LOR from vet vs. vet tech

[futurehealervet]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I will have about 800 hours at an SA clinic by the time I apply. The vet at the practice is...difficult to read and I'm not sure whether he has strong feelings about me one way or another. The techs on the other hand LOVE me and I have no doubt a letter from them would be excellent. This will be my biggest source of experience so Im worried about the LOR. Can vet techs write the letters? I get that its not as great as a vet writing it but I think the techs would write me a stronger recommendation letter. Should I try to get the techs and vet to collaborate?

 

[wildcatj]

I will have about 800 hours at an SA clinic by the time I apply. The vet at the practice is...difficult to read and I'm not sure whether he has strong feelings about me one way or another. The techs on the other hand LOVE me and I have no doubt a letter from them would be excellent. This will be my biggest source of experience so Im worried about the LOR. Can vet techs write the letters? I get that its not as great as a vet writing it but I think the techs would write me a stronger recommendation letter. Should I try to get the techs and vet to collaborate?

I am assuming you're not applying until next year unless you're applying to international schools soonish. If that's the case, this is probably going to be a lot easier to judge next year.

If it is something that is of concern in the very near future, I would talk to the vet about it. You can always ask them to collaborate with the technicians to get a more well rounded view of you. Regardless, it should help you get an idea of if the vet is a good person to ask. I'm not sure how vet schools view recs from techs, but if I were an adcom I would be very skeptical and wonder why you couldn't get a rec from the vet. It's one thing to have techs think you'll be a good vet but its another for a vet to feel that way when they know what it really takes.

 

[EngrSC]

1 LOR must be from a vet

 

[LetItSnow]

I will have about 800 hours at an SA clinic by the time I apply. The vet at the practice is...difficult to read and I'm not sure whether he has strong feelings about me one way or another. The techs on the other hand LOVE me and I have no doubt a letter from them would be excellent. This will be my biggest source of experience so Im worried about the LOR. Can vet techs write the letters? I get that its not as great as a vet writing it but I think the techs would write me a stronger recommendation letter. Should I try to get the techs and vet to collaborate?

You should get the vet to do it, and you should make sure you talk with the vet about the strength of the recommendation (so that you're clear about whether it will be a very supportive recommendation or not).

I did actually have a CVT write a recommendation for me ... but it was very specific circumstances where she ran the rehab department autonomously, designed and implemented treatment protocol, had specific training (CCRP), etc. If it were more of a typical mixed clinic setting with DVMs, CVTs, assistants, and non-medical staff, I would not utilize one of the CVTs for a LOR.

 

[StartingoverVet]

1 LOR must be from a vet

This is school specific. Be careful with generalized advice. OP: check with the schools you are interested to be sure you meet their LOR requirements.

You should get the vet to do it, and you should make sure you talk with the vet about the strength of the recommendation (so that you're clear about whether it will be a very supportive recommendation or not).

I will disagree here. An LOR should be strong, and put you in your best light. I would think your chances of getting in with a strong LOR from a tech are MUCH higher than a medium rec from a vet. Especially if the tech has experience, and can write well.

Of course, ceteris paribus, the vet letter would be preferred.


To the OP: you can try to finesse this and get the techs to write the letter and the Vet to sign off on it (so it officially comes from the vet), as a "favor" to the vet because they are so busy. That is a sneaky way to show you are concerned about their time and manage not to have them write it!

 

[cdndvm]

You should get the vet to do it, and you should make sure you talk with the vet about the strength of the recommendation (so that you're clear about whether it will be a very supportive recommendation or not)..

I agree with this. I would not get a tech to write you a letter of reference. If I was reviewing applications, I would be wondering why you couldn't get a Dr to write you a supportive letter of reference.

 

[EngrSC]

This is school specific. Be careful with generalized advice.

I apologize, I should've added that I don't know anything about international schools. Most US schools require a LOR from a vet, though I believe there are a couple schools that just highly recommend it.

 

[Trematode]

I agree with this. I would not get a tech to write you a letter of reference. If I was reviewing applications, I would be wondering why you couldn't get a Dr to write you a supportive letter of reference.

If you eventually get a LOR from a vet, it wouldn't be as bad.

Of the 3 clinics I've volunteered in, the vet techs in 2 of them knew me a LOT better than the vet(s) and thus would be able to write me a stronger letter. If all you do is clean and restrain patients like I do, the techs could explain your work ethic and attitude better than a vet that you rarely see.

