مصدر هذا النص هو من أحد المدونات الخاصة بطبيب في الولايات المتحدة, و هو يتعلق بشكل خاص بالمتقدمين عبر برنامج ERAS.
للوصول إلى المدونة الرجاء
اضغط هنا , ستجد هناك ما هو مفيد في مواضيع أخرى. طبعاً
الفائدة من مشاركات الأطباء في المدونة.
Letters Of Recommendation (LOR) : Basics and Tips
Some Recommendations about being Recommended !
Why US LORs Rock ?
First of all, why do Program Directors need LORs at all? Because they carry a big responsiblity in choosing the right people to look after their patients safely for the next three years and are seeking assurance about the guys they are interested in! It's like - while choosing a good car dealer for buying a used car, we naturally ask information from friends we know and trust. Likewise, it is best if the LOR is from someone whom a Program Director can trust and believe. Hence, LORs from the MDs that are already established in the USA carry much more credibility and trust than those in other countries - unless they are big figures internationally. Some programs may even put forth a requirement of Recommedations from US Doctors as their criteria.
That is not to mean that other LORs are utterly useless - but do get them from professors from your Medical school, which are more trustworthy than some friendly private practitioners.
Secondly, the
practice of "You write the letter - I will sign it" by docs in our home
countries is now known to most PDs here... :-) US Docs will hardly do that -
which adds to their reliability !
Do all LORs need to be from MDs ?
Not really -
but some programs may have special requirements. Like some family practice
programs would want at least one recommendation from a family practice
physician.
How many LORs are needed for ERAS / Match ?
Most programs
wanna see a minimum of 3 Letters of recommendation - in addition, ERAS allows
you to attach one more LOR allowed per program, bringing the total to a maximum
of 4 LORs that you can allot to a single program.
Should LORs from people in the same specialty that you are interested in?
Not
necessarily , but please have atleast one and the more the better. The practical
disadvantage in having all from the same specialty could be that if could weaken
your case if you were planning to apply for other specilaties as a backup with
the same letters.
Should my LOR have an AAMC ID on it ?
Yes - its
safer that way -why ? Coz then it ensures that ERAS scans and attaches the LOR
image to only YOUR application and not someone else by mistake. In case the
recommender forget to write the AAMC ID on the letter, you can write it yourself
on the backside of the letter before you mail it to ERAS.
What formats should your LOR be in ?
There are no
Universal formats per se, but its good to follow some practical tips :
1. Let the letter be addressed as "Dear Program
Director"
2. Make the Letters 'specialty neutral' If you
plan to use the same letter for different speciaties- what I mean by this is
that don't let the letter specifically mention that you would be a great fit for
'pediatrics' or 'Internal medicine' - just let them say that you would be a
great fit for 'your residency program'. Two reasons for this : a. The same
letters can be used for multiple specialties and b. This also avoids a mistake
by ERAS guys sending the wrong letter to the wrong specialty and embarrassing
you ;-) Another reason this becomes important is that most people have the
impression that they will be able to see the scanned LORs online after ERAS
uploads them - Unfortunately NO , YOU CAN'T :-( You can only 'assign' the name
of the person writing the letter to the programs you apply to and hope that ERAS
sends the right letter to the programs..The new ERAS system now allows you to
specify which specialty/specialties you would like the LOR to be sent to, to
eliminate such errors.
3. Don't have it too short - atleast 3/4ths of a page
or more