How do i get to know my volunteer coordinator well?

[ponybreeder4]

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So she seems like an amazing super sweet lady, how do i become close enough with her to ask for a letteR?

 

[236116]

say howdy.

i'm sure she knows you're a preemie. go on a coffee run and ask her if she wants one. shoot the breeze. ask her how whoever you're working for thinks you're doing.

 

[Stratego]

Engage her in conversation on a regular basis. Address her by name. Be appreciative of the work she does. Over time, via idle chitchat, you'll come to know each other.

 

[ponybreeder4]

the only thing is i dont really c her in person..i only see her like once a moht..should i randomly email her? lol

 

[236116]

the only thing is i dont really c her in person..i only see her like once a moht..should i randomly email her? lol

stop in. make an effort.

if she's not the only one in the office bring munchkins.

 

[briton]

stop in. make an effort.

Agreed. You have to take the bull by the horns and make it happen. As a doctor, people will be looking to you for direction so you can't afford to be too reticent.

Stop by, explain your situation. Most volunteer coordinators are happy to help.

 

[Lola2010]

Just stop in before or after your shift if the coordinator is around. If not, email her about a particular good experience you had or to ask a question. The most important thing is to have your coordinator feel an investment/connection to you. To know that you care about the volunteering you are doing and that it is affecting you in some way. She is going to need some examples to backup anything she writes for you in your letter.

 

[LizzyM]

Don't waste your time. I've never seen a LOR from a volunteer coordinator at a hospital that impressed anyone (and I've been reading applications since the turn of the century.) It is far better to have letters from faculty, PIs, work supervisors, even varisty coaches have been known to write good letters.

 

[pianola]

Don't waste your time. I've never seen a LOR from a volunteer coordinator at a hospital that impressed anyone (and I've been reading applications since the turn of the century.) It is far better to have letters from faculty, PIs, work supervisors, even varisty coaches have been known to write good letters.

👍👍

You want letters from people who specifically see and comment on your work.

 

[Lola2010]

Is your volunteer work clinical? I don't see how the letter wouldn't make a difference if the coordinator was vouching for the person's work with patients...

 

[htownpremie]

and I've been reading applications since the turn of the century.

i forget sometimes that a century turned just under 10 years ago, haha.

 

[LizzyM]

Is your volunteer work clinical? I don't see how the letter wouldn't make a difference if the coordinator was vouching for the person's work with patients...

Because the adcom has little interest in the applicant's work with patients and because the coordinator won't have any information about that interaction because the coordinator has little or no knowledge of the volunteer. Most of those letters will say, "I am pleased to recommend [name] for admission to your program. [name] volunteered from [date] to [date] and provided x hours of service in our [department]."

 

[amph119]

Because the adcom has little interest in the applicant's work with patients and because the coordinator won't have any information about that interaction because the coordinator has little or no knowledge of the volunteer. Most of those letters will say, "I am pleased to recommend [name] for admission to your program. [name] volunteered from [date] to [date] and provided x hours of service in our [department]."

Pretty much verbatim what I was told my letter would say from my volunteer place. Waste of a letter, without a doubt.

 

[Ariadne]

Because the adcom has little interest in the applicant's work with patients and because the coordinator won't have any information about that interaction because the coordinator has little or no knowledge of the volunteer. Most of those letters will say, "I am pleased to recommend [name] for admission to your program. [name] volunteered from [date] to [date] and provided x hours of service in our [department]."

What about if you've been volunteering for an extended period of time in multiple departments, taken on a leadership role by training new volunteers, and the letter contains quotes from the volunteer supervisor (a nurse) in the departments you work in that speak to your performance? Still a no go?

 

[LizzyM]

What about if you've been volunteering for an extended period of time in multiple departments, taken on a leadership role by training new volunteers, and the letter contains quotes from the volunteer supervisor (a nurse) in the departments you work in that speak to your performance? Still a no go?

That's a cut above the usual LOR from a volunteer coordinator.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Wouldn't it be better to get a letter from the supervisor, in that case? She's still an authority figure in the program.

 

[Ariadne]

That's a cut above the usual LOR from a volunteer coordinator.

Does this sentiment still hold true though:

Because the adcom has little interest in the applicant's work with patients...

It makes me wonder if I would be better served to submit another professor recommendation instead.

Wouldn't it be better to get a letter from the supervisor, in that case? She's still an authority figure in the program.

I think the coordinator has a better idea of how to write med school recommendations. Also, the supervisor who knows me best just left for a new position (I had her send in her comments before she left)...

 

[LizzyM]

Does this sentiment still hold true though:



It makes me wonder if I would be better served to submit another professor recommendation instead.



I think the coordinator has a better idea of how to write med school recommendations. Also, the supervisor who knows me best just left for a new position (I had her send in her comments before she left)...

Yes, a professor's recommendation is almost always held in higher regard. Someone who has knowledge of your service in a supervisory or leadership role might be able to provide a letter that is useful to the adcom. Letters from hospital employees generally don't have anything useful to say about your interaction with patients. Adcoms want to know that you've had experiences with patients and may want to talk with you about that during an interview but LORs are not how most adcom members will assess your capacity patient care.

 

[Lola2010]

So does this also mean that letters from community service work you have done are also not valued by adcoms?

 

[LizzyM]

So does this also mean that letters from community service work you have done are also not valued by adcoms?

Most schools ask for letters from faculty which tells you where they place their priorities.

Some letters from community service supervisors can be very fair, unbiased and very informative. They tend to be strongest if you've had a leadership role or a full-time job with the agency (e.g. as an Americorps volunteer).

 

[ninetynine]

Do something amazing that she'll remember. Like I know a friend who is starting two new departments at her program. 👍 It's not about getting friendly-friendly, show your talents for what they are, don't keep them under a box.