LOR from a fellow?

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Hey again,

Wondering if it is appropriate to ask for a LOR from a medical fellow. I shadow her and another fellow under various attendings. I emailed an attending a week ago that I had spent the most time with and got to know, but he hasn't responded.

I only have one MD LOR and i would like to get more, especially from this speciality that I am very interested in. The fellow and I are friends and she has acted as a good mentor (I have about 60 hours with this team).

Is it appropriate to have a fellow write a letter? The AMCAS specifications did not clarify this for me.

Thanks. 🙂

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Hey again,

Wondering if it is appropriate to ask for a LOR from a medical fellow. I shadow her and another fellow under various attendings. I emailed an attending a week ago that I had spent the most time with and got to know, but he hasn't responded.

I only have one MD LOR and i would like to get more, especially from this speciality that I am very interested in. The fellow and I are friends and she has acted as a good mentor (I have about 60 hours with this team).

Is it appropriate to have a fellow write a letter? The AMCAS specifications did not clarify this for me.

Thanks. 🙂

MD letters are weighed less than say your university professors. If you already have one MD letter, that is enough, I would not look for more. As well, getting a letter from a resident or fellow would have less standing than an attending letter.

 

[gyngyn]

Shadowing letters have very little value.

 

[FootballFoot]

Shadowing letters have very little value.

Would you recommend not including it, if you listed it as one of your most meaningful experiences?

 

[gyngyn]

Would you recommend not including it, if you listed it as one of your most meaningful experiences?

Describe the reason for your choice and include the fellow as the contact.

 

[FootballFoot]

Describe the reason for your choice and include the fellow as the contact.

Thank you. I'm not the thread maker, but I also was wondering this too! (The doctor is an academic prof, not a fellow) 🙂

 

[gyngyn]

Thank you. I'm not the thread maker, but I also was wondering this too! (The doctor is an academic prof, not a fellow) 🙂

If it is a shadowing experience, it does not merit a letter (without regard to the writer's academic rank).

 

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Since so many applicants get shadowing experience letters, the vast majority highly recommending the applicant with little weight or evidence behind the recommendations, many adcoms view these letters as much less important than other academic evaluations. The theory of LOR/LOE is evaluate a student's academic abilities and characteristics; not what they did as much as what is behind how they did so, what characteristics. So if an applicant has an in depth, constructive, lengthy, formal or some other connection with a physician, where the doctor is in a position to evaluate (not simply recommend) an applicant they me be worth something. Working for an MD PI is the typical example of this. I have many nontrads who work in a clinical setting and thus have physician letters as an employment supervisor. However, the vast majority of typical premed students shadow a physician for 10-20 maybe 50-75 hours, following them around without much in depth interactions. Thus they really cant give the in-depth evaluation that an adcom likes to read. These are the letters that really dont matter as they cant say much. So generally, the typical shadowing experience is not worth getting a letter over.

Thank you! These various responses have cleared up some issues for me.