Which doc should I ask for a LOR?

[summergirl]

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Hi, so I volunteered at this clinic last summer, where every volunteer is assigned a "supervising doctor", who will give you errands to run and ultimately write you a LOR. This was all stated to me during the interview.

Last August, my supervising doctor told me that if I want a LOR, I need to write it myself, and he'll edit it, and he will need 10 days of notice to write my letter. So when I was applying to Canadian schools last October, I asked him for a letter, given him 2 weeks of notice. He rejected me by saying that he only budgeted time to write people letters during Aug and Sept, and since I asked him in Oct, he doesn't have the time. Canadian schools have different deadlines and the ones I was applying to happen to have their LOR deadline in Oct, but most schools have their deadline earlier, which could be why he did not expect me to ask him in Oct. However, I already wrote the letter so it probably wouldn't take him more than 30min to edit it. To be honest, he was an a-hole even before this letter incident and I (and almost all other volunteers) suffered constant belittlement, but that's another story.

At that point, I had about a little more than 2 weeks before the deadline so it is too late for me to ask someone else. Needless to say, I was freaking out. In the end, I decided to reach out to another doc in the same clinic since only docs from the same clinic can possibly use the draft letter I created and may possibly write a letter for me within 2 weeks. She was very nice and agreed to write the letter for me after consulting with my supervising doc. However, in this whole incident, I did not lash out at my supervising doctor at all. I was very polite throughout the whole process, so I would not say we ended on bad terms, just awkward terms.

This year, I absolutely need a physician's letter for DO schools so I need to get one from a doc in that clinic since those are the only docs who know me. Now, should I ask my supervising doc to write me one? Or the female doc who saved me last time? It's technically against the clinic's rules to have a non-supervising doctor write your letter, but she did it last year, after consulting with my supervising doctor. Also, regardless of how polite I was, I'm pretty sure my supervising doc knows that I was not happy that he wouldn't write me a letter (any logical person would know that), so I'm scared that he'll write me a bad letter. I know it was not my fault last year, but he really is an a-hole so I don't trust that he will write me a positive letter after this incident. However, it would be even more risky if I ask the nice female doc, and she says no because this year I have adequate time to get a letter from my supervising doc, so now I have to ask my supervising doc and he'll know that I tried to get around him this year, then that will be even worse. What do I do??

Oh and by the way, I only interacted slightly more with my supervising doc than with the female doc, so the level of interaction is not a big problem for either of them to write the LOR.



Edit: Or maybe I could email my supervising doc to tell him that I want another LOR from either him or the other female doc, and ask who he thinks is "suitable" to write the letter for me, because the female doc will definitely consult with him before saying yes, so he will definitely know that I asked her without going to him first. I can say something like "I hope to get a LOR for my experience at this clinic. Since you were unavailable last year and Dr. [female doc] ended up writing my letter for me, I was wondering if you would recommend for me to ask Dr. [female doc] again this year since she can just work off the previous letter she wrote me. Or perhaps you may be open to writing the letter for me if your schedule allows this year?" If I phrase it like that, at least he knows I'm not trying to go around him, and since I'm playing so nice (as I was last time), maybe he won't write me a bad letter or stop the female doc from writing me one?

 

[summergirl]

Anyone? I never do this but @Goro @LizzyM @Mad Jack @gonnif @gyngyn @DokterMom or anyone with more life experience than a 24-year-old-never-been-in-the-workplace-premed?

 

[Petrichor1]

Don't you just abs need a physician letter for do schools? Coming from experience it is the supervising doctor's responsibility to provide you one. You are correct that the female doctor will turn you down. Try the supervisor first and then you will be able to ask the other doctor if all things don't work. Honestly, there are more events than I wish where I have had to ask help from people I don't trust just because I don't really stand a choice.

 

[Mad Jack]

Hi, so I volunteered at this clinic last summer, where every volunteer is assigned a "supervising doctor", who will give you errands to run and ultimately write you a LOR. This was all stated to me during the interview.

Last August, my supervising doctor told me that if I want a LOR, I need to write it myself, and he'll edit it, and he will need 10 days of notice to write my letter. So when I was applying to Canadian schools last October, I asked him for a letter, given him 2 weeks of notice. He rejected me by saying that he only budgeted time to write people letters during Aug and Sept, and since I asked him in Oct, he doesn't have the time. Canadian schools have different deadlines and the ones I was applying to happen to have their LOR deadline in Oct, but most schools have their deadline earlier, which could be why he did not expect me to ask him in Oct. However, I already wrote the letter so it probably wouldn't take him more than 30min to edit it. To be honest, he was an a-hole even before this letter incident and I (and almost all other volunteers) suffered constant belittlement, but that's another story.

