LORs for FM (urgent)

[ciestar]

Okay, kind of urgent. Just the way my school does scheduling, I basically have until tomorrow to make a decision...

Anyway, based on the requirements an away for FM I have lined up... I might not be able to meet them. I get notified a few days ago I need a second PPD (got one a month ago) and a complete physical (they also want my student ID, which I cannot find anywhere... separate issue. It will require additional time to go in and replace it). Problem being, I have two weeks to finish this. I am on a sub-i right now and missing time just isn't really a good way to impress anyone, especially for something like this...

Will one FM LOR be enough? I am just lost what to do here. If i drop this rotation, I will replace with with EM or Geriatrics. Is geriatrics a good direction to go?
For LORs: I already have FM and OB in hand. I am hoping to have two Peds LORs. I am just confused what to do further.

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[mrbreakfast]

I would think you would want more than one letter from the field in which you are applying.

 

[anon6134]

You can go to urgent care at 9pm for your PPD and plenty of docs and midlevel clinics are open late to get a halfass physical with the boxes checked. Don’t be lazy

 

[ciestar]

You can go to urgent care at 9pm for your PPD and plenty of docs and midlevel clinics are open late to get a halfass physical with the boxes checked. Don’t be lazy

Im on a sub-i, it isnt a matter of being lazy.

 

[JSReed]

Will they accept TB Gold? Could be a faster alternative

 

[GoSpursGo]

Im on a sub-i, it isnt a matter of being lazy.

Applying with only one letter in your intended specialty is going to severely hamper you, so figure it out. Contrary to popular belief, residents do actually recall what it was like being a med student and having to do inane administrative things; telling your residents that you need to leave by 7pm to take care of these requirements is not unreasonable. You can't possibly be staying until 9pm every night as a sub-I. Even if you need an hour in the middle of the day because you need to replace your student ID, again as long as you've otherwise been engaged with your patients nobody is going to bat an eye.

 

[ciestar]

Applying with only one letter in your intended specialty is going to severely hamper you, so figure it out. Contrary to popular belief, residents do actually recall what it was like being a med student and having to do inane administrative things; telling your residents that you need to leave by 7pm to take care of these requirements is not unreasonable. You can't possibly be staying until 9pm every night as a sub-I. Even if you need an hour in the middle of the day because you need to replace your student ID, again as long as you've otherwise been engaged with your patients nobody is going to bat an eye.

Unfortunately it is the the pushback from my school that is the bigger problem.

 

[ciestar]

Will they accept TB Gold? Could be a faster alternative

I should find this out.

 

[GoSpursGo]

Unfortunately it is the the pushback from my school that is the bigger problem.

I don't see how leaving by 7pm for a doctor's appointment or for an hour to take care of a badging issue should need to be cleared by your school; it's not like you're missing a full day. Honestly I would just work this out with your residents.

I'm somewhat surprised by the post above saying that applying with only one FM letter is common for that specialty, so I could certainly be wrong. Still, this seems like an incredibly silly reason to have an away rotation fall apart.

 

[123tcp]

Just to clarify for posterity - as someone who recently went through the FM application process, the vast majority of the several dozen FM programs I looked into only require one FM letter and do not care what specialty the rest are from (though some may want some from medicine, peds, and/or OB). I'm aware this is not the case in other specialties and may not be the case at every FM program. If you are an FM applicant and concerned about this, you can check on the websites of programs you're interested in to confirm their requirements.

But I submitted one strong FM letter and two letters from other specialties to all but one of the 20-25 programs I applied to (the one specifically asked for 2 FM letters). I got interviews at nearly every program, matched at my #1, and got zero comments or concerns during interviews or from any of my advisors/mentors at my home FM program for only having one FM letter.

Edit: clarity

Edit again: here are a couple sources from a few different med school advising departments specifically regarding FM letters.
UVA: "At least one letter should come from a family physician (more is fine)."
UW: "At least one letter should come from a family physician. The other letters can come from physicians in any specialty. Additional letters from family physicians or other physicians in primary care fields can help strengthen your application by indicating your commitment to family medicine."
U Maryland: "The majority of programs require 3 letters; however there are a few that require 4. Letters may be from any field, but some might require FP letters. Ask people who you feel know you well and would write a good letter including insight into your personality and character. Once again, VIP letters do not weigh as much as they do in other fields."

Thank you for this post. Tbh sometimes I think these forums are deemed with inexperienced lurkers that adds more headaches than solutions. Though still a great forum pls pls pls...do your own research, contact the programs and trust yourself! Don’t be lazy, don’t ever think you are too small for the challenges ahead!
Thank you

 

[deleted480308]

Im on a sub-i, it isnt a matter of being lazy.

You aren’t working 10-10 seven days a week. And they know it’s interview season. If you need an hour to get a test tell them and get it. And you aren’t working in a siberian coal mine, you work with doctors.....make it happen

 

[ciestar]

You aren’t working 10-10 seven days a week. And they know it’s interview season. If you need an hour to get a test tell them and get it. And you aren’t working in a siberian coal mine, you work with doctors.....make it happen

Yeahh, I managed to work it out.
Currently on the rotation in question and talked to the coordinator of it long beforehand and managed to get extensions on things.

 

[7331poas]

Thank you for this post. Tbh sometimes I think these forums are deemed with inexperienced lurkers that adds more headaches than solutions. Though still a great forum pls pls pls...do your own research, contact the programs and trust yourself! Don’t be lazy, don’t ever think you are too small for the challenges ahead!
Thank you

As has been said before, most of the people commenting on these forums are medical students who have zero clue what they are talking about. Their response to 90% of topics is either hearsay from other SDN threads or to link to the Match Outcomes if they dont have substantive thoughts.