Should I send in this physician LOR?

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I'm going to be applying this summer. A couple of summers ago, I shadowed an orthopedic surgeon for a couple of months. It was more or less typical surgeon shadowing - I observed about 7-8 different operations (some repeats) and also shadowed him for several weeks while he treated patients at his office.

The thing is, I was never going to ask him for an LOR because I just passively shadowed him like normal. But toward the end, he really wanted to write an LOR for me, so much so that he just sat down with a pen and pad and started writing out a letter. He then typed it up and sent it to me so I have it sitting in Interfolio.

I've seen on this forum that letters from physicians that one has shadowed should NOT be sent in. He wrote some stuff about me personally that some of my professors might not have touched upon, but I'm still ambivalent. Part of me wants to send it in, but then I also think it might not be the best idea.

What would you all recommend? Thanks!

 

[WedgeDawg]

What attributes have you demonstrated to him through watching him work do you think that he might be able to convey to an admissions committee?

 

[Old&InTheWay]

What attributes have you demonstrated to him through watching him work do you think that he might be able to convey to an admissions committee?

 

[mehc012]

I'm going to be applying this summer. A couple of summers ago, I shadowed an orthopedic surgeon for a couple of months. It was more or less typical surgeon shadowing - I observed about 7-8 different operations (some repeats) and also shadowed him for several weeks while he treated patients at his office.

The thing is, I was never going to ask him for an LOR because I just passively shadowed him like normal. But toward the end, he really wanted to write an LOR for me, so much so that he just sat down with a pen and pad and started writing out a letter. He then typed it up and sent it to me so I have it sitting in Interfolio.

I've seen on this forum that letters from physicians that one has shadowed should NOT be sent in. He wrote some stuff about me personally that some of my professors might not have touched upon, but I'm still ambivalent. Part of me wants to send it in, but then I also think it might not be the best idea.

What would you all recommend? Thanks!

Shadowing letters are often fluff. They're advised against not because they will hurt you, but because they're not worth the effort.
You do not have to expend effort for this. PLUS, if the doc was enthusiastic about writing you a letter and was proactive about it, it may be more than generic fluff.

Go ahead and include it. It won't hurt you. May not help you, but then again maybe it will, and you lose nothing by clicking the button.

 

[Heisenberg 41]

 

[NickNaylor]

I wouldn't send it. That's nice of him to volunteer to write a letter, but they just don't offer useful information unless you've worked with him in another context in addition to the clinical shadowing.

 

[mehc012]

I wouldn't send it. That's nice of him to volunteer to write a letter, but they just don't offer useful information unless you've worked with him in another context in addition to the clinical shadowing.

It won't hurt them, though, and there's literally zero effort involved.
They think that perhaps there is something in there that the profs won't touch on...so that's an (admittedly slight) shot at it contributing, 90% chance it'll make zero difference, and given the doc's enthusiasm, very small chance that it'd be in any way detrimental. So what's the risk?

 

[NickNaylor]

It won't hurt them, though, and there's literally zero effort involved.
They think that perhaps there is something in there that the profs won't touch on...so that's an (admittedly slight) shot at it contributing, 90% chance it'll make zero difference, and given the doc's enthusiasm, very small chance that it'd be in any way detrimental. So what's the risk?

Next to none, but I don't see the point in sending a letter that will in all likelihood be useless.

 

[NeuResurgens]

I think you're fine to use a shadowing letter if you think the doctor wrote strongly positive things. Just be aware that most schools don't specifically require letters from physicians, so generally this letter would only be included as an extra and there's no guarantee they'd read it.

 

[TraumaLlamaMD]

 

[gyngyn]

If you apply to schools that request no more than 2 or 3 letters don't waste one on a shadowing letter.
A long list of fluff letters does come off badly.

 

[mimelim]

I'm going to be applying this summer. A couple of summers ago, I shadowed an orthopedic surgeon for a couple of months. It was more or less typical surgeon shadowing - I observed about 7-8 different operations (some repeats) and also shadowed him for several weeks while he treated patients at his office.

The thing is, I was never going to ask him for an LOR because I just passively shadowed him like normal. But toward the end, he really wanted to write an LOR for me, so much so that he just sat down with a pen and pad and started writing out a letter. He then typed it up and sent it to me so I have it sitting in Interfolio.

I've seen on this forum that letters from physicians that one has shadowed should NOT be sent in. He wrote some stuff about me personally that some of my professors might not have touched upon, but I'm still ambivalent. Part of me wants to send it in, but then I also think it might not be the best idea.

What would you all recommend? Thanks!

Just because someone is willing to write a letter for you does not mean that it will be a strong letter. Did you demonstrate something that he can brag to people about? Or does he want to write a letter because then people are going to be listening to him? This is pure fluff and while unlikely to hurt you, can and should not be included.

 

[tiedyeddog]

Agreed with everyone above, do not use this letter. I would thank him profusely, however, for the shadowing opportunity and the offer.

 

[sharkbyte]

Thanks for all the feedback. I think I'm going to hold off from sending in the letter.

 

[Hospitalized]

I don't see why you wouldn't send it. The risk is zero. The reward is possible. n=1 know someone who suspects a major positive in their application, and later acceptance, was a letter from a physician (granted it was from scribe experience, but still.) I don't get the fuss about not sending a positive physician LOR that goes around on SDN. Yeah, it might not be the turning point as in n=1's (suspected) case, but it cannot possible hurt you. The physician obviously liked you and could see you being a medical student. I don't see a problem.

 

[HybridEarth]

Go ahead and send it. Most physicians ask students to write their own letters from what I've heard, so going out of his way to write you a letter probably means he has some nice things to say about your personality. I guess only you can really gauge as to whether or not you demonstrated qualities to him that you think he could write about. If you have the slightest doubt that you did not give him an accurate representation about yourself, it's probably not worth sending. That being said, I know several applicants who have used them in the past to supplement an application (fluff if that's what you call it). Depending on who reads your letter, the reader may value it or simply disregard it. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to add it to your application. What's the worst it can do (assuming your physician liked you), have an ADCOM toss it out? Who cares?

 

[gyngyn]

Either way, it wouldn't hurt to add it to your application. What's the worst it can do (assuming your physician liked you), have an ADCOM toss it out? Who cares?

We are also evaluating judgement and precision.

 

[Neutropix]

Do yourself a favor OP and listen to the pros on this one, e.g., mimelim and gyngyn.

 

[Hospitalized]

Do yourself a favor OP and listen to the pros on this one, e.g., mimelim and gyngyn.

I'm not discrediting them in any way, but the adcoms on SDN do not represent every admissions committee for all US MD schools. Whether or not that applies to this specific scenario is difficult to judge. My comment was based off of an experience I had seen first hand, and I will always take that over anything I read on the internet.

Edit: And if it's adcoms word against mine, take the adcoms. 🙂

 

[emraldragon]

I'm not discrediting them in any way, but the adcoms on SDN do not represent every admissions committee for all US MD schools. Whether or not that applies to this specific scenario is difficult to judge. My comment was based off of an experience I had seen first hand, and I will always take that over anything I read on the internet.

Edit: And if it's adcoms word against mine, take the adcoms. 🙂

My premed adviser happened to be on a med school admissions committee and s/he gave me tons of advise that SDN has vehemently disagreed with. Among other delightful nuggets, s/he told me that I had to have a physician letter in my application. I would never go against the adcoms on here, but I just want to note that its probably not instant or assured death to your application if you do as there is at least one adcom member out there who believes that an app without a physician letter is not as good as one with. (Also since I followed that and tons of other advice that has been debunked on here and still managed to get in, it probably won't kill you)