good letter from FP?

[LotaPower]

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I have 3 letters and need one more and I am thinkin about getting one from my family medicine rotation. I know it's not from the big surgery/medicine clerkships, but the FP i know will probably write me a great letter. Will PDs toss a FP letter out the window (like they would with a letter from psych or even OB) or will a letter from an FP hold any weight?

 

[pinbor1]

I have 3 letters and need one more and I am thinkin about getting one from my family medicine rotation. I know it's not from the big surgery/medicine clerkships, but the FP i know will probably write me a great letter. Will PDs toss a FP letter out the window (like they would with a letter from psych or even OB) or will a letter from an FP hold any weight?

Any strong letter is valuable. I got a letter from an OB attending, and it came up a number of times when I interviewed. I think many programs take all LORs seriously, in EM we work with all sorts of specialties and patients so any good letter is valuable.

 

[Snoopy]

I think that a letter from an FP is fine. Sometimes physicians in other specialties can provide interesting insights. Now that I am finishing residency and looking for a job, many of the programs are having me interview with a non-departmental staff member (OB, Peds, IM) to give a broader perspective on your personality and how you interact with people. I haven't actually done any of these yet, but I have been told that they will be part of my interview day.

 

[thierryh]

Definitely use it. Especially if it's super-positive. I had a letter from my FP rotation coordinator doc in my application. This guy was super-enthusiastic, super-nice, and wrote me what I'm sure was a great letter. Matched at a program that is often considered one of the most competitive in the country on this website (for whatever that is worth). I did get interviews at all but one place I applied (which is probably more telling of how my LORs were received).
Use it. Especially if it's super-positive, super-nice, and super-enthusiastic.
If it's from Superman, even better.

 

[bartleby]

If you think that this FP will write the best non-EM letter you can get, then go for it. However, don't skip a chance for a letter from a)a more experienced letter writer and b) someone who precepted you in an inpatient rotation who might have had a chance to make some more worthwhile comments about your performance with ill patients. Having read many of these letters, keep in mind that many of them (even the positive ones) basically go, "X was great in the fp clinic. She/he was always on time and nice to patients..." These don't hurt you, but they say nothing about you to improve your esteem in a PD's eyes.