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Help with narrowing down recommendations


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People that I’ve worked with/for for 2+ years from my time as an ER Tech who have written my letters last cycle (was interviewed and waitlisted for one program)

- ER charge nurse (worked with her a big chunk of my shifts as an ER Tech)

- ER Nurse manager (has written for me twice already, first time I applied and didn’t get any interviews)

- ER Chief of Physicians (he’s definitely rooting for me to get in)

- ER PA (who I also shadowed)

- Fellow ED Tech that I trained (who got into PA school this cycle), she has worked with me many shifts and knows me well as a colleague (hasn’t written a letter for me before)


people that I’ve worked with for 1+ years working for Quest Diagnostics at an OBGYN practice as an in office phlebotomist (none of these people have written a letter for me yet that I’ve ever submitted) 

- Quest Diagnositics Supervisor 

- OBGYN Practice president (MD)

- OBGYN (PA)


what’s a good mix of letters that I should consider submitting to CASPA? Is it a good idea to keep as many of them the same and add one newer one?

Edited by MPAPA
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18 hours ago, TheFatMan said:

Who do you think knows you the best? Who do you think sees your potential the best?

Agree wouldn't use the ED tech as they couldn't really speak about your potential to be a provider.

Some schools ask for a “personal” letter, a fellow ED tech wouldn’t count as so?

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I personally think you also need someone who can speak to your academics, like a professor, etc.

I had a professor, the chief of my EMS unit, and a senior executive friend (who could speak to my character.) Some places want a PA.

Bottom line: I would get people who know you in a variety of environments who can speak freely (and well) about at least one aspect of your life. If you have multiple candidates from the same environment, I would pick the one who could (and will) write the best letter and is a bit higher on the totem pole than the others, all other factors being equal.

Good luck!

Edited by UGoLong
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16 hours ago, MPAPA said:

Some schools ask for a “personal” letter, a fellow ED tech wouldn’t count as so?

I suppose it would, but I still think you'd be better off going with someone who can speak more about your potential, even if from a personal standpoint. Also, getting a letter from someone you trained might seem like a conflict of interest (my opinion, admission teams might not see it that way).

On my application I felt it was important to talk about some of the people I had trained too (to speak about leadership, etc), so I found other areas to include those stories.

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2 hours ago, TheFatMan said:

I suppose it would, but I still think you'd be better off going with someone who can speak more about your potential, even if from a personal standpoint. Also, getting a letter from someone you trained might seem like a conflict of interest (my opinion, admission teams might not see it that way).

On my application I felt it was important to talk about some of the people I had trained too (to speak about leadership, etc), so I found other areas to include those stories.

good points! thank you so much for your advice

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