IM chair letter as one of three letters of recommendation for residency?

[Anakinmemer]

Unfortunately, It is looking very likely that I'm being ghosted by one of my letter writers. Right now I have 2 radiology and 1 IM chair letter that my school required anyone doing IM or prelim/TY's obtain. If my third individual letter writer does not write one for me in time, is it reasonable to submit 2 radiology and the IM chair letter to radiology programs or is that a death sentence because they don't count it as fulfilling the requirement?

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[MadRadLad]

You'll be fine. Most programs are good with 1-2 rads letters.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Have never seen a program require 3 radiology letters? Most applications I have reviewed had a variety of letter writer specialties.

 

[Anakinmemer]

Have never seen a program require 3 radiology letters? Most applications I have reviewed had a variety of letter writer specialties.

I was more referring to whether the IM chair/department letter will be acceptable as a letter to radiology programs as my original intention was to get one from an IM doc I directly worked with. The chair/department letter is from someone I never worked and I imagine it is some sort of compilation of my medicine clerkship evaluations. They write it for everyone at the school applying to medicine/prelim years, but I hadn't heard of it also being submitted to radiology programs

So the original plan was 2 radiology and 1 IM attending, but if the IM attending falls through I would have to go with 2 radiology and the IM department letter

 

[MadRadLad]

You're overthinking this. They won't care. 3 letters with at least 1 being from rads will be fine.

 

[Anakinmemer]

Sounds good to me, thank you for the reassurance

 

[radsresident-US]

I was on the residency selection committee as chief resident, but I never served as PD or APD. However, I did review applications for candidates to select some for interviews.

I would say you should definitely try to get someone you worked with. If the IM letter writer is ghosting you, try and find a different specialty. The "summary letter" that you're IM chief is going to submit is going to be a completely impersonal, super formatted excel file more or less that will not look good. They don't know you and they're not claiming to, it would be like submitting a Dean's letter as an LOR. It's assumed the LOR is written personally for you, by an attending/mentor that has worked with you and effectively is attesting that you are not insane/incompetent. If someone submitted a formatted "summary letter" I would assume they could not find a 3rd letter writer which is suspect. May still get an invite but would definitely hurt their application.

The other people responding may not fully understand you're question, seeing as you had to clarify, but I think I understand the issue. In all fairness it has nothing to do with "Radiology" letters or "IM" letter writers. A "summary letter" written by the Rads PD (if that was an expectation that all med students applying to rads needed a summary letter from the rads PD) would have the same issue.

Sorry to freak you out if you just wanted the reassurance, but id say better to find an actual LOR.

 

[Anakinmemer]

I was on the residency selection committee as chief resident, but I never served as PD or APD. However, I did review applications for candidates to select some for interviews.

I would say you should definitely try to get someone you worked with. If the IM letter writer is ghosting you, try and find a different specialty. The "summary letter" that you're IM chief is going to submit is going to be a completely impersonal, super formatted excel file more or less that will not look good. They don't know you and they're not claiming to, it would be like submitting a Dean's letter as an LOR. It's assumed the LOR is written personally for you, by an attending/mentor that has worked with you and effectively is attesting that you are not insane/incompetent. If someone submitted a formatted "summary letter" I would assume they could not find a 3rd letter writer which is suspect. May still get an invite but would definitely hurt their application.

The other people responding may not fully understand you're question, seeing as you had to clarify, but I think I understand the issue. In all fairness it has nothing to do with "Radiology" letters or "IM" letter writers. A "summary letter" written by the Rads PD (if that was an expectation that all med students applying to rads needed a summary letter from the rads PD) would have the same issue.

Sorry to freak you out if you just wanted the reassurance, but id say better to find an actual LOR.

Damn okay I guess I'm going to have to show up to their office as a last resort because I can't see anyone from clinical year responding to my email request this late (but I'll try that too)

 

[Anakinmemer]

I was on the residency selection committee as chief resident, but I never served as PD or APD. However, I did review applications for candidates to select some for interviews.

I would say you should definitely try to get someone you worked with. If the IM letter writer is ghosting you, try and find a different specialty. The "summary letter" that you're IM chief is going to submit is going to be a completely impersonal, super formatted excel file more or less that will not look good. They don't know you and they're not claiming to, it would be like submitting a Dean's letter as an LOR. It's assumed the LOR is written personally for you, by an attending/mentor that has worked with you and effectively is attesting that you are not insane/incompetent. If someone submitted a formatted "summary letter" I would assume they could not find a 3rd letter writer which is suspect. May still get an invite but would definitely hurt their application.

The other people responding may not fully understand you're question, seeing as you had to clarify, but I think I understand the issue. In all fairness it has nothing to do with "Radiology" letters or "IM" letter writers. A "summary letter" written by the Rads PD (if that was an expectation that all med students applying to rads needed a summary letter from the rads PD) would have the same issue.

Sorry to freak you out if you just wanted the reassurance, but id say better to find an actual LOR.

Follow up question: If I can hopefully obtain another one from someone I worked with, is it worth it to send the medicine chair letter as a fourth or nah?

 

[radsresident-US]

I don't think it will help or hurt either way, but generally I say to just send the required number of letters unless you have really exceptional ones. So anything above the required should be a really great letter. Since it's a summary letter, it probably doesn't meet that box, unless the comments from the attendings you worked with (as I understand these letters, they just copy paste quotes from other attendings that worked with you) are really stellar.

 

[MadRadLad]

I was on the residency selection committee as chief resident, but I never served as PD or APD. However, I did review applications for candidates to select some for interviews.

I would say you should definitely try to get someone you worked with. If the IM letter writer is ghosting you, try and find a different specialty. The "summary letter" that you're IM chief is going to submit is going to be a completely impersonal, super formatted excel file more or less that will not look good. They don't know you and they're not claiming to, it would be like submitting a Dean's letter as an LOR. It's assumed the LOR is written personally for you, by an attending/mentor that has worked with you and effectively is attesting that you are not insane/incompetent. If someone submitted a formatted "summary letter" I would assume they could not find a 3rd letter writer which is suspect. May still get an invite but would definitely hurt their application.

The other people responding may not fully understand you're question, seeing as you had to clarify, but I think I understand the issue. In all fairness it has nothing to do with "Radiology" letters or "IM" letter writers. A "summary letter" written by the Rads PD (if that was an expectation that all med students applying to rads needed a summary letter from the rads PD) would have the same issue.

Sorry to freak you out if you just wanted the reassurance, but id say better to find an actual LOR.

I also had the experience as you and we treated the chair/departmental letters the same, they may not be personally written but usually have several evaluations within them from multiple people. But thanks for providing your experience that not all programs will view it in the same light, that is good to know.

 

[Cognovi]

Unfortunately, It is looking very likely that I'm being ghosted by one of my letter writers. Right now I have 2 radiology and 1 IM chair letter that my school required anyone doing IM or prelim/TY's obtain. If my third individual letter writer does not write one for me in time, is it reasonable to submit 2 radiology and the IM chair letter to radiology programs or is that a death sentence because they don't count it as fulfilling the requirement?

I would recommend one radiology letter and two letters from other specialties in which you excelled on a rigorous clinical rotation, including a 4th year sub-internship in medicine or surgery.

 

[Tiger100]

You will be fine