Letter of rec question

[swimmergirl96]

Will having a DO LOR have any impact on MD schools? All of the schools I applied to say that they want someone who will speak to the professional and clinical skills of the individual. I have a DO who wrote me a solid letter, however, I don't know if not having an MD letter will be looked at differently.

Thanks in advance!

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[Bonne Nuit]

It's going to entirely depend on how you know this DO and in what capacity you worked with him/her. Physician LORs in general (regardless of MD or DO) aren't always the best choices for MD admissions since applicants usually get them through shadowing. Shadowing letters are often weak, because the doctor can't discuss the applicant's professional or clinical skills in any meaningful way.

However, if you were employed by this physician or worked alongside them in some capacity, then DO vs. MD isn't going to matter.

 

[swimmergirl96]

It's going to entirely depend on how you know this DO and in what capacity you worked with him/her. Physician LORs in general (regardless of MD or DO) aren't always the best choices for MD admissions since applicants usually get them through shadowing. Shadowing letters are often weak, because the doctor can't discuss the applicant's professional or clinical skills in any meaningful way.

However, if you were employed by this physician or worked alongside them in some capacity, then DO vs. MD isn't going to matter.

Hi, thank you for your reply. I worked with this individual for many months while a scribe, so I feel that he knows my skills decently well!

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Hi, thank you for your reply. I worked with this individual for many months while a scribe, so I feel that he knows my skills decently well!

Then his DO shouldn't be an issue at all and it's going to be a very useful LOR to have!

 

[jhmmd]

Will having a DO LOR have any impact on MD schools? All of the schools I applied to say that they want someone who will speak to the professional and clinical skills of the individual. I have a DO who wrote me a solid letter, however, I don't know if not having an MD letter will be looked at differently.

Thanks in advance!

D.O. vs. M.D. degrees (in principle) are equivalent and this shouldn't be an issue