ERAS Letter of Recommendation (LoR) and LoR Author Support Presenters: Alisa Dyson, EdD Michael G. Hueber, DO Michael B. Weigner, MD February 21, 2017 February 24, 2017

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

Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP) LoRP enables LoR 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 MyERAS 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 LoR.

Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP) Authors and/or their designees use the unique Letter ID on each LRF to upload LoRs 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.

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

Letter of Recommendation Requirements In order to upload a letter of recommendation to the portal, it must meet the following requirements: File must be in PDF format File size must not exceed 500KB Files cannot be password protected Flies cannot have electronic signatures Page dimensions cannot exceed 8.5 x 11 inches File names cannot contain spaces or special characters (i.e. hyphens, periods, etc.) LoR(s) should be signed by the LoR author It is recommended that all LoRs be carefully reviewed, written on professional letterhead and signed

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

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.

Uploading a Letter of Recommendation

Uploading a Letter of Recommendation

Uploading a Letter of Recommendation

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

Uploading a Letter of Recommendation Once an LoR is uploaded it cannot be modified. To alter it, you must upload a new version.

Writing Letters of Recommendation for Residency To help you in preparing a strong LoR, 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.

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

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: Intellectual ability; Analytical skills; Attitude toward learning; Communication skills; Initiative; Motivation and persistence; and Personal achievement Do you know this applicant from an academic, clinical, or research setting. State how long you have known the applicant and how well you know the applicant. Tailor your letter to their chosen specialty.

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 Specific behavioral observations; stories from experience that reflect their business acumen, interpersonal and leadership skills, and passion for medicine

Important Dates

FAQs For information and frequently asked questions about the ERAS LoR Portal, please consult the following resources: The ERAS LoRP website: https://www.aamc.org/services/eras/323196/lorp-portal-collection.html (link is external) The ERAS LoRP 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)