Shadowing a doctor, when to ask for LoR?

[deleted390966]

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Hi,
I am shadowing a family doctor once a week (he works once a week. I couldn't find any other doctors in the areas who would let me shadow them), and I'm not sure when I should ask him for a LoR... Please give me some advice on this. Thanks in advance 🙂

 

[gmcguitar4]

Hi,
I am shadowing a family doctor once a week (he works once a week. I couldn't find any other doctors in the areas who would let me shadow them), and I'm not sure when I should ask him for a LoR... Please give me some advice on this. Thanks in advance 🙂

How long aer you shadowing him for? When are you applying?

 

[chiddler]

I shadowed my doc about 3 weeks, once a week. I asked him if he would be willing to write me a letter later on. He said OK.

Formally asked for the letter after a few more months of consistent shadowing when he got to know me a bit better.

 

[MedWonk]

Hi,
I am shadowing a family doctor once a week (he works once a week. I couldn't find any other doctors in the areas who would let me shadow them), and I'm not sure when I should ask him for a LoR... Please give me some advice on this. Thanks in advance 🙂

Ask him after a few days with him so he actually has some sense of who you are. Ask at the end of the day. Give him something to work with, like your personal statement and resume. Or even give a general summary of what you want in your letter or what you'd like him to focus on.

 

[zdbsy]

Based on my experience you better ask for it when you get at least 30+ hours shadowing with him. Can you do more per week? Otherwise I concern the quality of your LOR.

 

[Jwalker]

Depends on the doctor. None of us can gauge his/her personality - only you can. I shadowed a doc for one day and at the end he offered to write me a letter. There's only so much you can learn by passively observing a doctor. I'd ask after three days of shadowing.

 

[NontradCA]

I'd ask before shadowing him, put your cards on the table..it's a good approach for establishing any relationship.

 

[deleted390966]

I would love to shadow more, but it's hard to find a doctor who's willing to let me do that. All hospitals say "no". I called the doc's office one-by-one, and only one has said "yes" :/

 

[hojjung33]

It really depends. Mine already knew that i needed a letter so after the third visit, he told me to bring my CV and personal statement

 

[HeronsBeak]

It really depends. Mine already knew that i needed a letter so after the third visit, he told me to bring my CV and personal statement

Varies by doctor, mine knew I needed one and gave it to me after the first and only visit, we hit it off and he took my cv and wrote a good letter. The other do I shadowed wanted to set up a long term thing which I couldn't do this summer, so Im glad the other one was so nice about it.

 

[hojjung33]

Varies by doctor, mine knew I needed one and gave it to me after the first and only visit, we hit it off and he took my cv and wrote a good letter. The other do I shadowed wanted to set up a long term thing which I couldn't do this summer, so Im glad the other one was so nice about it.

Yeah Mine told me that he also had difficult times getting a LOR from a doctor when he applied too so he understood 🙂

 

[scarecrow90]

Build a relationship with him first, get to know him. Once you feel comfortable being around him and you think that he'd write you a good letter, then ask for one. 🙂

 

[twinning]

Did all your doctors have an official letterhead? I am shadowing a doctor at a small hospital that contracts their doctors from a company.

 

[deleted492904]

Did all your doctors have an official letterhead? I am shadowing a doctor at a small hospital that contracts their doctors from a company.

I think I saw somewhere that not all schools require the letter to have an official letterhead but you should call your school to make sure. To be on the safe side though, I asked all my letter writers to write the letter with an official letterhead and a signature.