q for aprogdirector

[jdig]

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quick question, a search didnt yield good results.
is it ever appropriate to include a letter from a non physician?
lets say hypothetically that i were family friends with john mccain (just for example) or someone well known in the world scene. and lets say we were well acquainted and i worked with him on things over the years and he could speak on my behalf regarding my work ethic etc, though not medically.
would such a letter carry weight or would it call negative "show off" attention?
thanks very much in advance 🙂

 

[Winged Scapula]

I'm not APD, but IMHO, yes, it would be a negative show off letter.

The purpose of LORs is to assess your ability to be a good resident physician which a non-physician cannot do.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

Bad idea for a couple of reasons.

A) If it's someone like John McCain (hypothetically) how do you know a PD hasn't donated the legal maximum to Obama? There are very few figures on the world stage who aren't polarizing to some extent.

B) Medicine LORs are about your ability to be a physician, period. While "John McCain" could say "He's such a great guy, hard worker, fun to be around", I'm sure even the worst applicants could find a friend who would say the same about them. PD's want letters from attendings who have seen you working and can evaluate you objectively against others they have seen.

 

[Law2Doc]

PD's want letters from attendings who have seen you working and can evaluate you objectively against others they have seen.

To continue along this thinking, they not only want evaluation of your work ethic, but want to get an opinion as to what kind of resident you will be. To know this, the writer will need to have been and worked with residents -- or they have no frame of reference. So really only a physician can add much value to this decision. Now admittedly, from his POW days, McCain may be able to evaluate how you'd hold up under sleep deprivation and other torture modes, but that is only part of what residency is all about.🙂

 

[Winged Scapula]

Now admittedly, from his POW days, McCain may be able to evaluate how you'd hold up under sleep deprivation and other torture modes, but that is only part of what residency is all about.🙂

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Agree with the above. In general it's a bad idea. There are some cases where a non-MD/DO letter might be OK -- if you worked with an international relief agency perhaps, or a PhD from a research lab. The issue is not MD or no MD, it's whether the experience the LOR writer is writing about is directly applicable to your future residency experience. Usually, the only people who are in a position to do so are clinicians.

I can't stand the LOR's I see which say "I've known Dr. XX since he/she was a child, as I was friends with his/her father. He/She is great and would be a great resident". Don't do this.

 

[jdig]

thanks guys!

 

[Brunette1981]

Yeah, I have a letter from my PhD advisor but I'm a combined degree student so it's a normal part of the application for me. I think, in my case, *not* having a letter would look strange. But substantial med student research would also qualify like if you did 6 mos in a name lab in derm or something.

 

[keithslc]

This is a question for aprogdirector:Iserson's guide to residency suggests sending programs a CV in addition to the one included in ERAS. I was wondering what your take on this was, and how commonly that this is done?Thanks in advance for your reply.

 

[Law2Doc]

This is a question for aprogdirector:Iserson's guide to residency suggests sending programs a CV in addition to the one included in ERAS. I was wondering what your take on this was, and how commonly that this is done?Thanks in advance for your reply.

Sounds like a bad idea and one probably written before ERAS was as comprehensive as it is today.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

The whole point of ERAS is that I don't need paper copies of anything. Total waste, IMHO. Same could be said of Iserson's in general 😀. Haven't read it myself but nothing anyone's every posted on SDN from it makes sense.

<sarcasm>You should feel free to bring a copy of your CV when you interview. I'd be happy to put it in my recycle bin for you.😎</sarcasm>

 

[USMELL]

separate question. How does one decline an interview, especially this early in the game, without looking like you are insulting the program?

 

[gutonc]

separate question. How does one decline an interview, especially this early in the game, without looking like you are insulting the program?

Just say no thank you. It's very simple. Don't worry about insulting them, they wouldn't have worried about insulting you by not offering you an interview.

BUT...before you decline, make sure you don't want the interview. This early in the game, you should only be declining interviews if you've already got a sufficient # for your specialty or you would rather not match than go to a certain program.

 

[usmle786]

a

 

[BlondeDocteur]

Fyi I knew a kid who was a marginal candidate for med school admissions. He supplemented his application with an LOR from George H.W. Bush, who plays tennis with his dad.

It didn't work, for all the reasons suspected above. Hurt a lot more than it helped (not that he had a marvelous shot in the first place).

 

[BXfatcat]

I have a question regarding the events following match day:

Is it safe for me to travel outside of the country immediately after match day? Is there any important paperwork that needs to be signed/filled/mailed out (i.e. contracts) soon after the match?

I am planning on taking trip to Asia right after the match that will last the entire month of April, but I'm not sure if that is a good idea because I won't have access to my regular mail at home. I will have access to internet/telephone though.

Any advice would be helpful.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Contracts and other credentialing documents often go out right after the match. Some programs are speedier than others. If you'll be here for the last two weeks of March, you should be OK but you should contact your matched program ASAP after the match and alert them to your travel plans, so they can rush you any documents.