Two things:
1) The first is me being anal retentive: I think I made a mistake. Criminal records might be public. See my earlier post.
2) To the OP: If you have the opportunity to write your own recommendation, try and do so within the context that this physician knows you. Obviously any anecdotes related in this letter (if any) would need to be from an experience that the two of you could reasonably have shared. I would also try and think of things unlikely to be mentioned in other LORs. I'm sure we can all think of things we're proud of that, if we were to write about them in our Personal Statements, would make us come across as a little inflated. But those same things written from a 3rd-person POV can come across as insightful and very positive.
Remember that this doctor will read the letter you wrote and decide if what it says could serve as his own words. When the doctor signs it, the signature is an endorsement that everything in the letter is consistent with his opinion, making the letter his message about you.
If you're unsure of how to go about it (because I know I'd be nervous as hell writing my own recommendation
) here's the advice I'd try and follow myself:
You may want to draft up the letter and email it to them to get their opinion and to minimize the number of unexpected changes after you hand the letter over to the secretary. Or even better, take two hard copies of the draft to the doctor's office and go over the letter, asking if you could add this or add that and getting feedback on those sections you were somewhat uncomfortable about. Be forthcoming about the sort of comments you think would most strengthen your application (i.e., comments about intelligence, or easy relationship with patients, outstanding research, noticeable compassion, great deal of concern for specific patient types or certain public health issues, opportunities in which you displayed integrity, sacrifices, commitment, etc... etc...)
You provided all the information about your official accomplishments and awards in your AMCAS. Let the LOR be about the unofficial awards--the recognition for those events and accomplishments in our lives that other people notice but for which there are no plaques or trophys.
Good Luck!
--rager1