To aProgDirector: Attending changes every 2 weeks, what about LOR ?

[lordman]

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I will start my away elective soon. The attending changes every 2 weeks so I will have 2 attendings in the whole month. I don't think a letter of 2 weeks has a great value...I noticed this system runs in many universities.
How can I get 4 week letter or what is the best to do ?
Your advice please

 

[J-Rad]

Moving to Allo.

 

[Reductio]

.

 

[Law2Doc]

I will start my away elective soon. The attending changes every 2 weeks so I will have 2 attendings in the whole month. I don't think a letter of 2 weeks has a great value...I noticed this system runs in many universities.
How can I get 4 week letter or what is the best to do ?
Your advice please

If you work with two attendings during the course of a month, then pick the one you got along with best. If your school is like most, the faculty aren't going to undermine you by agreeing to write a letter that states that they didn't have sufficient opportunity to observe you. Most will tell you they won't write the letter if they feel they don't know you well enough, which is probably rare if you've been there for two weeks. In most cases, the attending gets a lot of feedback from the senior resident as to whether the med students are good or not.

At most places you are going to work with multiple attendings during the course of a month. Sometimes even multiple teams of residents if your med school rotations don't exactly jibe with the resident rotations. It's fine, and med students end up getting evaluated and getting letters just fine.

 

[PMPMD]

2 weeks is fine. Agree with above recommendation to pick the better of the 2. In anesthesia, med students typically work with a different attending every day, so they have a much harder time.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I don't have much to add to the above. Two weeks is a pretty standard assignment for faculty. Getting a letter shouldn't be a problem.

 

[lordman]

Thanks all