Not Having Enough PM&R Letters Before ERAS

[plzletmematchpmrthanks]

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Applying next year, haven't received all my away deisions yet but I only have one away (in june to july). My only other acceptance is in September. Hopefully I'll get my July/August choice but it's not guaranteed. If it doesn't work out my only PM&R letter so far would be from that one rotation.

In case I don't get accepted and I only have one rotation at an institution to grab letters from what should I do? Do I ask two attendings I work with for a letter? Do I ask a PM&R adjacent specialty (i.e. neuro) for a letter?

 

[RangerBob]

I’m pretty sure I only had one PM&R letter as well. I think also asked an FM doc I had known since M1, and a transplant surgeon who I connected with really well, despite me having zero interest in surgery.

I focused on asking for letters from physicians/mentors who knew me well and who said they could write strong letters of recommendation for me. What matters the most is that your recommenders can speak to your character and work ethic. PM&R programs already know you're interested in PM&R because you're applying (and presumably wrote a good personal statement, did away rotations, etc.).

What programs ideally want to determine, from those letters of recommendation, is if you are teachable/eager to learn/a good student/a good person. Statistics don't really tell them that. A personal letter can, particularly if it's written by someone important or someone they know.

I would only recommend 2 PM&R letters max. But I think one is more than sufficient if it's a strong letter.

 

[plzletmematchpmrthanks]

I’m pretty sure I only had one PM&R letter as well. I think also asked an FM doc I had known since M1, and a transplant surgeon who I connected with really well, despite me having zero interest in surgery.

I focused on asking for letters from physicians/mentors who knew me well and who said they could write strong letters of recommendation for me. What matters the most is that your recommenders can speak to your character and work ethic. PM&R programs already know you're interested in PM&R because you're applying (and presumably wrote a good personal statement, did away rotations, etc.).

What programs ideally want to determine, from those letters of recommendation, is if you are teachable/eager to learn/a good student/a good person. Statistics don't really tell them that. A personal letter can, particularly if it's written by someone important or someone they know.

I would only recommend 2 PM&R letters max. But I think one is more than sufficient if it's a strong letter.

yeah hopefully 2 is enough, i'm just nervous cause I saw a post on reddit about someone who seemed to have the perfect PM&R app and still went unmatched 😢

 

[RangerBob]

yeah hopefully 2 is enough, i'm just nervous cause I saw a post on reddit about someone who seemed to have the perfect PM&R app and still went unmatched 😢

It it really looked perfect, there was likely a red flag somewhere, or the person just didn't apply broadly enough.

If you're limited to just three letters, as most programs were when I applied, you typically don't want only PM&R letters. Again, I think one strong letter is more than enough. Others can chime in.

Apply broadly. Yes, it costs more, but a lot of programs do virtual interviews now (great cost-wise, but horrible for getting a real feel for the program or developing a personal connection). So over-apply, and you can always cut back if you get too many interviews.

 

[Momentum70]

yeah hopefully 2 is enough, i'm just nervous cause I saw a post on reddit about someone who seemed to have the perfect PM&R app and still went unmatched 😢

There is a reason programs do interviews and audition rotations. Im in the non academic world now but we still interview and do things like candidate dinners to get to know actual person and see if they are a fit with us.

 

[plzletmematchpmrthanks]

There is a reason programs do interviews and audition rotations. Im in the non academic world now but we still interview and do things like candidate dinners to get to know actual person and see if they are a fit with us.

Yeah that makes sense. I managed to get another away so I'll have 2 letters. Would it matter if my third is from FM, obgyn, or peds if strength is similar?