Letters of recommendation?

[WalterDandy]

Hi all,

I've got a week free at med school over Easter so I've decided that I'm going to head over to the US and try and gain some clinical experience (although I'll setlle for observing if needs be), not to mention trying to befriend some senior clinicians and hopefully persuade them to utimately write me a letter of recommendation.

So my questions for the group are as follows:

1. How much of a crazy scheme is this? I'll be in the hospital (TBC btw) for 9 days before flying home to the UK. Is this a waste of time?

2. How senior does someone have to be to write a LOR? Does it have to be an attending or can I get away with a letter from a PGY-3/4?

3. Is it best to approach someone in advance via email, with a copy of my CV and explain my situation and my plans for the future? Or should I just find someone willing to supervise me for a week and just take the experience?

4. Can anyone recommend me a friendly surgeon/hospital in the Boston area? (PM me if possible)

5. I'll be heading back to the US for a 12 week elective in November (sadly after this year's deadline has passed which means I'll have to spend a year working in the UK as a dreaded FY1 doctor before I can head over to start my internship (if I'm successful that is!) Does anyone know the best way to be cleared as an IMG to undertake clinical work?

I appreciate its a big ask but all thoughts and opinions gratefully received!

W

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[WalterDandy]

Any thoughts at all? ? ? ?

 

[soeagerun2or]

As an observer it is unlikely you will receive a letter and unless you have malpractice-insurance you won't be approved for a clerkship where you can actually do things. Also, 9 days is a relatively short period to woo potential letter writers. Focus on the 12-week period to collect letters.

 

[WalterDandy]

As an observer it is unlikely you will receive a letter and unless you have malpractice-insurance you won't be approved for a clerkship where you can actually do things. Also, 9 days is a relatively short period to woo potential letter writers. Focus on the 12-week period to collect letters.

Thanks for your thoughts. Much appreciated.

 

[barcalounger]

I'll take a shot at your questions.

(1) This is a crazy scheme. You plan to be in the hospital for nine days? What are you going to do? First, if this is completely on your own without your school's sponsorship, you are not covered under malpractice (unless you pay for your own - most clerkships require you be covered for $1 million). Second, there are all sorts of other considerations (immunizations, HIPAA, etc.) that preclude someone from just walking into a hospital and asking to be "supervised." Especially an IMG. In any case, nine days in far too little time to be considered "US clinical experience" especially if it is not part of a clerkship. I suggest you drop the Easter plan entirely and just focus on your 12-week elective. Save your money, and use the vacation time to contact programs.

(2) No letter of recommendation from a resident is going to be taken seriously in the match. You want a letter not just from an attending, but from the chairman of the program. If you are planning on just rotating at a hospital with no neurosurgery training program, you are wasting your time.

(3) Always contact people in advance.

(4) Can't help you with this, sorry.

(5) I don't know what the IMG certification process entails, specifically, but if you are going to enter the match, you are going to have to be ECFMG-certified, so you will need to start that process at some point.

I hope that was somewhat helpful.