LOR from Dept chair necessary?

[GreenGeek]

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I understand a letter from the dept chair is important, but two questions:

1) I am doing my anesthesia rotation at a a satellite campus with private attendings. Will an LOR from their group suffice? Or MUST I try to do another rotation at main campus in September and get another LOR (is that even going to be in time!)?

2) I hear the dept chair back at main campus is getting fired so he might not exactly be the most impressive person to be getting letters from anyway. Right now, my letter writers are 1 surgery attending and 1 psych attending and possibly 1 IM or peds attending. Is that a bad mix. Help!

 

[MalloryWeiss]

Bump

 

[CaliforniaBound]

You need some anesthesia letters. I can't speak to whether your chair is worth getting one from, but chair letters can open doors. Regardless, what about the program director or other attendings? The group you are going to work with might be good, but I'd still get a more faculty like letter if I were you. Two good letters from anesthesia should suffice

 

[Stellar Clouds]

Very few programs require a chairman's letter. Do some research on the websites of programs you plan on applying to and you will arrive at the answer you need.

 

[buccsmf1]

how the hell do you even get a chair to write you a letter? In the 3 weeks Ive been on my away, the chair hasn't been in a room once, he seems to nothing but administrative work. how are you supposed to make enough of an impression to ask for a letter when they're never in the OR?

 

[GreenGeek]

how the hell do you even get a chair to write you a letter? In the 3 weeks Ive been on my away, the chair hasn't been in a room once, he seems to nothing but administrative work. how are you supposed to make enough of an impression to ask for a letter when they're never in the OR?

I was wondering the exact same thing when I read people have chair letters LOL

 

[Stellar Clouds]

how the hell do you even get a chair to write you a letter? In the 3 weeks Ive been on my away, the chair hasn't been in a room once, he seems to nothing but administrative work. how are you supposed to make enough of an impression to ask for a letter when they're never in the OR?

I was wondering the exact same thing when I read people have chair letters LOL

People usually get a chair letter from their home program (if they get one).

Some chairmen actually are in the operating room...

I wouldn't go out of your way trying to get a letter from a chaiman who you have never worked with and/or even seen. It certainly won't help your application.

 

[smk9]

Never got a letter from a chair or any other high ups in big name academic programs. I worked with a small anesthesia group in a small hospital, and got a letter from the head of that group,

I've always thought that a letter from someone who knows you is better than a letter from a big name who couldn't cite why you'd be good for the field.

Also I had letters from my preceptors in peds, IM, and FM. No one complained about those eother