Getting LORs!

hey any1 who did electives or who r doin electives...wat is the actual funda of getting LOR's..1 of my attending where i m doing elective has agreed 2 write a LOR 4 me, but then does that LOR copy need 2 b taken now or should it be taken when v have registered in ERAS..as i would b applying in ERAS in 2011 for 2012 match..how should i proceed .. also i have heard that there's some kinda waiver in LOR where the attending doctors directly upload ur LOR without showing it 2 u and I hav heard that such LOR's have more value..how does this thing work and how hav u guys approached this issue..Wat did u do for LOR's umarbhai...did u take that on the spot or like u will b taking it next year when u apply in ERAS

waz up,

I am doing electives these days and my month of the first elective is getting over by next week and I talked to the attending regarding LOR and he agreed for it......

now I would like to know that:

1. usually the attitude of the attendings in US is pretty cool so for most of the time they talk to us very nicely and its really tough to know whether he/she is happy with your work or not, but I think the type of LOR (average/outsanding) they give us will be the real status of the performance,

...so Bhai, does that mean they usally give it to every one who do the rotations under them?

and is there any way to know that whether he is impressed or not before he gives me LOR so that I must know that I going in the right direction?

2.  n also, we have to submit 1 lor from each electives...or if i am doing a elective under different Attending i.e. 1st 2 weeks is other n next 2 weeks its sumone else can I ask both of them for LORs,? is it right to ask for two and sending both for ERAS ?

regards,

best wishes too,

Himanshu Adlakha

I recently did my elective in radiology. I guess  the problem with most radiology electives is that you have to rotate in different area every day. At least thats what happened with me. 

However, there were two faculty that i really kicked off with so i asked to be reassigned with them and ended up spending 3 days each with both of them and they both gave me very good feedback on the last day and said they were pretty impressed with me.

So my question is: Should i ask them for an LOR even though i've spent so little time with them? 

This is what the ECFMG has to say about LORs.

hi...i m doing my elective right now.it is said that after the end of my elective i ll get an evaluation form my attending  that i just have to take a print out of...is it same as a lor or evaluation different from a lor?????that means i have to ask my attending to give me a separate lor?????

i have d same query as a visitor above...dont the lor require to be at least 1 yr old.....if more than that it would not b accepted...so if i get a lor now will it b valid i apply for 2013??????

hey i just completed my elective at havard and asked my attendind fr a LOR for which he agreed ,he mailed me tht he has been on the residency selection commite of many universities and that if u dont waive ur right to see the letter ur application is red tagged...and tht waiving it off is advisable...now i wont be applying for match this year but wil b doing so nxt year....so what shud i  tell him to do?

 U.S. attendings are very humble and very good. They, most of the times wouldn't say NO if you request them to give a LOR. But, remember there are 3 types of LOR. Bad, OK and Brilliant. They will have templates for the first two kinds and depending on how you have performance, they would just type your name in it and will e-mail your or the physician assistant will mail(post) you that letter. To assess you perfectly, you have to be with the attending for atleast 4-6 months which is not usually possible during most of the elective programs. If during that time, if you impress an attending, he would WRITE A LETTER describing your capabilities and the reasons for you being a good candidate for residency and it usually will FILL THE ENTIRE PAGE OF THE LETTER. Also remember it is not regarding the number of words in the letter, but usually brilliant letters are long describing you in detail about your goods and odds. I do not say you cannot get a brilliant LOR during your 1 or 2 month elective, but it is nearly impossible.

Well, I might be repeating the same question, but I'd be glad to know the answer:

I'm through the last week of my elective. I requested one of my attendings and he agreed to write a LoR for me... He did mention the waiver to read the letter, which earns it more credibility... 

He said, that it'd be better if he sent it himself to ERAS when I applied for a residency.

I checked out the ECFMG website for info regarding LoRs. They say, that if I'm to waive my right to read the letter, it must be sent directly by the writer to ERAS along with the AAMC’s Request for LoR/Cover sheet, and the ECFMG's document submission form (DSF).

The request for LOR/Cover sheet requires you to post your AAMC ID in it, which I believe, is something you get after you register with the ERAS (after having completed steps 1, 2CK, and 2CS). I am yet to complete my USMLE steps. 

In that case, what should I do? I mean, do I submit a Request for LOR to my attending right away, without the AAMC ID on it, or do I have it sent to him after I get my AAMC ID?

Its kinda confusing... I don't really want to take the LOR home, because I don't want to lose the credibility it gets if I waive the right to read it...

But then, I'm also worried whether, after a year or so, my attending will still remember me!!!

Thanks for the website.

As an IMG I have done some electives in the states. I will apply for matching next year as I have not taken any of the steps except CS. I asked my attending to give me LORs and they have agreed. As I will apply for amtching next year it will be difficult to contact the attending and ask him to mail LOR to ERAS. I want to waive the right to see as I have been told they are more valuable. 

What if : I apply for AAMC Id this year and ask my attending to upload the LORs now as he will remember me and he'd easily approachable. Next year I can apply for matching as repeat applicant. Will applying as repeat applicant go against me? 

Other options I have : get the lors in hand or rely on my luck and expect the attending to mail lors next year.

Thank you

Regards

Faheem Qureshi

hello umar bhai... m  really confused here pls help me.

i have got a low step 1 score 197, but i have got an elective from yale in pediatric cardio. i havent given my step 2 ck n cs yet. pls tell me waht are my chances of gettin into pediatrics family medicine or family medcine. I will be really greatful to you.

do u think i can get residency in any of the above branches.

thanking you

I am doing an elective right now at Northwestern in Pediatrics.

In my department the attendings change every week and I worked the most with two of them. But even for those two, I got to present only one or two patients each day and I just followed them with their patients the rest of the day. I asked a lot of questions and tried to show them the additional reading that I have been doing.

Do you think I should ask them for a letter? They are sweet in general and it is tough to know whether they are actually impressed with me.

Hi,

LOR author wrote that I performed reasonably well during rotation. Should I use this this LOR? Please anyone

Hi

I am currently doing an elective in pediatrics hem onc at Mount Sinai. I finished one in Neurology where they placed me with the movement disorders clinic which turned out to be just an observership and the director said he could just give me an evaluation report. In fact on contacting the coordinator in the dept of neurology they said the departmental policy is not to give LORs to international students coz they hardly know you in just a month. the evaluation report I got is just OK!

Now at Peds hem onc, I was initially doing inpatient consults and taking cases but doe to the problem of not being able to put notes in their electronic system EPIC, they say I can only follow a resident and observe. I really dont know what this one will be yielding for me.

I am so confused. Pls advice what to do? How to work out in favour of getting a good LOR!?