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family doc letter for internal med?


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applying to CARMS this year for internal and family (leaning internal).

I'm considering asking one of the family doctors I asked to write a family med letter for me to also write one for internal medicine.

Her and I worked quite closely together and she was very keen on writing my letter; she has actually spoken about me to other colleagues and peers (she really likes me haha). She also had a lengthy conversation with me about my goals where she tried to push me into internal medicine.

While I have other internal letters, I doubt they would be as strong as hers, character-wise. Is that reasonable to use for internal medicine or does that look bad?

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IM programs generally prefer IM letters. People will wonder why an IM gunner couldn't come up with 3 IM letters. This is especially true for Toronto.

Although many programs value diverse elective experience, this would be evident elsewhere in your application. 

Remember, you're competing against other IM gunners, most of whom will have 3 strong IM letters. All things being equal, a strong IM letter trumps a strong FM letter. 

If it's an extra or bonus letter, then go for it. But if a program asks for, let's say, 3 and only 3 letters, I would submit 3 IM letters, period. 

 

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On 10/23/2022 at 5:03 PM, trimethoprim said:

I used a letter from FM for my IM application and had no issues getting interviews or acceptance. I think a strong letter matters more than the specialty it came from, particularly for IM

This is usually the case. So many LORs are generic/basic and don't say much about the applicant . If you can get one that actually says something real and shows a deeper understanding it is extremely useful, regardless of what the base speciality was.  

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