I once wrote a blog post (many blogs ago) about selling myself and how difficult that was. I was in the process of applying to residency programs as a senior medical student. I now sit in a faculty position (doctor? Professor? Both? Proctor or dofessor?) and have the immense privilege and delight of having students.
One of my students has asked me for a reference letter. I said yes maybe a little too enthusiastically.
I remember the distinct squirming of asking former preceptors to recommend me to residency programs.
"Excuse me sir, I know you only met me for half an afternoon but that's longer than anyone else I've met on this rotation - can you please write me a reference letter?"
Minor exaggeration, but not by much.
Whatever I can do to ease the learners' hell on earth known as CaRMS, I'm excited to do.
That said I'm confronted by the expectation of these letters. I didn't know what the process entailed when I asked preceptors. Apparently we can't just write "so and so is a great student", but have to write "they were AMAZING" "top 1% of all learners" "superior in every regard". Except if I write for more than one student they can't all be the top 1% and best I've ever worked with. I certainly can't make constructive comments like so and so faced some minor difficulties in this but showed rapid improvement, even though that, I think, is a glowing recommendation that someone is ready to grow and learn. So facetious overexaggerations it is?
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