Is SLOE for internal medicine required?

[bionerd89]

I keep reading about the SLOE for IM in this forum but I'm confused because I've search many IM programs and I only found one that specifically said they need an SLOE. Most say they want the Department Chair letter. I know its a new recommendation by AAIM but I didn't think it is widely used yet.

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[FutureDoctor5000]

I keep reading about the SLOE for IM in this forum but I'm confused because I've search many IM programs and I only found one that specifically said they need an SLOE. Most say they want the Department Chair letter. I know its a new recommendation by AAIM but I didn't think it is widely used yet.

Not required, chair letter should be fine

 

[Sardonix]

/thread

 

[DameJulie]

Follow up question: is it useful to provide this SLOE form to your attending for LOR? especially for those who aren't in academics (i.e. rural hospital doctors).

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Technically, a Chair letter and a SLOE are the same thing. The SLOE has been renamed the IM SEL. It's supposed to be a standardized format for department letters. How much will it be used? unclear.

AAIM Guidelines for Internal Medicine Structured Evaluative Letter - AAIM

 

[getfat]

Chair Letter or SLOE will be helpful. Whether its a deal breaker to have one or not, It is hard to tell. Personally, I had many interviewers mention my chair letter during the interview. It made it seem like i checked the "dedication to the specialty" mentioned in the PD director survey pretty well.

I would ask for your IM director. Every DO school has someone as a designated as an "IM chair" even if it doesn't seem like there is.

Send them the link @NotAProgDirector mentioned earlier.

 

[Divs07]

Technically, a Chair letter and a SLOE are the same thing. The SLOE has been renamed the IM SEL. It's supposed to be a standardized format for department letters. How much will it be used? unclear.

AAIM Guidelines for Internal Medicine Structured Evaluative Letter - AAIM

So if a program specifically is asking for a DOM SLOE, but we only have a traditional Chair letter..can we assign the Chair letter in place of the SLOE? Thank you in advance!

 

[AlteredScale]

So if a program specifically is asking for a DOM SLOE, but we only have a traditional Chair letter..can we assign the Chair letter in place of the SLOE? Thank you in advance!

The Chair needs to write the letter in the format of the IM SEL. That should meet the requirements of a "chairs letter" or a "DOM SLOE"

 

[Divs07]

The Chair needs to write the letter in the format of the IM SEL. That should meet the requirements of a "chairs letter" or a "DOM SLOE"

Thank you for your reply! I am an IMG though, and until now our IM Chair (Head of the Dept) used to just give traditional narrative LORs to students, and I know they used to use those as the Chair Letter in the past. I don't think he would be willing to write it in the format of the IM SEL now as no other students have requested it before and it's unfamiliar to him :/ So in this case, this sort of LOR would not work for the programs specifically asking for it? Thank you!

 

[FutureDoctor5000]

Thank you for your reply! I am an IMG though, and until now our IM Chair (Head of the Dept) used to just give traditional narrative LORs to students, and I know they used to use those as the Chair Letter in the past. I don't think he would be willing to write it in the format of the IM SEL now as no other students have requested it before and it's unfamiliar to him :/ So in this case, this sort of LOR would not work for the programs specifically asking for it? Thank you!

Technically it could work but it would essentially be useless better to just get another letter.

 

[Divs07]

Technically it could work but it would essentially be useless better to just get another letter.

Okay thank you! I'll still try and see if i can get him to do the IM SEL as well, although it is cutting it close now. Will have to make another LOR entry for him and have him upload it, and use that instead of his regular LOR.

 

[FutureDoctor5000]

Okay thank you! I'll still try and see if i can get him to do the IM SEL as well, although it is cutting it close now. Will have to make another LOR entry for him and have him upload it, and use that instead of his regular LOR.

Yea he should have known about this but with him being at a Carib school I don’t blame him. Our chair is also a PD so he knows, like other chairs at US schools who work in academia.

 

[Divs07]

Yea he should have known about this but with him being at a Carib school I don’t blame him. Our chair is also a PD so he knows, like other chairs at US schools who work in academia.

I actually went to med school in India haha so he definitely has no idea about these things! And it's been hard to find clear cut information online about this within the IMG community on whether it is truly needed or not for us, keeping these few programs in mind. Thanks so much for your input!

 

[FutureDoctor5000]

I actually went to med school in India haha so he definitely has no idea about these things! And it's been hard to find clear cut information online about this within the IMG community on whether it is truly needed or not for us, keeping these few programs in mind. Thanks so much for your input!

Yea but for IMG’s chair letters are useless. Even if a program says they want one, it’s usually for USMD and DO students not IMG’s, since our chairs will give a standard letter that lets the PD know how you did relative to your class specifically on your IM rotation. So if people were getting a narrative letter from your IM chair saying “I am the IM chair at xyz schools be blah blah will be great blah blah” it was essentially useless.

 

[Divs07]

Yea but for IMG’s chair letters are useless. Even if a program says they want one, it’s usually for USMD and DO students not IMG’s, since our chairs will give a standard letter that lets the PD know how you did relative to your class specifically on your IM rotation. So if people were getting a narrative letter from your IM chair saying “I am the IM chair at xyz schools be blah blah will be great blah blah” it was essentially useless.

Yeah makes sense! I think everyone was under the same wrong impression lol