Is it possible to ask a DO for a LOR without shadowing?

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Vertu

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I've emailed like 50 DO's with no success. My family doctor is a DO, but he cannot let me shadow because he has actual medical students come in to shadow and learn from him (so he doesn't want me interfering with their shadowing experience). I was wondering if it's okay to just ask a DO to write me a LOR? Maybe offer to meet up with them in person and talk about myself?
 
Probably not... as he or she doesn't know you. How is someone supposed to write you a DECENT LOR without knowing you? He or she may know you as a patient, but probably not as a person. This is only something you can answer.
 
Do you volunteer at any hospitals? If so, try looking up if any DOs work at that hospital and try to connect with them there. But ya your gonna need to shadow them so you can get a quality letter of rec
 
I was like you initially where I was searching for months for a DO physician to shadow and I was unable to find one. I got many "no's" or no responses (maybe not as much as you though). I did everything from cold calling, emailing, faxing, you name it etc. At least, in MY opinion, I found emailing and faxing does not work as well as cold calling but n=1. The ones that answered me are through cold calling and one from email (but this is an exception because it is a program with some random college. i wasnt a student of that college but i just asked anyways). I'm not sure why though, but after shadowing a couple of physicians, I can see that they might be too busy to answer emails or just overlook it by mistake.

If you do cold call, try the big hospitals around your area or call private practice offices. In private practice offices, you probably will be answered by an assistant and if you explain what you want and ask them to pass your number to the physician to give you a call back, maybe that can net you a shadowing position.

which state do you live in?
 
You need to walk in to those private offices and have your resume in hand. I'm pretty sure you will get in somewhere. That's how I got mine shadowing to 3 different DOs.
 
I live in Southern California. Plenty of DO's but they are all too busy to have me come in it seems

there should be a lot of DO's in socal. I would probably try cold calling instead of email, or you can do what everyone else said above.

I would try private practice then hospitals. Maybe you can try the website doctorthatdo and enter in your area, then try cold calling a bunch of them. I feel like luck also plays a factor in this as well. Good luck!
 
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