E.M. residency LOR requirements

[quickfeet]

I know you need SLORs and those have to be completed specifically by EM faculty physicians. However, are there any other LOR requirements?

Our school does NOT have an emergency medicine residency program, hence no EM program director here can write me a letter.

I was told by a person in our administration that we must have a letter of recommendation from the chairman of the department of surgery (though that is only the chairman of the 3rd year surgery clerkship, because we do not have a general surgery residency here either).

I was thinking this was inaccurate, though.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[BoardingDoc]

I was told by a person in our administration that we must have a letter of recommendation from the chairman of the department of surgery (though that is only the chairman of the 3rd year surgery clerkship, because we do not have a general surgery residency here either).

I was thinking this was inaccurate, though.

If your school has some policy about needing a letter from the surgery chair, then yes. Otherwise, this person has no idea what they're talking about. You require 0 letters from surgeons in order to apply/match into EM.

 

[quickfeet]

If your school has some policy about needing a letter from the surgery chair, then yes. Otherwise, this person has no idea what they're talking about. You require 0 letters from surgeons in order to apply/match into EM.

Are schools known to have those requirements? I.e. requiring that any of their M4 students applying to emergency medicine submit a LOR from the surgery chairman

I am searching around our schools policies and there are 1,000 of them but I can't find any where it requires someone to submit a specific LOR for a residency specialty.

 

[alpinism]

All you need is 3 LORs:

2 SLOEs from EM residency programs and 1 personal LOR from a physician.

(The personal LOR is usually from an EM mentor however).

 

[quickfeet]

Ok I was told our school doesn't have a policy where we're required to get an LOR from the surgery chairmen.

What they did tell me was that "most emergency medicine residencies will want a letter from the chairman of the emergency medicine elective, which at our school is the chairman of surgery."

However I do not want a letter from this individual, and already have a good EM attending letter lined up. So I guess what I am asking is if their advice is even true?

 

[racerwad]

Ok I was told our school doesn't have a policy where we're required to get an LOR from the surgery chairmen.

What they did tell me was that "most emergency medicine residencies will want a letter from the chairman of the emergency medicine elective, which at our school is the chairman of surgery."

However I do not want a letter from this individual, and already have a good EM attending letter lined up. So I guess what I am asking is if their advice is even true?

All EM programs want a SLOE, which is usually written by the program director (or assistant PD, etc). The programs don't want a letter from the chair, per se (although it probably wouldn't hurt) - just the SLOE.

Generally, the advice from most schools is not the best, especially if you don't have a home program in the specialty.

 

[SasquatchEM]

You want at least 1 strong SLOE. A 2nd one is not necessary but a strong one def helps. Get 3 total letters. If not a SLOE then try for EM boarded docs. If you can't get those then just get any letter you can as place holders to be complete.

 

[Bojack Horseman]

2 SLOEs at least and 1 LOR from anyone who knows you well and can write a strong letter. if you do 3 EM rotations at residency programs then get 3 SLOEs. I've heard some faculty won't even read non-SLOE letters so I doubt anyone cares if a surgery chair writes you a letter.