ERAS Letter of Recommendation Lo R and Lo

ERAS Letter of Recommendation (Lo. R) and Lo. R Author Support Presenters: Alisa Dyson, Ed. D Michael G. Hueber, DO Michael B. Weigner, MD February 21, 2017 February 24, 2017 1

Special Acknowledgement Collaboration between: • Office of Clinical Rotations (OCR): Theresa, Chaka, Ryan, and Robbin • Mariah Swinson • Katelyn Sherland • Ally and Heather 2

Letter of Recommendation Portal (Lo. RP) • Lo. RP enables Lo. R Authors and/or their designees to upload letters of recommendation to ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service) for distribution to training programs, at the request of applicants. • In the My. ERAS application, applicants generate a Letter of Request form (LRF) and they provide the relevant author with the form. • The LRF contains the students name, AAMC ID and the letter authors Letter ID. Letter author will need Letter ID in order to upload/submit Lo. R. 3

Letter of Recommendation Portal (Lo. RP) • Authors and/or their designees use the unique Letter ID on each LRF to upload Lo. Rs for applicants. • A designee may not be a member of the hospital in an advising role or medical school staff supporting in the application process. 4

Letter of Recommendation Release • It is STRONGLY recommended that Lo. R authors request that the student bring a signed Letter of Recommendation Release • https: //www. liberty. edu/media/1290/pdfs/LUCOM-Letter-of. Recommendation. pdf 5

6

Letter of Recommendation Requirements In order to upload a letter of recommendation to the portal, it must meet the following requirements: • • • Page dimensions cannot exceed 8. 5 x 11 inches • File names cannot contain spaces or special characters (i. e. hyphens, periods, etc. ) File must be in PDF format • Lo. R(s) should be signed by the File size must not exceed 500 KB Lo. R author Files cannot be password protected • It is recommended that all Lo. Rs be carefully reviewed, written on Flies cannot have electronic professional letterhead and signatures signed 7

Additional Instructions for Format • Address the letter to “Dear Program Director” • Include the student’s AAMC ID number somewhere on the letter • Ensure you have spelled the name of the applicant correctly throughout the letter • Sign the letter • Put the letter on official letterhead • Be sure to include your current contact information 8

Creating an AAMC Account • To access the Letter of Recommendation portal, you will need an AAMC account. • Please visit https: //services. aamc. org/eras/lorportal and click Create AAMC Account. 9

10

Uploading a Letter of Recommendation 11

Uploading a Letter of Recommendation 12

Uploading a Letter of Recommendation 13

Uploading a Letter of Recommendation Institutions and students may not upload a letter of reference. 14

Uploading a Letter of Recommendation 15

Writing Letters of Recommendation for Residency • To help you in preparing a strong Lo. R, you may ask the student to provide you with a current CV and the personal statement that the student is writing for his/her application to residency. • You may also want to discuss with the student his/her goals and aspirations, and specific strengths the applicant believes he/she will bring to a residency program and the profession of medicine. 16

Writing Letters of Recommendation for Residency There are three important components to a compelling letter of recommendation: • Your assessment of the student’s strengths, preferably from working directly with him or her • Your assessment of how the student will perform as a resident and future member of that specialty • Anything that may distinguish this applicant from others 17

Guidelines for Letter Writing • Limit your letter to one page or less • Explain how you know the applicant and your relationship • Tailor your letter … specific areas to comment on are: a. b. c. d. e. f. g. Intellectual ability; Analytical skills; Attitude toward learning; Communication skills; Initiative; Motivation and persistence; and Personal achievement 18

Guidelines for Letter Writing • Be specific • Avoid personal remarks • Conclude with an overall recommendation • Add that you welcome requests for information • Carefully proofread your letter 19

Important Dates 20

FAQs For information and frequently asked questions about the ERAS Lo. R Portal, please consult the following resources: • The ERAS Lo. RP website: https: //www. aamc. org/services/eras/323196/lorp -portal-collection. html (link is external) • The ERAS Lo. RP User Guide: https: //www. aamc. org/download/286098/data/lorp_ug. pdf (link is external) • ERAS Help Desk at 202 -862 -6298 or the help desk contact form at https: //www. aamc. org/services/eras/397214/erascontactform. html (link is external) 21

22

23