This may come as a weird question, but how do you guys interact with attendings to get them to like you as a person and as a result write better letters for you?
So this may seem like a really odd question, but some of my colleagues just have a way of developing great rapport with attendings that they work with even if its only for a short stint (some might even say that they "suck up" well, but I think that carries too much of a negative connotation). And I feel like this is the X-factor when it comes to letters written for you because you would otherwise get a standard-issue letter.
Anyway, the reason I ask is because while I do fine in social situations around peers, I was brought up in a culture where you respect your elders ESPecially teachers; it's virtually unheard of to be friends with your teacher, they're simply there as an authority figure and you do what they say. So I feel like I have difficulty differentiating what is kosher when it comes to developing rapport with an attending and as a result, I always stay on the side of formality.
Obviously this is attending dependent, but what do you do to make sure that they keep you in mind (aside blowing their minds with the pure clinical knowledge that you possess of course =P) and relate to you on a personal level? Drop by their office unannounced every so often? Send them an Xmas card? Send them an email that just says "hey, im on neph now and I just saw this Heme/onc patient that reminded me of you and your specialty!!"?
So this may seem like a really odd question, but some of my colleagues just have a way of developing great rapport with attendings that they work with even if its only for a short stint (some might even say that they "suck up" well, but I think that carries too much of a negative connotation). And I feel like this is the X-factor when it comes to letters written for you because you would otherwise get a standard-issue letter.
Anyway, the reason I ask is because while I do fine in social situations around peers, I was brought up in a culture where you respect your elders ESPecially teachers; it's virtually unheard of to be friends with your teacher, they're simply there as an authority figure and you do what they say. So I feel like I have difficulty differentiating what is kosher when it comes to developing rapport with an attending and as a result, I always stay on the side of formality.
Obviously this is attending dependent, but what do you do to make sure that they keep you in mind (aside blowing their minds with the pure clinical knowledge that you possess of course =P) and relate to you on a personal level? Drop by their office unannounced every so often? Send them an Xmas card? Send them an email that just says "hey, im on neph now and I just saw this Heme/onc patient that reminded me of you and your specialty!!"?
