Letters of Recomendation

[natron20]

Hi Everyone,

I am in the process of applying to nursing school in an accelerated BSN program. I am trying to figure two more people to ask abou writing letters on my behalf.

What I would like to know is are there any major buzz words that are important that admissions folks are looking at? I'm only asking because the one person I have secured to write one of my letters asked me this question. I told the person I had no idea. To be honest I had never really thought about it. Would anyone have any ideas or advice?

Sorry if I put this in the wrong spot. It seems like the topic would fit in a few places but this forum seems to have most of the action.

If anyone could offer any insight it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[EricJRN, MSN, RN]

I doubt that there are any particular buzz words that carry more weight than others. If you try to put words in the mouth of the recommender, I think that there's a risk of the letter sounding contrived.

It wouldn't hurt to provide the person with a CV or resume, especially if he or she might be able to highlight/elaborate on a couple of your accomplishments that weren't disclosed on the application.

[ICRN2008, BSN, RN]

I agree with the above poster- it is always a good idea to provide the recommender with a resume or CV. It doesn't hurt to give them a transcript as well, if you are comfortable with this.

I think that the most important consideration when asking for recommendations is to ask a credible person who has known you (professionally, not personally) for an extended period of time. I recommend former employers, professors, advisers from college, or even co-workers (depending on what kind of positions you've held- obviously you wouldn't want someone who worked with you at McDonalds).

I would try to get at least one recommendation from someone in health care, even if it's someone like the volunteer coordinator at a hospital you helped out at one summer. Also, at least one recommendation (and preferably all) should be current (within the last year).

Good luck with your application!

[bruinlaura]

I don't know any buzzwords but mentioning qualities like high intelligence, responsible/hardworking, and compassionate/caring can't hurt in a recommendation.

I didn't have any healthcare recommendations and got into 3/4 schools I applied to. I even used a TA instead of a prof for one of my recommendations because they worked with me more closely (I went to a big public school for my 1st degree).