Parlay Shadowing into LOR -- Timing

[dreamweaver1988]

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I am starting my first shadowing experience on Monday. I will observe a general surgeon (DO) for two days.

I have two concerns. First, timing. When should I ask for a a letter of recommendation? Right after we've finished? In a few weeks?

Second, destination. I'm not terribly sure about where those letters would be sent...is there an online letter service for AACOMAS? To my pre-med committee?

Help, please.

 

[obbobbo]

First, two days is a bit short for shadowing. I shadowed for 3 weeks. Most of my classmates shadowed at least a week or two. With that said I would be fairly upfront about it. All doctors know that you need an LOR from them. I would not wait a week or two. I would ask them about it toward the end of that second day. I might even mention the LOR and also see if you could shadow more with them. Make sure they know how much you enjoyed it (but be honest, don't say you loved it if you didn't, people can see through that and you want to make as good of an impression as possible). I would ask for it while you are fresh in their mind. You don't want to force them into writing some generic letter because they don't remember or know much about you.

 

[Iliketoytles]

I am starting my first shadowing experience on Monday. I will observe a general surgeon (DO) for two days.

I have two concerns. First, timing. When should I ask for a a letter of recommendation? Right after we've finished? In a few weeks?

Second, destination. I'm not terribly sure about where those letters would be sent...is there an online letter service for AACOMAS? To my pre-med committee?

Help, please.

Ask for the letter of recommendation at the end of the second day... or in the middle of it if you have a break. Just tell him that you're applying to osteopathic schools, and that you've really enjoyed getting to know him and his practice, etc. And if he would be willing to write you a LOR. Students don't usually shadow unless there's something in it for them... so chances are the doctor knows you're going to ask for a LOR.

As for letter service... be sure to get an Interfolio account within the next couple days. It makes applying to DO schools about a billion times easier and more efficient. You'll need to print out a cover letter from interfolio (make sure it's a confidential one), and give it to the doctor along with a stamped envelope so whenever he finishes writing it (give him about a month to write it out of courtesy) he can just attach it to the cover letter and mail it to Interfolio. When Interfolio receives it, they'll scan it and digitally upload it to your account. Magic! 🙂

 

[dreamweaver1988]

First, two days is a bit short for shadowing. I shadowed for 3 weeks. Most of my classmates shadowed at least a week or two. With that said I would be fairly upfront about it. All doctors know that you need an LOR from them. I would not wait a week or two. I would ask them about it toward the end of that second day. I might even mention the LOR and also see if you could shadow more with them. Make sure they know how much you enjoyed it (but be honest, don't say you loved it if you didn't, people can see through that and you want to make as good of an impression as possible). I would ask for it while you are fresh in their mind. You don't want to force them into writing some generic letter because they don't remember or know much about you.

I figure ~15-18 hours per doctor x 3 doctors will get me around 50 hours, which is enough from what I've read on SDN. But you would shoot for more? I've known this doc for a few years, though this is the first time I've shadowed him. I think he could write an honest and recommendatory LOR.

 

[ManBroDude]

What you have to balance is the amount of time spent shadowing and actively interested with asking for a 2-hour favor (writing the letter). I was very up front with the physicians I worked with. The younger physicians understand better than the older ones, in my experience. The admissions game is so much more complicated now than it was 15 years ago, most older docs would gawk if you told them how many hours you spent studying for the MCAT and how many hours of volunteering and research and EC's you have under your belt -- just to try to get in.

What you want is to develop a relationship with the physician, so they can personally attest to your clinical experience and character traits. And if you're interested in surgery, I'd probably want to keep the gig going as long as possible, as it can be a decent learning experience.

Interfolio account is a must. Hand/mail him a manila envelope that includes an intro/instructions, your PS, your resume, a pre-paid envelope already addressed to Interfolio's DC offices, and the bar code paper. Tell him he can go green (!!) if he uploads a Word doc directly to Interfolio.

And nowadays, 50 hours of total clinical experience is woefully too little, but good enough for just shadowing hours (it's how many I had, but I also have 800+ hours working in the ED as well that is much more hands on).

 

[GlimmerGlass]

Every single physician that I shadowed actually brought up the subject of LOR themselves the first day and all said they would be happy to write me one if I needed a letter. So it was quite nice to not have to bring up the subject myself. That being said, I did shadow them longer before I then took them up on their offer since I wanted to build a relationship with them so my LOR would be stronger.

So don't worry most if not all physicians will be happy to write you a letter pending of course the first day goes well and they can see you as a fellow doctor. These are smart people, they know that we need LORs from DOs and so they will be expecting this question from you.

