It brings me immense pleasure to write this letter of recommendation in strong support of ()and her application for your residency program. As a current internist with extensive work experience, and a former Chief Resident during my residency, I am very familiar with the rigorous and intensive training program ahead of Shalini. Knowing the challenges in store for her, I can confidently affirm that Shalini will exceed expectations in your program. Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity to work with many skilled and competent doctors, but seldom do I have the opportunity to work with someone as talented and diligent as Shalini. Shalini worked under my supervision for a period of two months while gaining her clinical experience. During these two months, I had the opportunity to get to know her quite well and am able to thoroughly vouch for both her knowledge and clinical skills. I believe that Shalini’s insatiable thirst to learn, coupled with her strong work ethic, is primarily responsible for her vast clinical knowledge. I have never witnessed Shalini unprepared. She is consistently ready for all types of clinical situations, arriving early having reviewed patients’ files, chalked out target questions, and cross-referenced with the lab findings. On the rare occasion that a case would present an area of medicine that she was unfamiliar with, her interest would be piqued and research would begin—more than once I observed Shalini be presented with new information, and the following day having read so much about the subject, speak with me at an expert level regarding potential diagnoses. As a physician, I feel that the dedication to lifelong learning that Shalini exhibits is absolutely necessary in this career. In fact, I recall an instance when I was particularly impressed by Shalini’s knowledge and intellect, as well as her clinical skills; a patient had arrived at the clinic experiencing shortness of breath. As Shalini observed this patient and conducted a meticulous physical examination, she noted skin pigmentations, ascites, and learned of the patient’s joint pain. Through quick intuition, she rapidly deduced that the patient was suffering from hemochromatosis leading to congestive heart failure. I have no doubt that the forethought, sound judgment, and critical thinking skills I’ve seen Shalini exhibit time and time again will save countless patients over her career. In addition to her knowledge and clinical skills, Shalini’s dedication to patients also stands out. She places emphasis on patient counseling and follow-ups, usually developing not only rapport, but relationships with her patients. Her ability to communicate with patients, explaining complex clinical conditions in simple, easily understood ways, helps enable patients to become more trusting of their physician and also more confident in the quality of care they’re receiving. She also goes above and beyond to find innovative ways of fostering patient education—I recall h.

1. It brings me immense pleasure to write this letter of
recommendation in strong support of ()and her application for
your residency program. As a current internist with extensive
work experience, and a former Chief Resident during my
residency, I am very familiar with the rigorous and intensive
training program ahead of Shalini. Knowing the challenges in
store for her, I can confidently affirm that Shalini will exceed
expectations in your program. Throughout my career, I have had
the opportunity to work with many skilled and competent
doctors, but seldom do I have the opportunity to work with
someone as talented and diligent as Shalini.
Shalini worked under my supervision for a period of two months
while gaining her clinical experience. During these two months,
I had the opportunity to get to know her quite well and am able
to thoroughly vouch for both her knowledge and clinical skills.
I believe that Shalini’s insatiable thirst to learn, coupled with
her strong work ethic, is primarily responsible for her vast
clinical knowledge. I have never witnessed Shalini unprepared.
She is consistently ready for all types of clinical situations,
arriving early having reviewed patients’ files, chalked out target
questions, and cross-referenced with the lab findings. On the
rare occasion that a case would present an area of medicine that
she was unfamiliar with, her interest would be piqued and
research would begin—more than once I observed Shalini be
presented with new information, and the following day having
read so much about the subject, speak with me at an expert level
regarding potential diagnoses. As a physician, I feel that the
dedication to lifelong learning that Shalini exhibits is absolutely
necessary in this career. In fact, I recall an instance when I was
particularly impressed by Shalini’s knowledge and intellect, as
well as her clinical skills; a patient had arrived at the clinic
experiencing shortness of breath. As Shalini observed this
patient and conducted a meticulous physical examination, she

