Recommendation Letter For Fellowship Doctor: Fill & Download for Free

I will answer relative to physics in the USA. The answer depends on how far along you are in your graduate program.In physics graduate programs, one takes required courses mainly in the first two years of the program, and some elective courses thereafter. In some schools, the final examinations in the required courses constitute the "comprehensive exams" that one must pass in order to then take the research-based "qualifying exam" for advancing to doctoral candidacy. In other schools, the "comprehensive exams" are separate from course exams. Under either system, high grades in courses (A, A-, B+) correlate strongly with getting high enough grades on the comprehensive exams to stay in the program and become a doctoral candidate. Middling-to-low grades correlate with passing only at the level required to earn a master's degree or with failing the comprehensive exams. So working hard enough to earn a high GPA in the required courses that are related to the "comprehensive exams" is a good use of time.Moreover, physics is divided into "theoretical" and "experimental" sub-fields. Advisors in theoretical areas usually expect their doctoral students to have pretty high GPAs, as a sign that they have a good aptitude for doing calculations and learning new theoretical material quickly. If there is competition to join a theoretical research group (which is often the case), then having a high GPA will be to your benefit.Once you start working seriously on your thesis with a research group, little further attention is paid to your GPA by faculty members in the USA. From then on, it is your performance as a researcher, the content of your publications, and the quality of the recommendation letters your research advisors write that will matter the most. (Note that I say "advisors"; it's important to have 3 faculty who can comment knowledgeably on your research in letters of recommendation). This is true, whether those publications and recommendation letters are accompanying your applications to attend special summer schools for graduate students, your applications for postdoctoral fellowships, or your applications for faculty positions. At this point in your program, your GPA no longer makes much difference; but it is only by having earned a good GPA that you are likely to have advanced this far in the program.Finally, as the OP noted, there are also circumstances in which one's maintaining a graduate fellowship or visa may depend on one's GPA. This may be true throughout the entire course of one's doctoral study -- it's important to find out the rules that apply to your fellowships or visas so you can plan accordingly.

Before I go on to the the details of how to apply for international fellowships it is important to understand why you should apply to a fellowship outside India.What are the good reasons you should pursue an international fellowship in an Ophthalmology sub-specialty?If there are not many good training centers in India for that particular sub-specialty. It doesn’t make sense for an Indian to go for a “cataract fellowship” abroad. Nearly every private eye institute in India trains candidates in cataract surgery. Similarly Retina and Cornea fellowships in India are superior to many foreign fellowships.You want to have further training after a primary fellowship in India. A second fellowship abroad can give you a lot of perspective because you recognize the lacunae in your knowledge and training that you need to fill up on since you are already in that field.You want research experience working with some of the big names in Ophthalmology. A perfectly valid option and there is high demand for good clinical research. You can make a great career of it especially outside India.What are the bad reasons?You just want to boast about it to others and you don’t care what kind of training you getYou want to permanently settle down in that foreign countryBecause you did not get a good fellowship in IndiaSome hard truths about fellowships in any speciality (not necessarily Ophthalmology) :Any hospital in the world will only offer you a fellowship if it benefits them and if you are seen as an asset to that hospital. It is the same reasoning if you are in India or abroad. In India the incentive for the hospital is cheap labour in lieu of training they give you. In foreign countries also part of it is cheap labour but they mainly offer fellowships to international candidates because they want to have a legacy of well trained doctors around the world. So you have to look the part.If you cannot secure a good clinical fellowship in India, it is unlikely that you will secure one abroad.Every good fellowship abroad has at least 50–70 candidates from as many countries applying for every slot available. Your application has to stand out from the rest.There’s a lot of luck involved and even if you are a good candidate, you might still turn up empty. So never depend on an International fellowship being your primary fellowship. Fellowships are not necessarily given to the best candidate but to the one who is the best fit for that fellowship.Clinical fellowship/ Research fellowship/ Observership.The first thing you have to decide is whether you want a clinical fellowship or a research fellowship or an Observership.Research fellowships/Observerships (lasting 3–12 months) are pretty easy to secure. You can apply to any major eye institute in the world and the chances are you will get selected. The only catch is it won’t be sponsored and you have to shell out your living expenses yourself (unless it’s an ICO fellowship which I’ll talk about later). Some hospitals even demand a fee for the research fellowship or Observership. You will not be involved in direct patient care. There is no hands on training in the sub-specialty here. But some institutes allow you to scrub up and assist. While research fellowships have some value, I feel