Pre-Podiatry Shadowing- Letters of Rec

[HappyFeet22]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello all,
I've been shadowing a fantastic podiatrist for about a month now, and when I shadow, I don't do much, except watch what is happening. I don't like interrupting the sessions the patient has with the doctor, and I normally try to keep quiet. I only ask questions when asked, and try to be respectful of everyone's jobs, and etc..

And therefore brings my question, what is the podiatrist going to write in my letter of recommendation, especially since all I do is watch and periodically ask questions? I plan to keep on shadowing him for another two months or so, and I'll ask him for a letter in September or so.

Or, if anyone can give me some tips to improve my shadowing experience, that would be very much appreciated.

 

[UNMorBUST]

I suggest compiling some questions you find important and ask if you can have a sit down with the Dr. That is if he/she has time. That way you two can have some better face time. Just my 2 cents.

 

[g squared 23]

Ask intelligent questions, and never in front of a patient. Its ok to ask the "tough" questions of "why podiatry" or "what do you like least about it", but remember to do that in private also (away from his staff/employees).

Ask what school, residency the pod went to and what program/school he/she would recommend.

Above all, be polite and always thank him/her for their time. Whether you realize it or not, you are slowing them up costing them time and money.

one more thing: don't suck up. Nobody likes a kissa**

 

[catchburns]

Why are you going to wait until Sept. to ask for the letter? Ask for it now. Doctors are slower than molasses at getting rec. letters out so you should do it now or else you may not get it when you actually want it. Its not like you are marrying the guy, you just want some experience and a letter from him. Be upfront about it and just get it done.

 

[HappyFeet22]

Hmm I'm not really sure how this works, but...

I'm taking the September 11th MCAT, and so, it seems like my application will not be complete until my MCAT is scored, which will be at the end of October. I figured if I asked my podiatrist for a letter in September, then he can submit it in by October 1st.

Please correct me if I'm wrong in my reasoning...

 

[catchburns]

In an ideal world that'd be just fine but believe me, that's generally not how it works. It took me a month of hounding from both me and his office staff just to get the pod I shadowed to finally write the letter and then after that I had to wait until the letter was mailed off to my undergrad program who took their sweet-A time to upload it to virtual evals.

Besides, even if everything goes ideally, why would it hurt to get it earlier? Chances are, the pod you're shadowing is going to write a very generic letter anyways. That's all the schools expect. They just want to see that you actually made the initiative to get it done. I'm sure a mind-blowing letter would be great but is his opinion of you really going to improve that much in the next two months if you are just observing? Heck, after 3 months he may get tired of having you around and the letter could be LESS enthusiastic. I say get it while the getting is good.

 

[dyk343]

Heck, after 3 months he may get tired of having you around

As in my case where the pod asked me if I wanted a letter of rec one morning.

 

[UNMorBUST]

As in my case where the pod asked me if I wanted a letter of rec one morning.

Very subtle 😉😀.

 

[g squared 23]

Catch makes a great point: ask for the letters sooner rather than later. Collecting these was probably the most frustrating part of the application process for me personally. Part of the reason was that I felt bad asking and was shy about it. I also didn't take into account how long the docs take to write them and how many times you have to politely remind them that you need them NOW! Getting them a little early is not going to cause problems. Getting them late can cause unnecessary stress that could have been easily avoided.

It's not a bad idea to politely suggest a time frame/deadline either. So if you end up asking in July, tell the pod that the letter is due by September 1, hopefully that will stick in their mind. That will make the follow up phone call/reminder a bit easier as well.

 

[catchburns]

Honestly, I think anyone who is smart would just tell the pod they plan to shadow, "hey, look, I want to shadow you and then after I impress you with how freaking awesome I am, I'm going to expect you to write me a letter and this needs to be done by ____." That's essentially what I did and I think he appreciated how upfront I was. Even if he didn't, he ended up writing me a letter and I got in to every school I applied to.

 

[catchburns]

In other words: stop *****-footing around and just tell them what they know you are going to say eventually anyways. The pods aren't stupid. They know why you're there.

 

[g squared 23]

Not into the whole foreplay thing huh? I happen to enjoy it myself