<p>i have shadowed a general surgeon since high school, now in college, in both clinic and operating room and he has offered to write me an excellent letter of rec. i know it is best to shadow primary care physicians but isn’t shadowing a general surgeon during clinic essentially the same as shadowing a primary care physician: both are basically doing a patient consultation and lots of mutual communication. does it matter for med adcoms if the rec comes from a primary care or general surgeon? if yes, please explain logic.</p>
<p>In general, letters of recommendations are valued most when they are from professors who have taught you a class or researchers who have supervised your work. A LOR from a practicing physician who has not supervised you actually doing anything, while appreciated, is not likely to carry much weight.</p>
<p>General surgery vs. family practice is unlikely to make a big difference.</p>