My advice is talk to the vet. You'll at least finally get a sense of what he/she thinks about you and go from there. I've had that awkward conversation with an old boss before. He ended up being my thesis supervisor.

 

[WelshCob]

I had 3 DVM's and one CVT who I worked in the trenches with write me letters. I'm kinda far removed from my science professors.

 

[NStarz]

I think as long as you have one vet, you're safe. If you are ONLY going to get a CVT, that would be more cause for concern. But a vet letter + CVT letter is perfect.

 

[that redhead]

I agree with cdndvm- I would wonder why the vet of the practice didn't write you a letter, especially if this constitutes the bulk of your experience and will feature heavily in your hours, PS, etc. Not to say that a strong letter from an experienced tech wouldn't be a good thing, just that a letter from the vet is highly preferable.

I would talk to the vet and ask him/her frankly if they feel they could write a supportive LOR for you. I feel weird about having the tech write the letter and the vet sign off- that feels dishonest to me.

 

[LetItSnow]

I feel weird about having the tech write the letter and the vet sign off- that feels dishonest to me.

Above all, people shouldn't ignore their conscience, so if it feels dishonest, don't do it ... but I would not view this as dishonesty. When the vet signs the letter (in my view) it's the vet confirming the contents. I don't view a signature as saying "I wrote this" as much as saying "I attest to and take responsibility for the contents of this."

 

[StartingoverVet]

Above all, people shouldn't ignore their conscience, so if it feels dishonest, don't do it ... but I would not view this as dishonesty. When the vet signs the letter (in my view) it's the vet confirming the contents. I don't view a signature as saying "I wrote this" as much as saying "I attest to and take responsibility for the contents of this."

This.

It is common practice in the "real" world for letters to be 'ghost" written for the signer. I mean, if you get a LOR from Barack Obama, I guarantee you he didn't write it. 😀

Anyway, there is nothing dishonest about this at all. Gotta learn to get comfortable with practical realities!

 

[vethopeful2011]

I would talk to the techs about helping the vet write it if you're unsure. Especially if the vet and techs have a good relationship where this wouldn't be awkward. I'm a technician, and I've 'helped' aka 'written myself' a couple recommendation letters that the vet then looked over, changed what he wanted on, and submitted as if he'd written them. I actually enjoy writing them, and was happy to do it for him. They ended up being much better this way bc I had spent much more one on one time with the person and could be more specific. The vet would have only been able to write something very general. However, me and this particular vet are good friends, so if that isn't the case in your practice, I can see how it might be weird to suggest.

 

[vethopeful2011]

Oh, and as for dishonesty...as many people on here have said, the reality of many professions is that the name that ultimately graces a piece of written work, whether it be a letter, document,et represents someone who didn't actually write the whole thing, just looked it over, approved it and signed off on it. The only way I feel this particular situation could be dishonest is if the tech wrote it and signed off as the Dr without the Dr knowing about it. I don't personally feel there is anything wrong with collaborative work, especially because technicians work under doctors, there is no implied professional pressure involved, aka, forcing someone to write something positive they might not have otherwise written. In the end the vet will be the only one looking it over and submitting it, and if he/she feels strongly about something, there is that opportunity to include/exclude it that rests with him/her alone. If you really felt uncomfortable about it, then it's not worth the anxiety and maybe it's best to just ask the vet directly.

 

[sumstorm]

personally, I would talk to the vet, see if they were aware of my desire to attend vet school, and discuss if they were willing to let me shadow them more directly, even if this meant hours off the clock. I agree with others who suggest seeing if the techs would be willing to collaborate. The reason I would push for time with the vet is that you want to be sure this is the career you desire and the work a vet does tends to be different than the work a tech does. As a tech, I did not necessarily understand all the responsibilities of a vet; the more I shadowed rather than worked, the more I realized the business and legal issues facing vets, the greater depth of knowledge the vet had to have (which might mean less knowledge of minutiae), the responsibility for leadership and team-building, etc. In working with adcoms, I have heard complaints that a great tech is an amazing asset and gifted in their own right, but has not been to vet school and doesn't fully understand what a student needs to succeed while in vet school and practice.

 

[bunnity]

Sumstorm! Welcome back!

 

[StartingoverVet]

Sumstorm! Welcome back!

👍

Were your ears ringing because we were talking about you in the "who do you miss" thread Sumstorm?

 

[sumstorm]

Lol. Must have been. Needed a break from NAVLE studying. Gave an update on that thread; thanks for kind of missing me!