MS3: Latest Anesthesia Rotation with Letters?

[JohnnyJohnson90]

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I'm currently a 3rd year medical student and will be rotating through anesthesia at my home program during September of this year. I have had some exposure to anesthesia during my surgery rotation earlier this year but not at my home program and did not ask for a letter of recommendation.

Would rotating through my home program in September be too late for a letter to count when applying for anesthesia or am I fine?

What is the latest that someone can rotate and still receive a letter in time for the application/interview process?


Thanks for the response!

 

[Icefrog]

Should be ok. Although ERAS usually starts accepting applications at the beginning of September, many, if not most, programs will start to give out interviews in September and October even if not all of your LORs are sent. I'd try to have some letters, not necessarily from anesthesiologists, submitted by September though.

Your Dean's Letter doesn't get sent until November 1, so technically you have until then to get all your letters in. That said, I strongly advise against this because many programs send their invitations out on a rolling basis before the Dean's Letter. I'd aim for mid-October to be the latest in getting in the last of your LORs, so doing a rotation in September would be near the cutoff.

If possible, you should do your rotation in August and have all your letters in shortly after to reduce the anxiety of the application process.

 

[MCYan]

This topic has been covered many times on this forum...

I think Sept is the latest you want to get a letter - i would ask for it mid sept and hopefully you will get it by the end of the month. I myself got 80% of my interview invites before Nov 1 - I would try to get those LORs asap.

 

[JohnnyJohnson90]

Would doing a rotation at an affiliate site (does not have residency program in anesthesiology but does in several other surgical specialties) and getting a letter from an anesthesiologist there be alright?

I don't know how much reputation of the letter-writer matters?

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Would doing a rotation at an affiliate site (does not have residency program in anesthesiology but does in several other surgical specialties) and getting a letter from an anesthesiologist there be alright?

I don't know how much reputation of the letter-writer matters?

I guess it depends on where you're applying; if you're applying to a lot of academic places, a big academic name will probably carry some weight. I know one of my letters was mentioned multiple times in interviews, so I'm sure it had to count for something that the interviewers knew that person.