Residency Application Questions

[Prof Moriarty]

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Few questions for you guys...

1- I have a PM&R rotation lined up for Sept. Too late to get a PM&R LOR? What's the latest to reasonably get a LOR from this rotation and update my app's? I need a LOR from a PM&R doc, right?

2- I'm not sure where else to get a PM&R LOR.

• I have plenty of other LOR's, but they're not from physiatrists. Should they say "this candidate will make a great physical medicine and rehabilitation physician" or should they just be generic? Does a PM&R PD care what a non-physiatrist thinks about my aptitude for physiatry per se?
• Alternatively, one of the deans at my school is a physiatrist. I shadowed him once. Should I try to get a LOR from him for my 1 physiatrist's letter, or is that pointless? I was not going to seek a LOR from him otherwise since I have not formally rotated with him, but he knows me fairly well and could probably write a strong letter for me.

3- Level 2 boards. I'm scheduled for mid-October. I thought it didn't matter when I took this exam but I'm getting a vibe on here lately like it DOES matter and October is LATE. What's the latest I should take boards?

I was planning to submit my application in Sept and update it later with board scores and Sept PM&R letter. Any suggestion for a better plan?

Thanks!

 

[ihaveaquestion]

I think that a PM&R Dean's letter is a good idea. For you to be a strong applicant I feel like a physiatry letter is very important. When you start your rotation in September your attending should have an understanding that you will ask him for a letter. I would be clear about this so that he has sufficient time to prepare. For what it's worth, I completed an away rotation late JANUARY some years back with decent reviews and just uploaded my evaluation form as a .pdf and sent them to all the programs.

Many programs will ask you about Step 2 scores. I think your plan is fine. Good luck.

Few questions for you guys...

1- I have a PM&R rotation lined up for Sept. Too late to get a PM&R LOR? What's the latest to reasonably get a LOR from this rotation and update my app's? I need a LOR from a PM&R doc, right?

2- I'm not sure where else to get a PM&R LOR.

• I have plenty of other LOR's, but they're not from physiatrists. Should they say "this candidate will make a great physical medicine and rehabilitation physician" or should they just be generic? Does a PM&R PD care what a non-physiatrist thinks about my aptitude for physiatry per se?
• Alternatively, one of the deans at my school is a physiatrist. I shadowed him once. Should I try to get a LOR from him for my 1 physiatrist's letter, or is that pointless? I was not going to seek a LOR from him otherwise since I have not formally rotated with him, but he knows me fairly well and could probably write a strong letter for me.

3- Level 2 boards. I'm scheduled for mid-October. I thought it didn't matter when I took this exam but I'm getting a vibe on here lately like it DOES matter and October is LATE. What's the latest I should take boards?

I was planning to submit my application in Sept and update it later with board scores and Sept PM&R letter. Any suggestion for a better plan?

Thanks!

 

[PMR 4 MSK]

Any and all of those LORs are a good idea. You ideally want one from a Physiatrist you did a full rotation with, but dean who is PM&R is very good as well. For the non-Physiatrists, I'd go more generic, unless they can state their reasons for saying you'd make a good Physiatrist.

For the board scores, keep in mind final decisions for ranking isn't until Jan/Feb 2011, and some interviews don't go out until December.

 

[Prof Moriarty]

Thanks for the info guys.