What should be in a letter of recommendation from a hospital supervisor?

[Falconclaw]

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I volunteered in a hospital this summer. I did patient rounding (just went around to patients lying in bed and asking them if I could get them anything or if they needed help with anything), sat in on grand rounds, and did some office projects. My supervisor was wondering what exactly I wanted her to emphasize in a letter of recommendation. She did not directly oversee my patient rounding, only my office work.

Do you guys have any advice? Thanks!

 

[kyamh]

The strongest letters of recommendation contain examples of your actions that show great qualities and it's hard to give these examples when you don't see the action. Did someone else see you interact with patients? They could help write the letter and have the supervisor co-sign it.

 

[medoc4]

I volunteered in a hospital this summer. I did patient rounding (just went around to patients lying in bed and asking them if I could get them anything or if they needed help with anything), sat in on grand rounds, and did some office projects. My supervisor was wondering what exactly I wanted her to emphasize in a letter of recommendation. She did not directly oversee my patient rounding, only my office work.

Do you guys have any advice? Thanks!

It does not seem like you're going to get a very strong letter of recommendation out of her.

 

[BlueLabel]

My supervisor was wondering what exactly I wanted her to emphasize in a letter of recommendation

Agreed with above. If she has to ask, you'd better look for another letter writer.

 

[SN12357]

Agreed with above. If she has to ask, you'd better look for another letter writer.

This isn't necessarily true. My letter writers knew me extremely well and still asked what they should emphasize. It's a normal question coming from someone who doesn't regularly write med school letters.

OP, a letter from a supervisor is fundamentally different from a letter from a teacher, so ask her to focus on those things that make it different. Ideally you want her to testify to your ability to build rapport with patients, your ability to complete projects independently, etc. The types of things that performance in a class doesn't necessarily show.

I asked a volunteer supervisor to specifically focus on 'soft skills' in her letter about me, because I knew my other letters (class and research) would praise my intellectual and technical skills, but wouldn't be a strong testimonial to my strengths in one-on-one interaction with patients.

Edit: Just reread and realized this supervisor didn't supervise you on the patient aspect. If she isn't able/willing to testify that, it does make it am much weaker letter. Saying you helped out in an office doesn't add a lot to your application. Doesn't make the letter useless, but you may want to consider other options.

 

[Falconclaw]

This isn't necessarily true. My letter writers knew me extremely well and still asked what they should emphasize. It's a normal question coming from someone who doesn't regularly write med school letters.

OP, a letter from a supervisor is fundamentally different from a letter from a teacher, so ask her to focus on those things that make it different. Ideally you want her to testify to your ability to build rapport with patients, your ability to complete projects independently, etc. The types of things that performance in a class doesn't necessarily show.

I asked a volunteer supervisor to specifically focus on 'soft skills' in her letter about me, because I knew my other letters (class and research) would praise my intellectual and technical skills, but wouldn't be a strong testimonial to my strengths in one-on-one interaction with patients.

Edit: Just reread and realized this supervisor didn't supervise you on the patient aspect. If she isn't able/willing to testify that, it does make it am much weaker letter. Saying you helped out in an office doesn't add a lot to your application. Doesn't make the letter useless, but you may want to consider other options.

Okay. I think I'll still ask for the letter, but I do appreciate the advice.