LOR for private practice

[GaseousClay]

Hi guys, starting to seriously work on my CV and cover letters for PP jobs and was just curious how many letters of recs do most PP expect? Any advice on what type of LOR are best for PP and any other general advice on applying for PP jobs is much appreciated.

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[Mman]

I don't think there is any guideline for # or type of LOR for a PP job. Some want some, some don't. What they are all looking for however is a person that is easy to work with, can adapt to a variety of clinical situations, and can be safe taking care of multiple types of cases.

If you are an a-hole or can only do 1 type of case (i.e. a peds person that freaks out with any adult patient), you are not the kind of person they are looking for. If you are easy to talk to, up for switching shifts if needs arise, and can take care of patients in different settings (OB, outpatient, inpatient, cardiac, peds, etc) you will be a valuable asset to them. Bonus points for convincing them you have some other tie to the area that will keep you their for the long haul. They aren't looking for people to come and go.

 

[PMPMD]

Hi guys, starting to seriously work on my CV and cover letters for PP jobs and was just curious how many letters of recs do most PP expect? Any advice on what type of LOR are best for PP and any other general advice on applying for PP jobs is much appreciated.

My group asked for references, not letters.

 

[Noyac]

I agree with Mman.

LOR should come directly from the letter writer. Not from the applicant forwarding the LOR. 3 is a good start. And they should expect follow up calls to verify the letter.
They can come from other anesthesiologists and maybe one from a surgeon if you want.

In PP, you need to be flexible, able and affable. Jet had a saying something like this. It wrapped it all up nicely. If your a prick you won't last. If you are not flexible, your partners will quickly learn to not switch calls, vacation or caces with you. You need to be able to do one case many different ways. You will on occasion relieve a partner ( unless it's an eat what you kill practice) and they won't necessarily do the case the way you would. You don't have to agree with the technique but you need to be able to work with it.

You need to pay attention to political BS. You don't need to necessarily be vocal or involved so much and being a silent partner is frequently a welcomed asset.

More on flexibility. If you are doing a block or a line and the US is in use. It sure is nice to have someone that doesn't flop,out and can proceed without. Today's grads are so dependent on that machine that they can't function without it. A busy practice may find that they don't have enough US's available at all times. Are you gonna delay a case for this? Not in my group! Another example of flexibility, when I came out of training TURP synd was still an issue because in academics they took long to do these cases. Early in my first gig I was assigned a TURP and I wanted to do a spinal for the case (which is fine) but the surgeon didn't like the idea because nobody had done it that way in a long time Nd the pts took loop get to recover. I was trained to do spinals to monitor for TURP synd. I voiced this and he laughed at me. He did TURP's in 30-40 min. I adjusted.

It's nice to have someone who is confident but it's sucks to find out that they are so confident that they don't call for help or ask questions. Know your limits and don't be afraid to verbalized them.

 

[GaseousClay]

thanks guys its nice to have virtual mentors like y'all

 

[BuzzPhreed]

In PP, you need to be flexible, able and affable. Jet had a saying something like this.

The three As.

"Affable, able, and available."

Online Buzz is far different than real world Buzz in that regard. Real world Buzz knows when to pucker up and when to stand up. That takes finesse. (Yeah, sometimes I blow it.) Real world Buzz also definitely knows when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em too, though.