Notes

Dear Program Director,

I am writing in support of Ms. Rachel Armendariz for your residency program. I have 15 years of experience in pulmonary and critical care medicine and a background in translational research. I worked closely with Ms. Armendariz during her third-year clerkship and during her pulmonary elective. In addition to her many accomplishments, Ms. Armendariz’s clinical abilities, leadership, advocacy, and patient focus set her apart. I have observed Ms. Armendariz during workups, taught her in class, and I oversaw her clerkship.

Ms. Armendariz’s excellence goes well beyond her outstanding USMLE scores. She is warm and engaged with patients and colleagues. In addition, she is capable of synthesizing new information. In part, this is a product of her meticulous preparation; before Ms. Armendariz had even encountered pulmonary edema, she had already assimilated the key points of responding to respiratory failure into a detailed poster for our care team, ensuring even those new to the rotation could easily be brought up to speed.

Moreover, Ms. Armendariz has made advocacy a key part of her medical education. When she discovered that a series of arrhythmia pamphlets were available in English only, Ms. Armendariz communicated with the head of Cardiology about the lack of Spanish-language informational materials and even recommended a fellow classmate with translation experience to address the discrepancy. Her leadership in addressing gaps in care has prompted several positive responses, especially during inpatient procedures. In fact, Ms. Armendariz’s intuitive sense of patient needs made her an informal mentor to students entering the clerkship after she had finished.

Ms. Armendariz’s skill also extends to research. She has designed a study on the effectiveness of auxiliary treatments during outpatient procedures to assist our hospital in providing more comprehensive care.

Ms. Armendariz is in the top 10% of medical students with whom I have worked in the last 15 years. Her attention to detail, willingness to learn, and well-rounded approach to patient care, including research design and developing best practices, make her an outstanding candidate for residency. I give her my highest recommendation for your program.

If you require any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Jackson Abrams, M.D.