the letter and not the actual doctor (she gave me her email address). I'm assuming this is fine, as long as its signed by the actual doctor. When I send her the info, should I emphasize that it needs to be signed by the doctor?
Also, it seems that neither her nor the doctor have any experience writing letters of rec. Are there any guidelines that I can send to her so they know what I'm looking for? Like a template or document with guidelines? I'm assuming I should send my basic resume but they gave me the impression they weren't really sure exactly how to go about writing this.
Thanks

The good thing is your doc sounds willing to help you out with a letter and in this particular situation, you may be able to draft your own letter. In fact, talk to the office manager and ask if you can draft the letter for her and let her know she can edit it however she'd like. Be enthusiastic about this and that manager will be more than happy to get an extra responsibility off her hand.

Keep it simple, straightforward, and to the point. Here's a sample letter you can use, it is cookie cutter and a truly exceptional letter will work better but that's only if you had a truly exceptional experience with that doc. Keep in mind for future residency applications that it also boosts your chances if your letter writer is well-known/well-respected in his field (so get to work networking and getting involved with research in your future field of interest after getting accepted... Med school truly is just the beginning of your career). Feel free to bedazzle the sample below in any way you see fit. I'll write a post about self-written LOR's on my blog since this seems to be a point of contention among pre-meds (understandably so!). Ask that this letter gets printed on official office letter head, to be signed by your preceptor.

Date

Address of Application Center
City, State, Zip

Via Electronic Mail

Re: Letter of recommendation request for application to Medical School

Dear Program Director:

I am writing at the request of Artist27 for candidacy for medical school admission. I had the pleasure of working with Artist27 <insert dates, location, and approximate hours per week>. During our time together at <location> I found Artist 27 to be compassionate and caring towards his patients. He is well-received and works well with office staff. He has an excellent work ethic <insert example of how you were a go-getter>. ***Insert any examples of you exhibiting intellectual curiosity, any teaching you may have done, any way you helped improve the patient's experience while in clinic, etc***

I am in full support of Sam’s decision to pursue a career in Medicine. I am confident that Artist27 will continue to exemplify hard work with a commitment to improving patient health in his future career path.

Please feel free to contact me if I may provide further information.

Best Regards,

Dr. Preceptor M.D.

Hope this helps, best of luck on your career path!

Cheers!