Please rate this LOR from physician

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Ernesta

New Member
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2011
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Hi everyone! I'm newly registered here, but have been a longtime lurker. I had the ability to read my LOR from a physician I shadowed overseas. The LOR to me seems really good, and I am not complaining whatsoever, however, it seems a little too generic and doesn't provide examples. I have a very close relationship with the doctor, and with your guys' input, I can hopefully have him add a few things. Please let me know.


I am writing to you in support of XX and her desire to attend medical school in the United States. I have had the pleasure of being XX's mentor for the duration of one month in XX. I have personally encountered many pre-medical students in my career, but few are as motivated and qualified to succeed as XX. XX shadowed me in the emergency room much more than was expected, and often accompanied me well into the evening. XX never hesitated to offer her time and effort during these intense periods, and was a joy to be with. XX is very knowledgeable and sharp-minded, and I have never had to doubt XX diligence, integrity, or willingness to learn in the field of medicine.
XX's abilities as a well-rounded individual go beyond shadowing. In addition to shadowing me, XX also dedicated time volunteering at the hospital. I am impressed of XX genuine interest in connecting with patients for the sake of personal experience. XX has a very professional bedside manner and my patients are very comfortable speaking with XX.
I would assess XX's emotional maturity as very good for her age, she has consulted with me on her previous experience in volunteering in the United States and XX, and was able to draw many parallels that create a fundamental ability to connect with individuals in the doctor-patient dynamic. I was also impressed on how XX handles stressful situations, XX was calm and collected, and provided comfort to the patient when they were otherwise distressed. XX is energetic, inquisitive, and self-motivated.
XX is well-respected by her peers, and is a team player. She is a natural fit into any group of intelligent, and highly motivated professionals, as XX mirrors these qualities.
XX has demonstrated determination and maintains all the necessary attributes that will ensure XX success in the medical field. I can assure you that XX will be a tremendous asset to your institution, and I recommend her without reservations.

Thank you 🙂
 
add some event/moment you and the physician remember such as a patient crashing and how you helped or something like that.

Other than that, I think the letter is very well written.
 
I had a question about this.

If our doctors gave us their LOR can we give it to other doctors for shadowing experiences?

AMCAS says WE can't read them. As long as we don't read them can we give it to other physicians (Get a friend to photocopy)
 
I had a question about this.

If our doctors gave us their LOR can we give it to other doctors for shadowing experiences?

AMCAS says WE can't read them. As long as we don't read them can we give it to other physicians (Get a friend to photocopy)
are you serious..
 
I can assure you that XX will be a tremendous asset to your institution, and I recommend her without reservations.

Not great, but not bad. The last line is usually a good clue of how strong of a recommendation this is.

I give ___ my highest/strongest recommendation = excellent
I highly recommend ____ = good
No reservations about recommending ____ = okay
 
I agree that the letter is pretty good but not excellent. It will satisfy any MD letter requirement, and it shows that you handle yourself well in a clinical environment. Congrats on your letter! Not everyone is lucky enough to get to read their letters either. Big plus!

If I was being picky: There are no personal experiences. It is generic - I agree. The compliments are not much above average for a LOR. It also hurts that the writer acknowledges knowing you for only 1 month. Longer relationships are beneficial.
 
I really don't know the rules and regulations here.

How will they know you read them, polygraph during an interview?

take a deep breath, unbutton your top button, and relax a little bit...
 
How will they know you read them, polygraph during an interview?

take a deep breath, unbutton your top button, and relax a little bit...

Yes, I am very anal. The only thing I can think of is "reasonable suspicion"

Then again one of my best friends is a lawyer so I get paranoid about things.
 
I agree that the letter is pretty good but not excellent. It will satisfy any MD letter requirement, and it shows that you handle yourself well in a clinical environment. Congrats on your letter! Not everyone is lucky enough to get to read their letters either. Big plus!

If I was being picky: There are no personal experiences. It is generic - I agree. The compliments are not much above average for a LOR. It also hurts that the writer acknowledges knowing you for only 1 month. Longer relationships are beneficial.

Pretty good but not excellent? Why, because it doesn't mention "....is the second coming of Jesus Christ?"
 
Pretty good but not excellent? Why, because it doesn't mention "....is the second coming of Jesus Christ?"

Well duh, if your not able to walk on water how are you going to be a good physician?
 
Just an observation. I have written a couple letters of recommendation for residency training, and several for fellowship and employment. I won't write a letter that is not at least "highly recommended", and I'll tell you directly.
If I write you a letter I'm sending it off myself. If you get a copy it's a CC and is FYI, not for your approval. If you made suggestions for improvement, other than for some gross error, my reply would be to find another author, and I would consider retracting the original letter. I actually find the idea pretty insulting.
You're free to write your own letter for me to edit as I see fit. I've done this before as well.
Your letter is good as is. If he wanted to give you a great one, he would have. I suggest you reconsider asking for edits unless the author asked for your input. I'm not sure why a physician would need to solicit a pre med's opinion on a LOR, but I suppose it's possible.
 
just casually mention that you should include the time when you _____ or _____. cmon guys dont be dorks.
 
It looks fine, but it's from a doctor you shadowed for a month, how great is it actually going to be?

I'm not gonna look for the link, but LizzyM made the point before that LORs from doctors that premeds shadowed usually are very generic. You don't know them too well, you are in a shadowing position, not necessarily a true working position, and you are obviously trying to impress/suck up to the physician. How are they supposed to know enough about you to give you some wonderful LOR?
 
Top