Writing your own recommendation?

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I asked my pharmacist to write me letter of recommendation a few weeks ago and he accepted. AFter I gave him my resume and pre-paid envelop and told him that he can take all the time he wants but I want to get done with everything at least by December, he told me that I should just write the letter myself and he'll sign it because he has "too much going on" right now. He just recently graduated from pharmacy school two months ago and said that he remembers his pharmacist made him write his own recommendation before so now he wants me to do it too. I meant, I told him it's fine with me and I could do that but now that I gave some thoughts about it. I think it is unethical and I dont think I want to write one for myself. However, I'm also somewhat pissed that he says that after he wants everything from me in order for him to know more about me.

So I guess my question is .. should I write one? Is it ethical? Should I just find another person to write one for me?

 

[sdn1977]

This is tremendously unethical. If you have any other resource, I'd use it. However, given the circumstances......know that unless you rave outrageously about yourself....it probably won't be found out. Just realize..you are starting out with a less than honest beginning. I cannot imagine signing something which I did not write.

One caveat....if this individual is in any way politically active in pharmacy...he may be a "talker" and you'd be surprised how much talk gets around. If thats the case...steer very clear.

I really can't imagine how an individual cannot compose a loc, but I'm a fast typer. Is there any other pharmacist you know?

 

[ForcedEntry]

Aside from the ethics of it, IF you are going to write your own LoR, be very weary of your tone and word usage. Wouldn't it suck if your PS sounded like your LoR and you got called on it during the interview..."uh uh uh uh".

 

[GatorRxGirl]

Wow....so unethical. Please don't go into the field of health care if this is the kind of person you are.

 

[twester]

Besides being unethical, it's rude on this pharmacist's part. If he doesn't want to give you a recommendation, he should just say no rather than tempting you to do something dishonest. There has to be someone else you've worked with academically or professionally who is willing to actually give you a recommendation.

 

[Sego]

Your pharmacist may have a brother, sister, uncle, husband, wife, friend, or neighbor who happens to be the admission committee.....

 

[PharmMnM]

Your pharmacist might be called up in reference to the letter he supposedly wrote without even knowing what he said about you.

Also, it may just be a test of your ethical decision whether you agree to go ahead and write your own letter.

 

[Scrubs Fan]

Wow....so unethical. Please don't go into the field of health care if this is the kind of person you are.

granted, it is there is an unethical part to it. But you guys are neglecting to see some of the positives. Perhaps the pharmacist did this so that you are forced to take a look at yourself objectively on how you tackle the tasks or your own work ethic.

I don't necessarily think this could be the case. I just think that since that's what someone did for him, then he is just giving someone else the same chance for it to work for them.

If you wrote your own LOR, i don't think it's a terrible thing. Even after you write it, the pharmacist has the choice to sign it after he reads it, so by him signing it is a sign that he approves of what you wrote.

Getting into pharmacy school is difficult enough, he's just giving you some control over your application.

Good luck, hope you're satisfied w/ your decision.
Cheers

 

[117296]

nah I wouldnt do it, that's pretty sketchy....grounds for dismissal...blah blah blah. This is akin to stealing pills from people's Rx's. 😱

 

[DownonthePharm]

This is actually pretty common for people to want you to write your own letter. Maybe you can compromise by giving him a very specific resume and stating what accomplishments you would like it to highlight.

However, I dont recommend writing it yourself because a) as already mentioned, it will look like your writing style b) you will probably understate yourself in an attempt to look legit c) you think its unethical.

Honestly? I would find someone else to write you a letter.

 

[Glowwyrm]

I think that is actually fairly common. My boss wanted me to write my own letter of recommendation. However, I was not comfortable doing so. Instead I wrote up a list of different accomplishments and things that I was proud of. He drew from the list and wrote the letter himself.

 

[alwaystired]

I think it is common too. People are lazy and not skilled on the computer, with words, do not have a lot of time, etc. I don't think you should write it either. But it would suck to not get in to school b/c you didn't have a really good reference from a trustworthy (RPh, other healthcare provider) source. Try the other pharmacist. Maybe the lead tech if you are despeate. Pretty sucky position to be in. 👎