Residency Application Question

Started by jatt4790
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jatt4790

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Hello everybody,

First of all, I would like to thank everybody on the forum for providing great insights.

I had a quick question, how important is it to get an LOR from physiatrist. Should I rather get an average letter from physiatrist, or from the attending from core rotations who know me better. I believe due to short elective time, I wasn't able to get enough exposure with the physiatrist attending, as I worked more with the residents in PM&R rotation.

I would really appreciate any feedback from somebody who would know anything about this issue. As I believe, not having LOR from physiatrist will greatly affect my application process 🙁
 
Many people don't know what we do and having a letter that says you did a rotation, are knowledgable about the field, would be an asset to a pm&r residency is necessary. Letters from med/surg are good but in my mind not enough to prove you know what you are getting into.
 
Agreed. You need a PM&R letter; there is no way around it. If you got to know the residents well, I would talk to one of them and ask them to put in a good word about you to the attending who will be writing your letter. Attendings don't always get to spend a ton of time with students, so specific feedback from residents could help your letter.
 
Agree with prior posters; having a PM&R LOR is a must. If you really clicked with the residents and they can put in a good word for you to the attending who'll be writing your letter, all the better. Best of luck!