ERAS recommendation letter

ERAS Recommendation Letter

Writing Guide 2024

Are you looking to apply for residency? Are you looking to learn everything about ERAS reference letters

 

Consider yourself safe, as our writers are here to guide you! We have prepared a complete guide to writing ERAS LORs using our extensive experience and research. Scroll below to learn about the process, guidelines, and checklist, along with a sample to help you understand! 

 

Shall we get started?

Table of Contents

What is an ERAS Recommendation Letter? Why is it important?

ERAS Recommendation Letter - Sample

Ready your LOR in 6 Steps

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What is an ERAS Recommendation Letter? Why is it important?

On completing four years of medical school education in classrooms and clearing examinations, you have to pursue your post graduate education in your area of interest. This is called residency program that spans for three to seven years depending upon the desired speciality. 

 

In order to submit your ERAS Application for a residency program, you have to submit a minimum of three letters of recommendations for a particular speciality. This will give program directors a professional insight into your academic performance and skill set. As this is sort of a hiring process for practising, you need to provide evidence of how you are eligible to undertake a particular speciality. 

Resources You Should Collect Before Writing

Before you send the request for an ERAS LOR, you need to share these documents with your referees:
  • Your updated resume or CV
  • Personal Statement
  • Letter request form after confirming letter entries
  • Copy of USMLE or COMLEX score sheet
  • Transcript from your medical school
You should also fill in a questionnaire that will help your reviewer write an LOR for residency application:
  • What are your greatest strengths?
  • State one or two of your greatest achievements that are relevant to the application?
  • What distinguishes you from your peers?
  • Are there any specific incidents or anecdotes that you want to include in your LOR?
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ERAS Recommendation Letter - Sample

In order to get a good look at a strong ERAS recommendation letter example, scroll down:

March 29, 2023

Dear Program Director,

I am delighted to write this recommendation letter to support Ms Annalise Porter for your residency program. I have garnered about two decades of experience as an educator with various reputed organisations on the national level. Ms Porter completed her second year clerkship and her internship under my close guidance. I have worked with her in inpatient and outpatient settings in addition to our classroom interactions. Throughout our association, I have been able to measure her growth in clinical acumen, deep seated knowledge, patient care as well as leadership skills.

Besides her intellectual prowess and her glorious performance in academics, Ms Porter was a cheerful and empathetic human being. She exhibits a strong urge to better her skills and knowledge base and is a natural leader. Ms Porter prepares proactively and follows a research-oriented learning approach that adds value to the classroom. This also helps her improve her quality of care during clinical supervision. Ms Porter is very well-read and has exemplary communication skills that helps her engage well with diverse patients. She is also well regarded by our residents and serves as an inspiration to everyone in the medical team. 

Ms Porter has also earned various opportunities to present her findings at international conferences where she demonstrated enthusiasm and confidence that aroused from her thorough study. She also studied, structured and introduced protocols for the preliminary diagnosis of patients who are seeking inpatient and outpatient services. 

On the grounds of the above-mentioned evidence, I am endorsing Ms Porter’s application to undertake your Internal Medicine residency program. She is certainly in the top 5% of the students that I have worked with during my career tenure. I believe that she has the potential, attitude and passion to contribute significantly to this profession. I give her my highest recommendation and best wishes for her future.

Sincerely, 

Jeremiah Brown, MD

Download More LOR Samples PDF

Guidelines for Using Samples

As you have gone through the ERAS recommendation letter sample, you would have noticed that:

Use your official letterhead

You should address the letter to the Program Director

Introductory paragraph is to explain your eligibility to write an ERAS LOR

Use the body paragraphs to highlight the skills of the student with examples

Add a concluding paragraph with an overall recommendation

Add signature and contact information 

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Ready your LOR in 6 Steps

Referees can seamlessly prepare an ERAS LOR by following these steps:
  1. Discuss with students and obtain all the relevant data 
  2. Go through the student documents and the submission guidelines
  3. Structure and write the LOR
  4. Proofread to eliminate mistakes
  5. Save as PDF format and resize if above 1 MB
  6. Using the unique letter ID given in the Letter Request Form, upload the letter on student’s behalf through LoRP 

Who Is Eligible To Write Your ERAS Recommendation Letter?

To produce strong ERAS LOR, you have to approach those with experience working with you in clinical conditions. Your reference letter can be written by pre-clinical teachers, research advisors, department chairs, etc. However, a Dean’s letter can not be considered as an ERAS Recommendation Letter. These protocols however vary with medical schools and you need to go through the guidelines carefully before contacting the referees.

 

Though you can submit up to four applications for a particular residency program, you should request at least five referees for each speciality. 

Final Checklist

Now let’s take a look at this checklist that we have prepared to help referees while drafting ERAS LOR:
  • Professional Letterhead
  • Letter must be saved in PDF format and the file size should be less than 1 MB
  • Summary of student’s strengths
  • Instances to prove the student potential
  • Contact information

Dos and Don’ts in your ERAS Recommendation Letter

Dos

  • Address the letter correctly
  • Establish referee relationship with student
  • Follow the submission guidelines 
  • Students should waive their right to view the letter
  • Proofread carefully

Don’ts

  • Make it too long 
  • Copy from samples as is
  • Add personal remarks in terms of age, gender, etc.
  • Wait till the submission deadline

Tips for Writing

These tips would help referees get started on your ERAS Letter of Recommendation:
  • Write a standardised letter that will enable student to submit for multiple residency programmes
  • Keep the letter concise and up to 1 or 2 pages
  • Provide examples or stories that pertains to your observation of the student
  • Ensure that there are no spelling errors
  • Add your signature at the end
Read More...


Conclusion

We have compiled this guide to help medical students and their referees understand ERAS LOR in detail. Our team of writers have mastered this art and put together tips, guidelines, steps and a sample LOR to help you draft one.

 

Happy Writing!

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