Letters of Recommendation: help, please?

[A511]

Can my personal pediatric gastro Dr. (who I no longer see) write one of the LOR's? I've known him for about eight years and he's gotten to know me more than most doctors know their patients I assume. He's offered to write me one several times but I keep saying "thanks, but no" since I've never actually worked with him or shadowed him. Also, I don't know if that would be considered an inappropriate/irrelevant letter coming from a personal physician just as it is if you asked a family member to write you one.

 

My top two choices have different specifications of who they want the LOR's to be written by. One school lists: a pa or md, another healthcare provider, and an individual. The other school lists: an academic advisor, a clinical supervisor, and an employer however substitutions may be made if all three are not available but at least one reference should be from someone familiar with you in a work or professional setting. Unfortunately I've never worked in a hospital/healthcare setting (other than vol. at a fire station) but I'm in the middle of trying to secure a job in the hospital now but I know it'll be too late to get a LOR from someone there even if I got the job tomorrow. So here's my dilemma...I've worked at a daycare (various hours and positions) for three years and I asked my boss if she would write one of my letters of recommendation for me; however, I'm not so sure if I should actually follow through with it. She knows me well enough where I feel confident that she would write me a good LOR, but I don't know how helpful the LOR would actually be since she only knows me in a professional setting, not a healthcare one. Basically, I think she can only say professional descriptions about me like that I work hard, that everyone likes me and gets along with me, that I'm dependable, etc. The other person I was thinking of asking is my old anatomy/physiology professor. I had her for two semesters (lecture only) but only started to know her towards the end of the first semester. I got a B+ and a B for the two semesters. I don't think she knows me that well where I would feel totally confident in her LOR for me, but I'm thinking of asking her because she's a professor and can actually somewhat attest to my academic ability and interest in healthcare. Another drawback to asking her would be that I'm not sure that she would remember all the details of all our conversations since I haven't seen her since May and I don't know if she has taught other classes over the summer that would cloud her memory of me. Who do you suggest I ask- my daycare boss who I'm more confident about or take a chance on my professor?

Also as I previously mentioned, I don't have anyone I've actually worked with in a medical setting who can write my LOR so pretty much my only option is to get LOR's from: a PA I've shadowed, my doctor (from the first paragraph) or another PA who I'm about to shadow, and my daycare boss/or my anatomy professor. Do you think that will work and satisfies the specifications of my top two choices???

 

Thanks!

[Koppma]

I was in a slightly different situation since I hadn't been in school for over 5 years. I got 2 doctors and my boss to write me a letter. One doctor I shadowed for over 2 years before I joined the Navy and she has been my mentor for over 7 years. I even house sit and baby sit for her for. The other doctor I volunteered for the medical department in my ship during my time in the Navy for over 6 months. My boss was the Captain (CO) of the ship so he could explain about me even though it wasn't medical related. Note that I was an officer and was in charge of over 32 personnel.

 

The trick is to get someone who really knows you. This is what I was told by one of the professors who sits on the board at Western University. I don't know if you are a where what CASPA does once you give them your references email. They send an email with a link to a survey that the person has to take about you, they have short essay questions about you that might come up at your interview, and lastly an area where your reference can put their letter in for you. Note I got asked about one of these questions during my interview. My question that I got and my reference got was describe a time when the candidate almost gave up on something and did not. How did they over come this challenge? Note I got accepted last year.

 

For your case I would get a letter from your boss that you worked with for over three years, the pa you shadowed, and maybe if your doctor if he can talk about you like your strengths and weakness, professionalism, how you handle other people, communication skills, team work, intellect, how you would fit in health care team. If your doctor can't talk about you in that way I would go with the anatomy teacher or the other PA if they can talk about you in that manner.

 

Did you ever tutored for a class even thought it might not be a science class? If you did I would get that teacher to write about you.

 

I hope that helps you out.