what should an MD/DO lor look like

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umean2tellme

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What should a letter from an MD/DO look like? I mean, is there anything that it should have, like specific days that you shadowed/have known the doctor? Just wanted to know just in case b/c the doctor i'm shadowing is gonna be on vacation in 2 weeks and as busy as he is he probably won't have time to write one and will likely ask me to write it and have him look it over.

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I wouldn't do this in a million years. If it is too time-consuming for your DO to write a letter for you, go on a couple of the DO schools websites and look at their recommendation forms. Then make your own, based on what they have on there. Lots of "Rate this student from 1-10" stuff, and just a little space at the end for comments.

Or maybe like an essay-type question: what are your thoughts on this student's commitment to a career in medicine?

Or something like that.
 
I gave my D.O. the bullet points from my MSUCOM secondary, simply because it hits every single point that every school wants to hear about your ability, who you are, etc. It was much easier this way.
 
You seem to be dead set on writing that letter. If you can wait that might be the best thing for you. Many schools like to see a letter that is confidential, this is verified if you use interfolio. In fact, a couple of DO schools make you sign their very own confidentiality waiver. You have every right to view your letter, but this is frowned upon. It is a known fact that LORs written, that are unseen by the student, are the most honest and carry the most weight. If you write your own letter you won't be able to put it off as confidential. I am sure this can hurt you at some schools. I have heard of a few cases where doctors ask the student to write the letters and they just sign them, not sure how that worked out though.

Good Luck :luck:
 
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