Letters of Rec

[MyShift]

I can't decide who to get letters of recommendation from. I have 3 clinical preceptors and my boss at my retail job all willing to write one. Who should I pick?

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[bacillus1]

2 preceptors and boss

 

[KARM12]

Look to see if the program has any specific requirements.

Just as an FYI from a program's stand point...most retail pharmacists do not write good letters of rec.

 

[bacillus1]

Look to see if the program has any specific requirements.

Just as an FYI from a program's stand point...most retail pharmacists do not write good letters of rec.

I matched at a moderately competitive program with a retail preceptor being one of my references, so if you think they'll write a good letter for you, it's OK (n=1).

 

[MyShift]

So if they all wrote decent letters it would be preferable to have mostly clinical? That is my assumption since it these residencies are clinically oriented

 

[KARM12]

I matched at a moderately competitive program with a retail preceptor being one of my references, so if you think they'll write a good letter for you, it's OK (n=1).

It isn't that they aren't going to say good things about you, it is just they usually aren't well written. They usually don't know what type of things to say... I don't care that you can "work a cash register well" or "can type prescriptions fast."

My favorite was a retail pharmacist that wrote a LOR on notebook paper with a pencil. Seriously, that guy isn't going to give you a lot of points.

 

[spacecowgirl]

As an RD, I look at LORs that indicate that the writer knows the person well. I think a LOR from a retail manager can certainly speak to someone's people skills, initiative, clinical judgement, common sense, business sense, responsibility, etc. I would not want 3 LORS from retail managers (or 3 profs or 3 preceptors) but one is ok.

 

[confettiflyer]

It isn't that they aren't going to say good things about you, it is just they usually aren't well written. They usually don't know what type of things to say... I don't care that you can "work a cash register well" or "can type prescriptions fast."

My favorite was a retail pharmacist that wrote a LOR on notebook paper with a pencil. Seriously, that guy isn't going to give you a lot of points.

I remember applying to rx school and I asked my retail PIC to write one for me, so I left the requisite forms on his desk in the back and went home.

Came back the next day, he wasn't there, but he left it for me in the back. He filled out the check-off questionnaire and in the large blank space for a LOR, he wrote in a rather inky pen "I recommend (confettiflyer) for pharmacy school."



I ended up discreetly asking another pharmacist at work to write it for me.

 

[MyShift]

As an RD, I look at LORs that indicate that the writer knows the person well. I think a LOR from a retail manager can certainly speak to someone's people skills, initiative, clinical judgement, common sense, business sense, responsibility, etc. I would not want 3 LORS from retail managers (or 3 profs or 3 preceptors) but one is ok.

3 preceptors would be bad? Also I kinda asked all 3 clinical s for recommendations and now I feel I can't back down unless there is some special way to hide recommendations in phorcas

 

[KARM12]

3 preceptors would be bad? Also I kinda asked all 3 clinical s for recommendations and now I feel I can't back down unless there is some special way to hide recommendations in phorcas

I think that Phorcas will let you submit up to 4 letters

 

[GoldfishPharmD]

I think that Phorcas will let you submit up to 4 letters

Is it "bad" to submit 4 letters when the program only ask for 3? I kind of want to submit 4 just in case due to some issues some of my preceptors had.

 

[gmuskie]

Is it "bad" to submit 4 letters when the program only ask for 3? I kind of want to submit 4 just in case due to some issues some of my preceptors had.

Phorcas stated at their session at midyear to NOT send more materials than asked for by the program, specifically speaking to LORs.

 

[MyShift]

It's there a way to have 4 uploaded but only submit 3?

 

[pharmgirl333]

when you go to upload materials on PhORCAS for each program, you can select the references for each program. So you can easily just pick 3 references to send to each program.

 

[spacecowgirl]

3 preceptors would be bad? Also I kinda asked all 3 clinical s for recommendations and now I feel I can't back down unless there is some special way to hide recommendations in phorcas

Bad? Not really, but if you only have a preceptor for 4-5 weeks, how well do they really know you?