observerships are not a good substitute for an actual clinical fellowship. Observerships can supplement a good clinical fellowship. Observerships are really good for practicing surgeons as they can learn new techniques and can start using those techniques on real patients once they come back. You really can’t do a vitrectomy after seeing someone do a vitrectomy for 3 months no matter how carefully you observe.Clinical fellowships are few and really hard to secure outside India. A real clinical fellowship lasts between 1–2 years depending on sub-specialty and place of training. The fellowship should be under an excellent surgeon in that specialty who should be willing to mentor you. Good clinical fellowships will include experience in direct patient care and a fair bit of surgical hands on experience to train in that sub-speciality. Institutes offering clinical fellowships for international candidates are looking for candidates-Who are possibly doing their second fellowship or have some relevant working experience in the sub-specialty applied to.Who are sponsored by their home governments (many countries sponsor their citizens for foreign fellowships). This is attractive for them because they don’t need to spend money to train candidates who are of no help to their own country.Who have an excellent CVs with excellent credentials like research work and publications. Hospitals love academic literature stars.Who are recommended by world renowned Ophthalmologist/s preferably in the same sub-specialtyIf you don’t qualify for one or more of the above parameters it would be difficult (not impossible) to make it through the application and interview process.ICO fellowshipsInternational Council of Ophthalmology awards nearly 60 short term (3 month) fellowships and 2 ICO-Retina fellowships (1 year) every year for candidates from developing countries. It awards US $6,000 and $25,000 for the 3 month and 1 year fellowships respectively. The short-term fellowships are basically observerships without any hands-on training. Some institutes may allow you to scrub in and assist. Writing the FICO/FRCS exams parts 1, 2 and 3 apparently helps lend weight to your application.Read more about how to apply for an ICO fellowship from their website: ICO Fellowships ProgramUSAVery difficult and highly contested. You have to compete with american residents to get matched in a clinical fellowship. This is very hard. You usually have to write the USMLE to have the licence to train in a particular sub-specialty. Clearing the USMLE or completing the fellowship will not enable you to practice there. You need to complete an american board certified residency program (3 years) to practice in the US. The clinical fellowships last 1–2 years and you are required by most institutes to return to your country of origin on completion of your fellowship. Research fellowships are easier to secure and you don’t need to clear USMLE for that. Most of the the fellowships- research and clinical have a stipend but there are instances of candidates working for free.CanadaLess rigorous requirements for fellowship than US but there are very few institutes where fellowships are offered to international candidates. Generally fellowship programs in Ophthalmology isn't really exemplary- except a few in Oculoplasty and Retina.Australia & New ZealandMost of the major eye institutes in Australia (Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane) have a position for international clinical fellows in most sub-specialties. This is highly competitive and the candidates are selected 2 years in advance and are on a waiting list. So if you apply in 2016, you are most likely going to hear from them only in 2018 and if selected you may start fellowship in 2020. This is a paid fellowship with a stipend. Again research fellowships and Observerships are available but it is not a paid one. You can go to each and every hospital’s website and apply to a sub-specialty of your choice individually.New Zealand- the application process is not clear and I haven’t heard anything great about their fellowship training programs.UKThe fellowship application process is not clear but from what I gather you need to clear PLAB and you need a valid GMC registration to apply for a fellowship there. There are many Ophthalmologists applying from other European countries and East-Asian countries (Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan) since UK has some of the best Ophthalmic centers in the world. So any Indian applications are going to be drowned by European and east Asian candidates.SingaporeThis is where I did my fellowship. In Singapore, fellowships are offered to International candidates only if no local candidate applies to that particular slot. Most of the fellowships (Clinical or research) in Singapore are not paid and only a few fellowships pay. Fortunately I got into a fellowship which paid me a salary or I would have never be able to do my fellowship in Singapore. Singapore is an expensive city. A fellowship does not guarantee you a job there and the government prefers you get back to your country of origin after completion of your fellowship. There are various ways to stay in the system but not a really great option because there is already an army of Indian/Indonesian/ Filipino/ Malaysian doctors trying to do the same.Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, China (Shenzhen)Mostly Observerships and never paid. Language too is a problem.European CountriesThey don’t have enough clinical fellowship slots for their own residents. In fact their residents don’t get enough surgical experience by the end of their residency. At best you can get an unpaid Observership (paid if sponsored by ICO)How to apply?My chosen sub-specialty was Oculoplasty and I only applied for that. I applied to two Singapore eye institutes namely Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) and National University Hospital (NUH). I also applied to 4 Australian eye institutes- Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane. You need the followingA good readable CV with research, presentations and work experience mentioned.Relevant work experience in the sub-specialty you are applying to. Please only apply for one sub-specialty or you won’t be taken seriously.Need to clear the IELTS with at least a band score of 7. (this is the easiest part). You need to clear TOEFL for the US fellowships.A good statement of purpose letter. If you make a weak case for your fellowship in your SOP you most likely won’t make it past the application submission. However, the SOP is not the most important part of the application.Letters of recommendation from your former professors and it would be better if the professor is practicing in the sub-specialty you are applying to. LORs from internationally renowned Ophthalmologists usually helps.If you can personally make a connection with the fellowship supervisor it would be great. Networking helps immensely.What was going for me that my application was accepted in NUH among the many that applied.I had done a short term research fellowship in Oculoplasty in a big institute and had some experience working with well known oculoplastic surgeons.I had some publications and paper presentations under my belt by the time I finished residency.I was very passionate about Oculoplasty and had done a lot of Oculoplasty work under my mentor and thesis guide during my residency. This helped me crack both the skype interview and the local interview with ease.A whole lot of luck!!!I had been offered Oculoplasty fellowships in many big institutes in India. I did not take it up since their fellowship program was not up to the level that I was seeking. Only one hospital in India had a good fellowship in Oculoplasty in India at the time. That hospital had only 1 slot every six months with 30–40 odd people applying for it. I didn’t get in so I went with my second choice for fellowship- Cornea and Refractive Surgery in a big Institute in my hometown, Bangalore.I had applied for fellowship in Singapore and Australia while I was doing my research fellowship and hadn’t expected to hear back. When I was short listed for the interview, I was already half-way through my Cornea fellowship in India. By the time the rest of the interview process and paperwork for my temporary licencing in Singapore got completed, I had finished my Cornea fellowship. I directly went ahead with my second clinical fellowship.If you are planning for an International fellowship in OphthalmologyPlan ahead of time. Get your priorities and focus right by the time you are finishing residency.Do focused work in a specific sub-specialty. If you apply to too many sub-specialties, hospitals wont consider you a serious candidate.Get some research experience and present papers in national and international conferences. Having publications in indexed journals is a plus in any CV for any fellowship in India or abroad.Try to get into a good Indian fellowship first because depending on getting accepted for a primary international fellowship is a huge gamble. Working in a particular sub-specialty gives you the opportunity to network with well known Ophthalmologists in that specialty. A good word from an accomplished surgeon goes a long way in your application.Have a little financial backing (or savings) because even if you get a salary paying fellowship there will be other expenditure that the nominal stipend won’t cover.Last but not the least, don’t get obsessed with an international fellowship. The most challenging work in Ophthalmology is in India and we are never short of patients requiring specialized care. There are many good eye institutes in India which could give any international center a run for their money in terms of surgical training and hands on. India has some of the best surgeons (and physicians) in the world. The only challenge is getting to a position where you can get trained by them.

I graduated at the bottom half of my medical school class. In fact, I was so bad entering my 3rd year that my orthopedics professor gave me an F and included a statement on my review to the tune of , "He is unlikely to become a doctor because he seems to lack even the most basic knowledge needed to succeed in medicine."So what? Wasn't I in med school to learn? After that slap in the face, I wasn’t deterred. I kept studying, asking questions, and working hard. I was determined to do better.At the end of my 3rd year, I got my act together. I had a great rotation in medicine and then also in several medical subspecialties early 4th year.That resulted in exceptional letters of recommendation. One of my professors was internationally famous, double boarded in 2 medical subspecialties, and author of textbooks in both, nephrology and in endocrinology. He was also known to have previously trained a very famous author of the main textbook in internal medicine, Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine.In my professors letter, he said that I was the very best student he had ever had.But I never knew what the letter said, until I overheard the director of my residency program mention this to a couple of other professors during the initial meet and greet party as I was walking away after introductions.My performance in my medicine rotations (as opposed to my surgery rotations) got me into my residency first choice in the match. I was selected Chief Resident my 3rd year, and also was offered the oncology fellowship of my choice.No one knows how to practice medicine coming out of medical school. That's why in America, you can't get a license in any state to practice. It's during residency and specialty training where it all gets put together.Getting A's in biochemistry, pharmacology, pathology and anatomy in the first 2 years of medical school does allow you to graduate at the top of the class. But it's got nothing to do with being a high functioning doctor.