<p>I'm currently shadowing a doctor for Christmas break who I might want a letter of recommendation from, and I know it's best to ask right after the last day of shadowing. But it will be over a full year before my medical school applications (AMCAS or OMSAS) are open for him to submit. Should I just ask for him to hold on to it for now, or try to shadow him again next year for a bit and ask him then. The only thing is I'm not 100% sure either of us will be free then.</p>
<p>You have 2 options:</p>
<p>1) ask your recommender to write a letter now and hold on to it until next year. When it comes time to send the LOR, contact him (preferably several weeks in advance) with an updated CV/activities list and have him/her “freshen” or update the letter.</p>
<p>2) open an Interfolio account now (there is a small annual fee) and ask your recommender to upload the letter to your file there. Interfolio will maintain the confidentiality of your letters until you can submit them to AMCAS or OMSAS</p>
<p>ok sounds good, I think i will open an interfolio account, thanks. by the way, I’m only shadowing this guy for 3 days, so roughly 27 hours total. Do you think this is too short a time to be asking for a credible letter?</p>
<p>Yes </p>
<p>For reference, my letters were:
Professor of a semester long course
Professor who supervised me in research for 2 months full time
Boss at place I worked part time for 9 months (and continued working there during app cycle)
Boss at place I worked part time for 1 year (and continued working there full time during app cycle)</p>
<p>If you continued to shadow this guy 1/day week for the next year, now that would be a good letter.</p>
<p>Three days is an awfully limited window for someone who you are just basically trailing after and observing to get to know you and be able to honestly evaluate your fitness to be a physician. (Which is what a recommender is being asked to do.)</p>
<p>Like IWBB, all of both Ds’ recommenders had long-term relationships with them:</p>
<p>–boss at work (clinical research) where she’d worked full time for 15 months (and continued to work for during the app cycle)
–PI D had worked as an research asst for 2+ years (part time school year, full time summers)
–clinical EMT instructor who taught the class then supervised all her hospital training rotations (over a 6 month period)
–professor whom each had taken more than 1 class with and for whom each had TAed for at least 1 semester
–dept chair from whom D had taken 3 classes (including a grad class)
–supervisor of teaching assistants who had trained/supervised D’s teaching for 7 semesters
–program coordinator at a volunteer program where D had consistently (i.e. every month during the school year) volunteered for 4 years</p>
<p>Neither D used any physician they shadowed as reference since any interaction was limited and of a short duration</p>