Patient feedback

[Phyline]

Hi guys,

I'm in a pickle. I have a great LOR from a PT written and uploaded into PTCAS already, but I just finished another round of shadowing, and had a much more extensive opportunity to interact with the patients there. I was basically an aide. In particular, one of the patients liked me so much he offered to give me a reference, haha!

I'm thinking that feedback from an actual patient would be extremely valuable, but all my 4 PTCAS reference slots are already booked up. I can definitely send it to the non-PTCAS schools, but my top choice schools are all PTCAS. Does anybody have an idea where and how I could incorporate it?

Clarification - I'm not suggesting a patient write me a letter; the PT would add his blurb to her letter of reference.

Thanks!

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[bluesareblack]

Call the schools. Some might let you print out the form (from PTCAS) and send it to them through mail. Some might not.

 

[Phyline]

Call the schools. Some might let you print out the form (from PTCAS) and send it to them through mail. Some might not.

You mean as an additional reference letter?

 

[bluesareblack]

Yes. If I remember correctly there should be a way you can print the form and give it to the person writing the LOR so that they can sent it to the school. I had to do that with one school that asked specifically for an employer LOR, but I had already filled up the amount I could submit to PTCAS with references from others. But, again, I would call the schools and explain your situation first...some schools may or may not accept it.

 

[swolecat]

I wouldn't go to any trouble to do this. First of all, a pt aide is "unskilled," though many aides are used inappropriately (sometimes illegally) and you might have performed things you aren't supposed to...things that the patient may write about. And if not, I don't think a patient thinking you're great is gonna carry much weight over your already "great LOR" from your other PT reference.

 

[Phyline]

Oh I didn't even think about that. Yeah I've been a bit worried that in the second recommendation letter (I'm writing it myself) I might say things that I'm not supposed to be doing.

I have spent most of the time supervising patient exercise, but pretty clueless about legality and how HIPAA and liability play into this. What I was thinking to gain out of the patient's blurb is his opinion on whether I have potential to be a good PT that patients would actually love to go to - which is a slightly different perspective than of a supervising PT.

Am I totally giving it way too much weight? Lol.

 

[BranBran]

Oh I didn't even think about that. Yeah I've been a bit worried that in the second recommendation letter (I'm writing it myself) I might say things that I'm not supposed to be doing.

I have spent most of the time supervising patient exercise, but pretty clueless about legality and how HIPAA and liability play into this. What I was thinking to gain out of the patient's blurb is his opinion on whether I have potential to be a good PT that patients would actually love to go to - which is a slightly different perspective than of a supervising PT.

Am I totally giving it way too much weight? Lol.

"Yeah I've been a bit worried that in the second recommendation letter (I'm writing it myself) I might say things that I'm not supposed to be doing. "

Do not write your own letter of recommendations. That's ridiculous.

 

[Phyline]

It's extremely common and not at all ridiculous. I'm not submitting it myself and the PT is editing it.

 

[starrsgirl]

I think it's fantastic you are writing your own letter! You are your own best advocate! Of course the recommender will read it over, edit it and put it into his/her own words. But this is very common and results in strong and personal letters. At a minimum if you aren't giving bulleted ideas and suggestions to write about, you are missing out.

 

[Bones26]

I wouldn't use a pt's letter of recommendation as part of my application. If I were part of an admissions committee I'd most likely disregard it as soon as I realized it was from a patient. In my opinion it errs on the side of being inappropriate/unprofessional. Do you think people applying for med school include LOR from patients? No way. PT school is by no means the same as med school, but seeing a LOR from a patient seems silly and a little immature. "Well he has 3 great letters from PTs, 2 from former professors and a patient who he really hit if off with!" There are other ways to convey your experiences and ability to effectively interact with patients: through your personal essay, during interviews, in LOR written by PTs who observed you interact with multiple people over a relatively long time period. At best it's a neutral component of your application.

 

[Phyline]

I wouldn't use a pt's letter of recommendation as part of my application. If I were part of an admissions committee I'd most likely disregard it as soon as I realized it was from a patient. In my opinion it errs on the side of being inappropriate/unprofessional. Do you think people applying for med school include LOR from patients? No way. PT school is by no means the same as med school, but seeing a LOR from a patient seems silly and a little immature. "Well he has 3 great letters from PTs, 2 from former professors and a patient who he really hit if off with!" There are other ways to convey your experiences and ability to effectively interact with patients: through your personal essay, during interviews, in LOR written by PTs who observed you interact with multiple people over a relatively long time period. At best it's a neutral component of your application.

It's not a letter from a patient. It's a bunch of sentences included in a PT letter.