Science Recommendation Letter Question

[acm318]

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Hello!

I completed a Nuclear Medicine/PET Technology hospital based program in 2022. I was planning to request a recommendation letter from the program director who also taught us. I spent a whole year seeing her every day so she knows my clinical and academic work very well. I also received an award of excellence from this program upon completion. I am applying for medical school this coming spring and my pre med advisor said my program director wouldn't count as a science letter for the schools that require a science letter and that I needed to ask one of my university professors for one. I asked if it needed to be from a PhD professor or if a graduate student professor was okay and she said the credentials didn't matter.

I feel like my program director would be able to write a much more detailed letter for me than a professor I saw a few hours twice a week for 12 weeks. I was wondering what others thoughts are on whether my program director would count as a science letter since Nuclear Medicine/PET Technology is science? It's just not a traditional university biology, chemistry, etc. science course.

Thank you for any insight!!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Your premed advisor is giving good general advice: usually schools want letters from professors who have taught you in a science (bio/chem/physics) class. You should check with admissions officers at the schools where you want to apply.

I don't know what you mean by a "graduate student professor," but ask the schools. (Usually, a graduate student TA should have a letter co-signed by the professor of record.)

That program director could still be a very strong reference. It just might not count as a "professor" letter.