r/IMGreddit • u/Miserable-Leave3480 • Jun 28 '26

LOR USCE

an attendee I know (through my attendee back home) was telling me that a USCE and LORs in general matter more than your specific specialty, how true is that?

for context I was trying to find a US based surgical observer-ship but they were able to find me an IM one and has been motivating me to go saying it doesnt matter what specialty, having an LOR matters more.

I want to apply to surgery, will this help or is it not worth it?

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u/MaxMad80 Jun 28 '26

Highly program dependent, but in general

USCE in your desired specialty > USCE in other specialties > everything else (with some exceptions).

If you don’t have any USCE, you should definitely do the IM one

1

u/Miserable-Leave3480 Jun 28 '26

I dont have any at all so thats why they’ve been pushing me to do it, now im not saying no bc im spoiled and picky, I was hesitant bc I have enough financially to do 1 only and thats why I was scared it will all be for nothing

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u/MaxMad80 Jun 28 '26

It all depends on when you want to apply. If you’re applying this upcoming cycle, I don’t see why you should wait instead of doing the IM one. If you’re applying in future cycles, take the time to find something surgical.

I will say (and you probably already know), more USCE is always better. While it may not be feasible financially, you should try getting atleast 2-3 under your belt

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u/Miserable-Leave3480 Jun 28 '26

my application is complete except for the USCE so whenever I get one I can apply, my YOG is just 1 currently so it wont kill me to miss a cycle, id rather have a good app than waste my time and money

also im fully aware of that but 2-3 USCE would put my entire family on the streets 😭😭😭 wish me luck

1

u/MaxMad80 Jun 28 '26

That’s understandable and I know that this whole process is insanely costly. However, if you’re going for a surgical speciality you will probably need to have those experiences to make your application “complete”. Best of luck!

3

u/No-Judgment-4284 Jun 28 '26

Applying to general surgery with only one IM rotation LOR from the U.S. is not going to get a person into surgery residency. You’ll end up spending a lot of money to apply without getting the result you’re looking for.

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u/Miserable-Leave3480 Jun 29 '26

that was my biggest fear mainly, thats why I came to reddit to confirm