LORs: How well should I know the provider?

[minnesotaprepa]

Hi all, back with another question:

I have a strong academic background and will have excellent LORs from a professor and a clinical research PI. I will also have a good LOR from an RN who is my clinical supervisor. However, I am stuck on where to get my provider LOR. As an NA on a inpatient hospital floor, I hardly ever interact with doctors/PAs/MDs, although I get awesome PCE. However, this has made it difficult to track down a good LOR for next cycle. I have family and friends who are MDs/PAs, but I know most programs don't allow that. 

My best option right now seems to be asking PAs who I have shadowed. I have shadowed quite a bit, but I feel like I don't know the providers well-enough, esp. compared to my other references. This makes me nervous, because I know how important the clinical references are. Have other people had success with references from providers who they did not know very well? What is the best way to approach this?

Thanks!

[Hopeful2015]

Go shadow one of your friends and have them write it. This is a no brainer. Way better than obtaining a mediocre letter from someone you don’t know.

[Caligal]

So you already have 3 LORs? I know it’s recommended to have a LOR from a PA or MD but that doesn’t mean you have a less chance at landing interviews if you didn’t. But if you really did want one from a PA/MD then you only really have one choice, shadow them for a considerable amount of time. The MD that wrote me a LOR, I had shadowed him for well over a year.