Shadowing & LOR

[snowy117]

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About how many hours do you need to shadow a physician before you can ask them to write you a letter of rec?

Thanks!

 

[DrVanNostran]

About how many hours do you need to shadow a physician before you can ask them to write you a letter of rec?

Thanks!

Most osteopathic physicians you shadow know that you need a letter for schools. So at the end, a lot of times they ask you if they can help you with medical school or if you need anything else. So, you might get one after the first day you shadow 🙂

 

[spicedmanna]

About how many hours do you need to shadow a physician before you can ask them to write you a letter of rec?

Thanks!

That will depend on your judgment. I don't think anybody can say for sure. You don't need to feel awkward about it, though, because most doctors have been through a similar process as you are going through right now and thus are aware that at some point you might ask them for a letter. Don't be shy about asking. Be diplomatic and appreciative, but also be clear and direct.

I found my shadowing experience interesting and exciting. That's the best approach: lead with your genuine interest and excitement. Try to expose yourself to as much as possible without getting in the way. To get a full feel, I think it would be good to do at least 3-4 full shifts with the physician, depending on his or her availability, and it might also be worth trying to follow some of his, or her residents as they round with patients and take call with them if you are shadowing a hospital attending. Do more if you have the time and if he, or she is willing to have you along. Obviously, if you are going to be asking for a recommendation, you will want to shadow the physician long enough for him or her to know enough about you to write a strong recommendation letter; that's the only real time requirement. The rest depends on you. How much shadowing are you interested and excited about doing?

 

[supersash]

I would make it known in the beginning that you need a LOR, and see the response you get. Then you can feel him/her out as you go along. Like it was previously said, they know the process. Especially if you are shadowing a younger doctor, since they are not that far removed from the process.

 

[adismo]

i shadowed a DO FP doc for 2 weeks, 3 days a week.

he let me remove stiches, showed me the Ortolani and Barlow's test on newborns, and allowed me to shadow in the after hours Urgent Care clinic with the PA.

i called back a family from the parking lot after leaving with amoxicillin script for a child with a PCN allergy

he wrote me the letter the next day

 

[prionsRbad]

i shadowed a DO FP doc for 2 weeks, 3 days a week.

he let me remove stiches, showed me the Ortolani and Barlow's test on newborns, and allowed me to shadow in the after hours Urgent Care clinic with the PA.

i called back a family from the parking lot after leaving with amoxicillin script for a child with a PCN allergy

he wrote me the letter the next day

That's pretty cool! Can I ask you how you came to know the DO you shadowed? Did you know him before the shadowing?

Thanks

 

[adismo]

That's pretty cool! Can I ask you how you came to know the DO you shadowed? Did you know him before the shadowing?

Thanks

picked up the phone book and started dialing. got a few rejections from DO's until he aggreed to take me on board

 

[pineapple]

.

 

[prionsRbad]

Why don't you just ask the doctor you want to shadow? She'll understand.

😍 Repersenting women in medicine, yey! 😀

 

[digital01]

I shadowed a DO for a week, and after the 3rd day he asked me to bring in my application so he could look over my stats and write a good letter. I'd say it just depends on who you get though.

 

[Dr JPH]

"Hey, I need a DO LOR and shadowing experience to get admitted into osteopathic medical school. Could you help me out? What could I do? I would be very excited to observe you and your staff at work."

👍

 

[scpod]

I'd say it just depends on who you get though.

Yeah...every situation is different. I know some poeple who never shadowed any DO becuase they already had a personal relationship with them. I know some people who had a DO for a family doctor and never actually shadowed them either. I know people (OK, one person) with extremely high MCAT and GPA scores who the medical school "found" a DO to write a letter for, simply because they wanted to raise the average incoming class scores and he was too lazy to do it on his own. I know others who shadowed 3 different DOs for months and could get one of them to write a letter. What works best for one is often not what works best for another.

 

[imount]

Do to time contraints, I can only shadow a DO for a day. Will that be enough for a letter? Is that typical for most DO LORs? How is shadowing usually like for a day at a private practice?

 

[Rikkye]

typically, you need to settle the issue with them first, don't beat around the bush, be appreciative especially if you're going to shadow only once, and let him know the situation

 

[scdocusc]

While every situation is starkly different. I think that you should probably shadow a D.O. more than just a day before asking for a LOR. You both more than likely just met and you have to feel eachother out. You obviously dont want a D.O. to write an incoherent LOR so feel the D.O. out as much as he/ she will feel you out. I suggest AT LEAST 2 full shadowing days before you ask about the LOR. Then continue to shadow that D.O. after to show you are not just using them for their letterhead.

 

[154175]

I just shadowed a DO for six hours or so over two days, and she felt there wasn't anything else she could show me so she said I shouldn't come back for the third day I was scheduled. The opportunity to ask for a LOR came up organically a bit after she said that, and she wants me to fax her a CV.

A bit odd that she didn't want me to shadow her any more because she thought she couldn't show me anything but will still write me a LOR.

My question is, what should I include in the CV? I have a normal resume for job searches, but I doubt she really cares about the time I worked for Dominos or Motel6 for a year. Should I just include my volunteerism, should I write a statement at the top about where I want to go in being a doctor (not the school, my goals)?

Opinions? This happened yesterday, so I want to fax by Thursday at the absolute latest, even though she's not back at that clinic until next Monday.

 

[azmo07]

Include your personal statement and CV that should be sufficient for the DO to get a complete insight about your goals and admiration.

 

[154175]

Anyone else have advice?

 

[Jpc984]

Anyone else have advice?

Offer to write a "go-by" to make it easier for her.

 

[ericismyname]

I just shadowed 23 hours over 3days with a DO alumni from DMU(My first choice). It was his idea for him to write me a LOR after he found out i was a premed and my stats were not competetive for allopathic.

It is important to make sure that your LOR is on a "closed" status though. Apparently med schools highly prefer them over "open" status.

 

[Jpc984]

I just shadowed 23 hours over 3days with a DO alumni from DMU(My first choice). It was his idea for him to write me a LOR after he found out i was a premed and my stats were not competetive for allopathic.

It is important to make sure that your LOR is on a "closed" status though. Apparently med schools highly prefer them over "open" status.

I agree.

 

[Tanner82]

got a lor after two days shadowing.... but key thing your missing here is the time spent from the DO says he'll write you one and the time you have the letter in hand could be considerable. The consensus seems to be that it takes them ~2-3 months and that's after getting the run around from then. Some docs are better than other and I know they're busy but just something to keep in mind since its already august.