Letters from patients- what to do with them?

[Hearos]

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Hey guys- what are we supposed to do with thank you letters from patients? A patient just sent one about me to an attending (lengthy, not just a 1-sentence thank you), but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to get that letter scanned into my student portfolio or anything? Sorry if this is a naive question, but I haven't encountered this situation before.

 

[FractureFixer]

Hey guys- what are we supposed to do with thank you letters from patients? A patient just sent one about me to an attending (lengthy, not just a 1-sentence thank you), but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to get that letter scanned into my student portfolio or anything? Sorry if this is a naive question, but I haven't encountered this situation before.

 

[texdoc]

Give it to your mommy so she may place it on her refrigerator.

 

[Hearos]

Wow you guys are real mature. I was interested because the patient was the wife of the chair of ortho (she's been an ortho nurse >20 yrs), and she wrote a 2 paragraph letter. I am interested in my home ortho department, so this LOR from someone everyone in the department knows would be nice. Regardless, the attending gave me a copy of the letter today and a resident told me to put it in my portfolio (all medical students at my med school have e-portfolios where we collect evals and LORs).

 

[werd]

you should also keep it on your person... chicks dig this sort of thing. 🙂

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Wow you guys are real mature. I was interested because the patient was the wife of the chair of ortho (she's been an ortho nurse >20 yrs), and she wrote a 2 paragraph letter. I am interested in my home ortho department, so this LOR from someone everyone in the department knows would be nice. Regardless, the attending gave me a copy of the letter today and a resident told me to put it in my portfolio (all medical students at my med school have e-portfolios where we collect evals and LORs).

Just be appreciative of the nice gesture. Don't treat it as an opportunity for resume padding.

Your school may let you collect all the LORs all you want, but when it comes time to apply for residency, you will be sending in 3-4 letters (maximum ERAS will allow is 4). You really think a letter from a patient belongs in that group?

If you want to stay at your home ortho department, it sounds like you are already making a great impression on the department chair through this event. They will remember you without the letter.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

lol yah don't send a letter from ur patient when applying for residency, your ap will probably get tossed

 

[Hearos]

The attending told me the dean uses patient references (if you have any) in writing my dean's letter- I know we only send in 3-4 LORs with the ERAS, and I never said I was going to use this letter as an official Letter of Recommendation.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

The attending told me the dean uses patient references (if you have any) in writing my dean's letter- I know we only send in 3-4 LORs with the ERAS, and I never said I was going to use this letter as an official Letter of Recommendation.

Yah sounds good, just make sure you keep honoring those rotations. A wonderful patient testimonial won't make up for a plethora of P's.

 

[tfom08]

Wow you guys are real mature. I was interested because the patient was the wife of the chair of ortho (she's been an ortho nurse >20 yrs), and she wrote a 2 paragraph letter. I am interested in my home ortho department, so this LOR from someone everyone in the department knows would be nice. Regardless, the attending gave me a copy of the letter today and a resident told me to put it in my portfolio (all medical students at my med school have e-portfolios where we collect evals and LORs).

Well in the case that she's a nurse, I'm sure the places you apply would be very interested in what she has to say because she has probably worked with many other doctors. If it was just a regular patient I would say don't save it, but a veteran ortho nurse would be a good letter considering you want to go into ortho. Especially since she has connections to your ortho program I think this would help you significantly at your home school. At other schools who aren't as familiar with this woman, I think if you preface the letter with the fact that she has worked in orthopedics so she knows what good care is about the comments will have more weight. I wouldn't use her letter if you only have 3 letters, but to use her as your 4th LOR for your ERAS would be pretty good.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Well in the case that she's a nurse, I'm sure the places you apply would be very interested in what she has to say because she has probably worked with many other doctors. If it was just a regular patient I would say don't save it, but a veteran ortho nurse would be a good letter considering you want to go into ortho. Especially since she has connections to your ortho program I think this would help you significantly at your home school. At other schools who aren't as familiar with this woman, I think if you preface the letter with the fact that she has worked in orthopedics so she knows what good care is about the comments will have more weight. I wouldn't use her letter if you only have 3 letters, but to use her as your 4th LOR for your ERAS would be pretty good.

no it wouldn't, thats crazy talk

 

[Winged Scapula]

Well in the case that she's a nurse, I'm sure the places you apply would be very interested in what she has to say because she has probably worked with many other doctors. If it was just a regular patient I would say don't save it, but a veteran ortho nurse would be a good letter considering you want to go into ortho. Especially since she has connections to your ortho program I think this would help you significantly at your home school. At other schools who aren't as familiar with this woman, I think if you preface the letter with the fact that she has worked in orthopedics so she knows what good care is about the comments will have more weight. I wouldn't use her letter if you only have 3 letters, but to use her as your 4th LOR for your ERAS would be pretty good.

Nope.

Medical schools don't want to see letters from nurses, regardless of how experienced they are. What the heck do they know about being a physician? Not much more than a patient. Do not send these letters to ERAS.

OTOH, it doesn't hurt to keep the letters...one of the fellowship programs I applied to required a patient letter.