2. noted skin pigmentations, ascites, and learned of the patient’s
joint pain. Through quick intuition, she rapidly deduced that the
patient was suffering from hemochromatosis leading to
congestive heart failure. I have no doubt that the forethought,
sound judgment, and critical thinking skills I’ve seen Shalini
exhibit time and time again will save countless patients over her
career.
In addition to her knowledge and clinical skills, Shalini’s
dedication to patients also stands out. She places emphasis on
patient counseling and follow-ups, usually developing not only
rapport, but relationships with her patients. Her ability to
communicate with patients, explaining complex clinical
conditions in simple, easily understood ways, helps enable
patients to become more trusting of their physician and also
more confident in the quality of care they’re receiving. She also
goes above and beyond to find innovative ways of fostering
patient education—I recall her talking to a patient about a new
app that had recently become available to help track a strict
nutrition regime to manage a condition. I have no doubt that the
majority of her patients will fondly remember how patiently and
compassionately their doctor treated them.
Lastly, I would like to highlight Shalini’s leadership abilities
and community outreach. On top of her already rigorous
workload, Shalini impressively manages to find the time to give
back. She is constantly volunteering for many local festivals
and events and currently serves as Vice-President of a
community association. Her active involvement in the
community is remarkable on its own, but the time management
and prioritization necessary to manage her volunteerism in
addition to her work and personal life is staggering. She
selflessly puts the needs of others above her own, often arriving
to the clinical with handouts she’s made on new research and
relevant clinical topics to everyone.
In summary, it is my pleasure to give ()my highest
recommendation for your residency program with no
reservations. She is one of the best medical students I’ve had

3. the privilege of working with and would be an asset to any
residency. If you have any additional questions or require
further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
It is with great enthusiasm that I submit this letter in support of
()for a position in your residency program. I am a family
medicine practitioner and have had the opportunity to get to
know Shalini during the four months she spent shadowing and
observing me. Over the twenty-five years I’ve been practicing
medicine, I’ve had the pleasure of working with several medical
school graduates and Shalini is certainly a stand out among
them, serving as an example to others in her patient care,
relational and communication skills, and altruism.
One of the first things I noticed about Shalini was her excellent
approach towards patient care. She has a very warm and
empathic demeanor that enables patients, staff, and other
physicians to immediately feel at ease with her and welcome her
presence. She places an emphasis on caring for the emotional
well-being of patients, often going above and beyond to counsel
patients. I recall a case where a patient’s medication required a
specific adherence to a nutrition plan and as opposed to simply
telling the patient what they needed to do, Shalini took the time
out of her busy day to sit down with the patient, go over
pamphlets and information, and not only develop a feasible plan
for the patient to adhere to the medication requirements, but
also helped the patient understand the quality of life
improvements made possible through diet and exercise. This is
one of many examples in which Shalini went beyond merely
treating a patient, but made a successful effort to improve a
patient’s quality of life. Another such case comes to mind, when
a patient called the clinic asking for Shalini, wanting to inform
her that her suggestions on methods to combat nicotine
addiction had finally enabled him to break a lifelong smoking
habit. Though over his lifetime numerous friends and family had
tried, Shalini was the one with the patience, and more
importantly a plan, to help him quit.
In addition to fostering relationships with her patients, Shalini

4. also utilizes her vast clinical knowledge to provide the highest
quality of care. Her drive to obtain the correct diagnosis is
second to none, having the persistence to discuss symptoms
with consultants and specialists, cross-reference lab results, and
work tirelessly until she discovers what is truly ailing a patient.
Recently, a patient came into the clinic for a follow-up visit
after having been admitted to the ER for chest pain on two
separate occasions, never receiving any clarification as to the
source of his pain. Through her diligent analysis and meticulous
examination, Shalini correctly deduced that the man was
suffering from Shingles. She not only possesses a deep
knowledge and skill set, but also the ability to think and act
quickly, as I witnessed firsthand. An elderly man came to the
clinic following long distance travel, complaining of shortness
of breath. After only brief examination, Shalini identified that
the man was suffering from a pulmonary embolism and
immediately referred him to the ER. Her ability to exercise
sound medical judgment is supported by her familiarity with a
wide array of conditions and will serve her well in her career as
a family physician.
Beyond the medical profession, Shalini is also very involved in
the community. She frequently volunteers with other medical
professionals in the community, not only giving back but also
expanding her network and building relationships with other
physicians. Her selflessness is apparent in all she does,
frequently giving her time and abilities to strength and empower
the local community.
In closing, ()is not only a good doctor, but most importantly a
good person. She is knowledgeable of medicine, hard-working,
and dependable. She is one of the best students I’ve had the
pleasure of working with and I’ve no doubt she will leave her
mark on any residency program lucky enough to have her. She
is the kind of physician that I want to have for myself and my
family. It is with great enthusiasm that I endorse her candidacy
and give her the highest recommendation to your program.