Simply put, professional references make or break your career as much as anything else so make sure the person who you list as a reference is someone who can give you a good reference. The person who tells you I’m not the person to use as a reference’ is doing you a huge favor. A bad reference will cost you that position you wanted and you won’t know.
Residency is a great time to develop professional relationships with more experienced doctors [otherwise known as Attendings]. Not only do you learn from them as they teach but you also learn who likes what you do, how you do it, and may even like you. These are the ones you want to ask for a reference.
 Should you ask your residency director? Usually not, if they are still the Director when you need the reference. The reason for this is because residency directors are already going to be asked to verify your residency. If your Director has moved on and likes you then by all means ask. But the most damning recommendation is the one from the Director which states “This person met the standards for graduating and is competent”. So be careful who you ask.
A few months ago I was reading an editorial in Advanced Radiology which was lamenting what he called ‘reference creep’. This is the phenomenon that has occurred where even the average resident, which by definition most are, gets a reference which states that they are “outstanding, excellent, wonderful, and beyond reproach in all areas of patient care, surgical skill, and human interaction.” This phenomenon also exists in podiatry.
I was told by an orthopedist that his Director used the ‘coffee ring sign’ for poor residents. This would be a reference that would appear normal on reading it. Except that there would be a coffee cup stain on a corner. This was the unspoken but well understood signal, at that time, that there was a problem with the applicant. The topic of references and how to designate a poor resident has been discussed for a long time now.
I do like my coffee and I drink a lot of it. Walking down the hallways with my cup it does spill. Would anyone like a reference?
Sincerely,
H. David Gottlieb
PRESENT Contributing Writer
[email protected]
All opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.
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