LOR from a Resident?

[RainyDaysKTCA]

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A friend of mine introduced me to a DO who is currently a resident for mentorship/guidance. I've been talking to him a lot and he's helped me figure out a lot of things and given me some great advice.

He offered to write me a recommendation letter yesterday. I don't have a DO letter yet (I have 1 from a MD I shadowed but I want a DO letter for the schools that prefer/require DO) so I was thinking this may be a good way to get one. But I never shadowed him and the letter would be based purely on our personal relationship. We've never met in person but talked on the phone and via email (he's in a different state etc). He knows about all my ECs my personal life etc and says he thinks he could write me a great LOR.

I have shadowed a DO in the past (50 hours) and she has also promised to write me a letter but she recently went on unexpected personal leave and I have no idea how to get in touch with her or when she will be back.

I have one more DO contact that is willing to let me shadow/write me a letter but I am currently taking a full course load/working/studying for the MCAT so I won't be able to shadow until the summer.

Seems too easy to just have the Resident DO write me a letter. Right?

Thanks for your help/opinions 🙂. I'm sure I am over thinking!

 

[marke]

my personal opinion...

resident LOR is fine.. as long as he/she is a DO
I think what really matters here is that he/she can write you a GREAT LOR and you know he/she will (and if he/she doesn't mind and you are in good relationship with he/her, they might even let you read what they wrote!)... where as the other one you are not sure..
if you use letter service.. just have both of them each write one and have them submit it to the letter service in which case you have a choice...
this also give you a backup plan (in case one of the writer takes forever to write the letter or changes their mind)

just my 2 cents..
good luck!

A friend of mine introduced me to a DO who is currently a resident for mentorship/guidance. I've been talking to him a lot and he's helped me figure out a lot of things and given me some great advice.

He offered to write me a recommendation letter yesterday. I don't have a DO letter yet (I have 1 from a MD I shadowed but I want a DO letter for the schools that prefer/require DO) so I was thinking this may be a good way to get one. But I never shadowed him and the letter would be based purely on our personal relationship. We've never met in person but talked on the phone and via email (he's in a different state etc). He knows about all my ECs my personal life etc and says he thinks he could write me a great LOR.

I have shadowed a DO in the past (50 hours) and she has also promised to write me a letter but she recently went on unexpected personal leave and I have no idea how to get in touch with her or when she will be back.

I have one more DO contact that is willing to let me shadow/write me a letter but I am currently taking a full course load/working/studying for the MCAT so I won't be able to shadow until the summer.

Seems too easy to just have the Resident DO write me a letter. Right?

Thanks for your help/opinions 🙂. I'm sure I am over thinking!

 

[Long Way to Go]

From someone with no experience with this sort of thing at all:

I would see if you could shadow the resident for their full shift once or twice, maybe over a break or during the summer. Not only would that make your LOR seem more legitimate, I would also think that it would be a fantastic experience as a whole.

 

[DbDan]

From someone with no experience with this sort of thing at all:

I would see if you could shadow the resident for their full shift once or twice, maybe over a break or during the summer. Not only would that make your LOR seem more legitimate, I would also think that it would be a fantastic experience as a whole.

That'd be difficult seeing as how the OP stated the resident is in a different state

 

[MightyMoose]

I don't think it's the part that the LOR writer is a resident that seems questionable, but rather that you have never spent time with him in a hospital setting. I think the stronger LOR's from MD's and DO's speak to your clinical awareness and how you seem to interact with patients, etc.. I'm not saying that it won't be a good letter, it's just limited on what it can say.

I would say have the resident write the letter then if you can get another one, great. If not, at least you have a DO letter. It sounds like you already have an MD letter that could speak to your awareness in a hospital setting, so I wouldn't sweat having a resident as your DO letter writer too much since you will ultimately have two physician letters.

 

[DbDan]

FWIW, my DO letter was from an advisor who I had met with once, spoken with a couple of times and e-mailed a few times. No clinical knowledge or even extensive knowledge about me. His letter was fairly generic, however it spoke to my knowledge of the osteopathic profession and gave reasons why I would "be an asset" to the profession as a whole. I also had a letter from my work supervisor that spoke extensively about my clinical experience and personal attributes. I got in with those two plus the required science letters. Not all DO letters need to be clinically related if you have other letters expressing your professionalism and clinical abilities.

 

[RainyDaysKTCA]

Thanks everyone! I think I will take a letter from him as a backup just in case I don't get one from another DO in time for applications.

Thanks again 🙂.

 

[Long Way to Go]

That'd be difficult seeing as how the OP stated the resident is in a different state

For that sort of experience, it might even be worth taking the train or flying. Plus, it would be an adventure of sorts. Have fun while you do it!