Really messy EM application process, what to do?

[mashori]

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Hey all,
My first post here, I've read a lot but never posted. I am a 4th year med student at a California school. I barely passed my step 1 and I'm studying hard for step 2. I am applying into EM but I don't have any honors or anything very outstanding. I have a lot of research that I've done and some good community work.
The deadlines are coming up and I haven't been able to get a SLOR. It's due on the 1st of november (in about a week) and I don't think I'll be able to get one until my next rotation in EM which won't start until end of November. I've filled out ERAS for almost 80 EM programs. And now my dean's letter seems to be having two negative comments by this one Doc who just has it out for me. I have done very well in the clinical rotations with very good marks all around. But I reported this guy for being rude to patients and inappropriate with some med students and so the dean decided to include two comments from this guy: in one he states that on one occasion I was unprepared during my family medicine rotation and in the other comment he states that I was often abscent and tardy from lectures and clinic days. Both these comments are false and I'm trying to argue them but my school says that they can't change comments written by an attending. And the dean's letter is due in just a few days.

What should I do? Confront that doctor myself? Should I withdraw my application for this year and apply next year? Shoud I let them send the dean's letter out with the negative comments? Should I insist that they change them?

See, told you the whole thing is a mess!
thanks

 

[joaquin13]

wow, I cant believe your Dean's office is including negative comments like that, especially when there was a controversy during the rotation. I have never heard of a dean's letter that has spoken negatively about a student DIRECTLY! (perhaps indirectly). I would work as hard as I could to get them to change that comment....it would be a nightmare to reapply next year and the questions would still arise...why didnt you apply last year? Im not too familiar with the process, but wouldn't they need to see your dean's letter next year as well?
Have you completed an EM rotation yet? Is there absolutely no way you can get a SLOR any other way? It seems from my experience that it has taken at least a month plus after an EM rotation for them to complete the SLOR....

Good luck, I hope all works out for you.

 

[Uncle Rico]

You need to talk to WHOEVER you can about overriding the Dean on this point. What he is doing is biased, wrong, and clearly personal. Do NOT just lay down and hope that all will pass over by next year.......get it fixed THIS year, and hope for the best.

 

[Sessamoid]

I agree with the above comments. My Dean's office was pretty stupid at times, but they would never have sent out comments like that on a student that they had any intention of graduating. You'd pretty much have to be killing patients right and left to warrant such a poor rating.