 

[dreamweaver1988]

What you have to balance is the amount of time spent shadowing and actively interested with asking for a 2-hour favor (writing the letter). I was very up front with the physicians I worked with. The younger physicians understand better than the older ones, in my experience. The admissions game is so much more complicated now than it was 15 years ago, most older docs would gawk if you told them how many hours you spent studying for the MCAT and how many hours of volunteering and research and EC's you have under your belt -- just to try to get in.

What you want is to develop a relationship with the physician, so they can personally attest to your clinical experience and character traits. And if you're interested in surgery, I'd probably want to keep the gig going as long as possible, as it can be a decent learning experience.

Interfolio account is a must. Hand/mail him a manila envelope that includes an intro/instructions, your PS, your resume, a pre-paid envelope already addressed to Interfolio's DC offices, and the bar code paper. Tell him he can go green (!!) if he uploads a Word doc directly to Interfolio.

And nowadays, 50 hours of total clinical experience is woefully too little, but good enough for just shadowing hours (it's how many I had, but I also have 800+ hours working in the ED as well that is much more hands on).

Thanks for this--he is an older DO and I want to make things easy for him.

Spent the past two days with him and last night on call (nothing came up). 13 hours over the two days. We set up another day so I'll be able to get a better understanding of the nature of the job.

Observed nine procedures (half were just colonoscopies, though) the first day...pretty freaking cool. Actually scrubbed in and helped out with one of the surgeries (ethical?) which was a rush. Overall a fantastic experience.

 

[CopToEM]

Just tell him that you really appreciated him giving you the opportunities you have and would like him to serve as a letter writer for you. It's not a big deal - they're used to it. Someone did it for him as well.

In the future, if you have to do this again, just ask up front. Tell them that you would be interested in shadowing and would like to potentially receive another letter of recommendation.

I've never seen anyone else on here mention this but I had at least two different physicians tell me, "you write the letter, bring it to me, and I'll sign it and send it in." I didn't end up doing so as neither physician ended up "making the cut" in my final letters that I wanted to send in. It could happen to you!

 

[hokie13]

Interfolio account is a must. Hand/mail him a manila envelope that includes an intro/instructions, your PS, your resume, a pre-paid envelope already addressed to Interfolio's DC offices, and the bar code paper. Tell him he can go green (!!) if he uploads a Word doc directly to Interfolio.

What is this Interfolio??

 

[ParacrineAgent]

What is this Interfolio??

Interfolio is an online portfolio managing system. The relevant feature to DO applicants is that you can have a confidential LOR sent to interfolio, then have interfolio forward said letter to as many schools as you like. (There is a fee to sign up per year and a fee per letter.) I used it and the advantage was that the DO writing a letter for me had to send a single letter to a single address, then I could "make" as many copies as I wanted to. She didn't have to send out 8 letters. Most DO schools accept them as a valid method of submitting letters, but you should check on the school's specific guidelines.

http://www.interfolio.com/ is the website if you need to check it out.

 

[hokie13]

Interfolio is an online portfolio managing system. The relevant feature to DO applicants is that you can have a confidential LOR sent to interfolio, then have interfolio forward said letter to as many schools as you like. (There is a fee to sign up per year and a fee per letter.) I used it and the advantage was that the DO writing a letter for me had to send a single letter to a single address, then I could "make" as many copies as I wanted to. She didn't have to send out 8 letters. Most DO schools accept them as a valid method of submitting letters, but you should check on the school's specific guidelines.

http://www.interfolio.com/ is the website if you need to check it out.

Oh that's awesome! Let's say I shadow a DO and I'd be interested in their letter. Can I have them write me one and then save it for when I apply to school? I've thought about going abroad after college, and it would be really nice to not have to hunt people down like professors if they've moved on from my university and just have those letters ready when I come back. I don't know if that would be looked down on, though.

 

[Iliketoytles]

Oh that's awesome! Let's say I shadow a DO and I'd be interested in their letter. Can I have them write me one and then save it for when I apply to school? I've thought about going abroad after college, and it would be really nice to not have to hunt people down like professors if they've moved on from my university and just have those letters ready when I come back. I don't know if that would be looked down on, though.

Yes you can; that's the beauty of Interfolio. Once your LORs/transcripts are sent to Interfolio, they'll scan the documents and upload it to your account. From there, you can pick and choose what documents you want to send, and where to send them electronically.

These documents will stay in your Interfolio account for as long as you have the account. Usually people just buy the year-long account... but if you need it longer, then you can register for another year by simply paying for it. It'll keep your account active.

 

[ParacrineAgent]

And I don't completely remember, but I think that it is something around $30 per year of interfolio. It's not expensive at all, really.

 

[CopToEM]

And I don't completely remember, but I think that it is something around $30 per year of interfolio. It's not expensive at all, really.

I think it's only about $19 from what I remember. Then it's like $6 per school that you send documents to. It's worth it and it's honestly a must. How embarrassing would it be to ask someone, "Would you mind to send a letter to all 14 schools I'm applying to?"