Nursing graduate school question...references from doctors?

[arizonanurse]

I am applying to graduate school and need to provide three references, one supervisory and two from peers. I'm going to ask my nurse manager to write the supervisory one, and I know all of my coworkers would be more than willing to write peer references for me. However ~ there is a hospitalist who manages the patients on our unit about 75% of the time, and so I probably have more contact with him than any single on of my RN coworkers. Would it be weird to ask him to write me a reference? I'm pretty sure he'd be more than willing to help me out, but I don't know if by "peer" they strictly mean fellow nurses. What do you think? Would a nursing master's program prefer all-nurse references?

[TazziRN, RN]

Absolutely nothing wrong with getting a letter from a physician.

[James Huffman]

I would ask the school what their preference is. Assuming they have one.

There's nothing wrong with a physician giving a reference, but we don't always deal with the same type of issues and perspectives. I would call the school's admissions office (or whoever you're dealing with) and ask them.

[JBudd, MSN]

When I applied, I wasn't sure if everyone I asked would have time, so I asked at least 6 people for references. Several of the doctors I work with gave me letters, and seemed very pleased to be asked, and were very encouraging about my going back to school.

I'd say get the best letters you can, and if its your doc, then its your doc.

:balloons: :balloons: Good luck!:balloons: :balloons: :balloons: