Question regarding LOR's

[BMSL714]

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Hi all,
So I may get flamed for a question I know has been answered at some point but here goes..

I'm currently finishing up my UG right now and have two jobs; one working in an emergency room (non-clinical, just insurance/business services) and my other job is a PT aide position at a PT office with two therapists who also teach at a university in the area.

I'm still debating on MD vs DO, but my question is whether my LOR's would be better coming from the PT's or from some of the ER MDs.

I would imagine the MDs would be preferred but the PTs know me better and would write better recommendations I feel.

Sorry for the "broken record"-like question, lol


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[HuskyBabe]

Hello,

I was always told that a generic LOR from someone who doesn't know you very well can really end up hurting you. A letter from a physician would obviously be much more helpful, but that's only if it's a strong one. So just a general rule, unless the letter is coming from someone who knows you well and can speak positively about your character/qualities, then you might as well not even ask them. So if the PTs know you better, definitely go with one of them! Also there's no rule against saying you can't get one letter from an MD and one from the PT

Some good advice I got was that when you're asking for LORs, ask the person if they feel comfortable writing you a "strong" letter that can speak more to your individual qualities


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[gyngyn]

Only DO's want a physician (DO) letter.
The rest of us really don't. Shadowing LOE's (or their equivalent) are particularly unwelcome.

 

[Goro]

Just to clarify, many DO schools, including mine, are OK with MD LORs. There are some programs that require DO LORs.

In all my years as an Adcom, I've seen maybe two bad clinician LORs.

Only DO's want a physician (DO) letter.
The rest of us really don't. Shadowing LOE's (or their equivalent) are particularly unwelcome.