LOR from a doctor

[wes431]

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I shadowed a doctor and have asked for him to write a LOR. I also worked in his clinic one summer. He needs help writing the LOR. Does anyone have any good references or websites that can help with LOR's?

 

[Cegar]

You may not want an LOR from that doctor.

In fact, that doctor may not be a doctor at all.

 

[Isoprop]

Try this

 

[Tekar]

I gave a packet containing a complete copy of my AMCAS application packet (Personal Statements, EC blurbs, every class I ever took, family history) and a personal letter about my goals with medicine to each person who I asked to be a part of this. (Don't ask about the timeline.. it definitely wasn't what it ought to have been)


If this doctor accepted, they obviously support your endeavour. Help them help you.

 

[ninjapenguin]

Don't bother with the letter. If the doctor needs help writing the letter, then all indications are that he doesn't know you well enough to write a strong one himself. What you will end up with is some cookie cutter letter that won't hold much weight at all with an admissions committee. Although, if the doctor knows you well and is asking you to write the letter then give it to him to review and sign, then that's a different story.

In the end though, I would just forget about it. Putting down the shadowing experience on your AMCAS application is fine, but getting a letter from someone who you basically just lurked naively behind for however many hours is just a waste of time and paper.

 

[wes431]

Don't bother with the letter. If the doctor needs help writing the letter, then all indications are that he doesn't know you well enough to write a strong one himself. What you will end up with is some cookie cutter letter that won't hold much weight at all with an admissions committee. Although, if the doctor knows you well and is asking you to write the letter then give it to him to review and sign, then that's a different story.

In the end though, I would just forget about it. Putting down the shadowing experience on your AMCAS application is fine, but getting a letter from someone who you basically just lurked naively behind for however many hours is just a waste of time and paper.

No the thing is that he knows me really well and we are good family friends. I've shadowed him and worked for him. He's known me for like 10 yrs. He was my grandparents doctor also. But he's never written a LOR before. He didn't go to med school here so doesn't really know how it works. I think I just need to give him some direction, which is why I was asking.

 

[ninjapenguin]

If you absolutely must salvage a moderately credible letter out of this, then I would conveniently "forget" to mention in there that he is a close family friend. But I still maintain my position that it's a waste of time and paper. Letters from doctors you shadowed don't hold much weight.

 

[Tekar]

If you absolutely must salvage a moderately credible letter out of this, then I would conveniently "forget" to mention in there that he is a close family friend. But I still maintain my position that it's a waste of time and paper. Letters from doctors you shadowed don't hold much weight.

Only because you're a random hater will I respectfully disagree with much of your arguments against this letter.

This person knows your work ethic, your passion, and wants to be a part of helping you get in. He's a member of the profession who welcomes you to be a peer. That's really important. It's not to say it should be you're only letter (goes without saying/obviously) but it is a pretty big part of painting a picture and giving the ADCOM's something that isn't another cookie cutter PhD who doesn't know you tellling them you were in the top 1% of your class.

I say give the guy every bit of help in this process you can. Generally you should always include at least a resume in any LOR request for anything. For this one.. the more detail/collaboration to help him sort through what he sees as important in his profession, the better.

 

[Isoprop]

Letters from doctors you shadowed don't hold much weight.

you can get great lors from doctors you've shadowed.

 

[HeadMed]

Letters from doctors you shadowed don't hold much weight.

I think I know what you mean by this, but this is definitely a sweeping generality.

For an LOR the number one factor for quality is time spent with the person. When I applied to medical school I also got a letter from a doctor I shadowed. In fact my situation was very similar to the OP's. The guy wasn't a family friend, but a professional acquaintance of my father. I had know and spoken to this doctor for over 6 years. I shadowed him for a high school project (far before I was ever legitimately interested in medicine) and have stayed in email contact ever since. I sent him quarterly updates of my academic progress and spoke extensively about my research in undergrad. Additionally, I continued shadowing him in the summers during my freshman, sophomore, and junior years in college. Overall I would estimate about a total 200 hours per summer.

Anyhow, I said all that to say this: He might have written an LOR once upon a time, but I am sure mine was the first he wrote in many years (he was private practice). Despite this I know he wrote my most influential letter. I know this because this letter was mentioned in nearly ALL of my interviews (and virtually nothing about the other letters). I was told quotes from the LOR by my interviewers, but I was never given a copy by the doctor to read myself.

If the shadowing is a token, artificial experience to fill in an EC than this letter would have sucked. However, if the relationship is significant, this letter can be very powerful as you and the doc are bound to talk about your respective ambition and motivations for pursuing medicine.