paprospect24 Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 I am trying to apply to some programs this year but I am finding it difficult to meet the 2-3 required LORs from Physicians or Physician Assistants. My HCE is strictly from time on an ambulance and I rarely interacted with PAs or MDs. I am trying to get the wheels in motion for some shadowing experience but even still the LOR forms seem as if they must be written by someone who has supervised or employed me in a clinical setting. I am confident in my abilities as a provider and I want my letters to be based off my merit as one, but the only people able to validate my competency are Operations Managers and partners. Any suggestions on how I would go about obtaining the neccessary LOR's? Also to make matters more complex I am pressed for time to apply this year. Any advice is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted July 4, 2013 Administrator Share Posted July 4, 2013 When I applied as an EMT, I had an LOR from a PA I'd shadowed; my primary care physician, a DO whom I'd shadowed; and the executive director of a medical missions organization for which I'd served. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted July 4, 2013 Moderator Share Posted July 4, 2013 how about docs at any of the er;s you take pts too who know you well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paprospect24 Posted July 4, 2013 Author Share Posted July 4, 2013 When I applied as an EMT, I had an LOR from a PA I'd shadowed; my primary care physician, a DO whom I'd shadowed; and the executive director of a medical missions organization for which I'd served. Thank you. I had not considered my PCP. how about docs at any of the er;s you take pts too who know you well? Unfortunately I served such a large and busy area I never really got a chance to get to know any of the ER doctors. Most the time I would transfer care and it would be onto the next one, and depending on the call I would transfer to any of the 10+ hospitals in my coverage area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paramedic Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Your medical director should be a doctor! Start rubbing elbows with the PAs in the ER when you drop PTs off, tell them what you got going on and in time doors will open. Be personable and you will get what you need! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbalaban Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 +1 on your med director and rubbing elbows with the people where you drop pt's off at. I'm not sure on where you are applying but the places I'm applying one require 1 PA or DR ref and prefer/want a prof and then another of my choosing. So I got one of my profs, one of my old supervisors and an old friend that was a medic with me that is now a PA. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted July 4, 2013 Share Posted July 4, 2013 Does dispatch send you on a call right away or do you get 20-25 minutes of turnover time when you drop off a patient? Do you and your partner trade between driving and being in the back? Can the guy who is driving get the rig put back together while you work on your report and talk to the staff? I worked in the Washington DC suburbs where we had about 6 different hospitals and I worked in Portland, OR where we transported to something like 9 or 10 different hospitals in the immediate area. Despite that variability, bonds were made, friendships were formed. Start asking the ER provider for details about some of your more critical patients. Show them you are interested in learning more. Deliver a patient that has been treated far above the "typical" ambulance crew's routine treatment. Let the ER providers SEE that you take that extra step. At one hospital there was a doc I would play "question of the night". Every time we crossed paths, he would pimp me on some esoteric crap. Sure, I was never going to get the answer right but what it did was build a rapport with him. We would laugh about it and bust each other's chops, keeping it a game vs. an ego struggle. 10 years later and 3000 miles away, we are still friends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paprospect24 Posted July 4, 2013 Author Share Posted July 4, 2013 Your medical director should be a doctor! Start rubbing elbows with the PAs in the ER when you drop PTs off, tell them what you got going on and in time doors will open. Be personable and you will get what you need! +1 on your med director and rubbing elbows with the people where you drop pt's off at. I'm not sure on where you are applying but the places I'm applying one require 1 PA or DR ref and prefer/want a prof and then another of my choosing. So I got one of my profs, one of my old supervisors and an old friend that was a medic with me that is now a PA. :) Most EMTs out here have no idea who there Medical Director is, never mind having interaction with them. The other problem I am up against is I left my job as an EMT. Although I loved my job and I miss it, I wasn't able to afford staying there. So for now I am back and my old non healthcare related job. Does dispatch send you on a call right away or do you get 20-25 minutes of turnover time when you drop off a patient? Do you and your partner trade between driving and being in the back? Can the guy who is driving get the rig put back together while you work on your report and talk to the staff? I worked in the Washington DC suburbs where we had about 6 different hospitals and I worked in Portland, OR where we transported to something like 9 or 10 different hospitals in the immediate area. Despite that variability, bonds were made, friendships were formed. Start asking the ER provider for details about some of your more critical patients. Show them you are interested in learning more. Deliver a patient that has been treated far above the "typical" ambulance crew's routine treatment. Let the ER providers SEE that you take that extra step. At one hospital there was a doc I would play "question of the night". Every time we crossed paths, he would pimp me on some esoteric crap. Sure, I was never going to get the answer right but what it did was build a rapport with him. We would laugh about it and bust each other's chops, keeping it a game vs. an ego struggle. 10 years later and 3000 miles away, we are still friends. I wish the program I am applying to accepted professors. To be more specific the programs i am applying to provide the applicant reference forms. Under "Relationship to applicant" the only options are supervisor or employer. I also vaguely remember reading or hearing the program does not accept letters from professors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchampigny Posted July 6, 2013 Share Posted July 6, 2013 apply to a program that doesn't require a PA letter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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