Asking for a letter of recommendation for residency application can be tricky especially during COVID times, when time spent with attending physicians may be minimized as a result of social distancing and hiatus from clerkships. When determining a strong letter writer, you will want to make sure you are asking a physician who you have worked closely in some capacity that they will be able to attest to your clinical and academic skills. It is important to specify when asking if the faculty member will be able to write you a strong letter. Some people agree to write letters but may write a very average one if they feel they cannot speak highly of the applicant, or if they lack the time to write a quality letter. So, who you choose is highly significant and you also want to make sure it is a clinician who is relevant to the field you are applying in. For example, someone who is applying for surgery is better off asking a fellow surgeon than a family medicine physician for a letter of recommendation. Other helpful tips include providing your writer with materials on which to base their letter: your personal statement, CV, evaluation from the rotation on which you worked with them. Chances are, these physicians have worked with numerous students throughout the years, and will be unlikely to remember you distinctly unless you were extraordinary and unique. Providing them with content to work with will be immensely helpful not only for them but for you. I personally like to include specific patient cases that I worked on during the rotation so that the recommender can speak to my patient care skills.