At that point, I had about a little more than 2 weeks before the deadline so it is too late for me to ask someone else. Needless to say, I was freaking out. In the end, I decided to reach out to another doc in the same clinic since only docs from the same clinic can possibly use the draft letter I created and may possibly write a letter for me within 2 weeks. She was very nice and agreed to write the letter for me after consulting with my supervising doc. However, in this whole incident, I did not lash out at my supervising doctor at all. I was very polite throughout the whole process, so I would not say we ended on bad terms, just awkward terms.

This year, I absolutely need a physician's letter for DO schools so I need to get one from a doc in that clinic since those are the only docs who know me. Now, should I ask my supervising doc to write me one? Or the female doc who saved me last time? It's technically against the clinic's rules to have a non-supervising doctor write your letter, but she did it last year, after consulting with my supervising doctor. Also, regardless of how polite I was, I'm pretty sure my supervising doc knows that I was not happy that he wouldn't write me a letter (any logical person would know that), so I'm scared that he'll write me a bad letter. I know it was not my fault last year, but he really is an a-hole so I don't trust that he will write me a positive letter after this incident. However, it would be even more risky if I ask the nice female doc, and she says no because this year I have adequate time to get a letter from my supervising doc, so now I have to ask my supervising doc and he'll know that I tried to get around him this year, then that will be even worse. What do I do??

Oh and by the way, I only interacted slightly more with my supervising doc than with the female doc, so the level of interaction is not a big problem for either of them to write the LOR.



Edit: Or maybe I could email my supervising doc to tell him that I want another LOR from either him or the other female doc, and ask who he thinks is "suitable" to write the letter for me, because the female doc will definitely consult with him before saying yes, so he will definitely know that I asked her without going to him first. I can say something like "I hope to get a LOR for my experience at this clinic. Since you were unavailable last year and Dr. [female doc] ended up writing my letter for me, I was wondering if you would recommend for me to ask Dr. [female doc] again this year since she can just work off the previous letter she wrote me. Or perhaps you may be open to writing the letter for me if your schedule allows this year?" If I phrase it like that, at least he knows I'm not trying to go around him, and since I'm playing so nice (as I was last time), maybe he won't write me a bad letter or stop the female doc from writing me one?

It sounds like you have a unique situation. Most clinics don't have rules about who can and cannot write letters for you- that really complicates things. Normally I'd say just go for the female doc if not for that.

Given the way things are, what I would do is say something like, "I've got a really good relationship with [female doctor] and I know you're really busy- would you mind if I asked her to write me a LoR?" It sounds like your supervising physician views writing LoRs as a chore anyway, and would be glad to be rid of the responsibility. If he played it, I would go to the other doctor and say something like, "Look, I feel like I've worked with you a lot and you have a good assessment of me as a medical school applicant. I know it's a lot to ask, and you don't have to say yes, but I would really be grateful if you could write me a LoR. I already ran it by [Dr. Dbag] and he was okay with it."

Again, this is a unique and difficult situation- it is as much about understanding the social environment you are dealing with as it is about anything else. Good luck. And DO letters are more fexible than you would think, so don't sweat that too much.

 

[Petrichor1]

It sounds like you have a unique situation. Most clinics don't have rules about who can and cannot write letters for you- that really complicates things. Normally I'd say just go for the female doc if not for that.

Given the way things are, what I would do is say something like, "I've got a really good relationship with [female doctor] and I know you're really busy- would you mind if I asked her to write me a LoR?" It sounds like your supervising physician views writing LoRs as a chore anyway, and would be glad to be rid of the responsibility. If he played it, I would go to the other doctor and say something like, "Look, I feel like I've worked with you a lot and you have a good assessment of me as a medical school applicant. I know it's a lot to ask, and you don't have to say yes, but I would really be grateful if you could write me a LoR. I already ran it by [Dr. Dbag] and he was okay with it."

Again, this is a unique and difficult situation- it is as much about understanding the social environment you are dealing with as it is about anything else. Good luck. And DO letters are more fexible than you would think, so don't sweat that too much.

This doctor will obviously say yes to rid of the chore but technically going to the female doctor and then supposedly getting rejected will probably leave op with no choice, I'd suggest not doing that. I agree this is tricky because you can't override quality. However I feel as if having the op already craft the letter will ensure that the most meaningful traits of the op will not be missed by either of the doctors.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

Are you able to find a local DO and do more shadowing for this cycle?