Presentations text content in Residency Letters of Recommendation: The Best for Success
Slide1
ResidencyLetters of Recommendation: The Best for Success
Elise Everett, M.D.
Julie Lahiri, M.D.
Christa Zehle, M.D.
Slide2Workshop objectives:
1. Participants
will understand the
purpose and importance
of
Letters of Recommendation (LORs)
in
the
residency application process.
2. Participants will be able to help students identify
appropriate faculty
from whom they should request LORs.
3. Participants will be able to identify
key elements and information
needed
to write a strong LOR for a medical student applying to
residency
.
4. The participant will learn how to address
declining a LOR request
and informing
a student if they will
need
to
address challenges
in
the LOR.
5. The participant will be informed of the
timeline
for residency
applications
and when and how to submit a letter.
Slide3
Importance?
A letter of recommendation is one of the most important factors programs use when selecting candidates for interviews and in ranking candidates!
Slide4Slide5Slide6Purpose?Serve as the “expert testimony” that help residency programs make better informed decisions about applicants
Convey more than grades and numbers:
clinical judgment
interpersonal
skills
professional
attributes
a
ptitude for specialty they are pursuing
i
mportant information not gleaned from ERAS CV
technical abilities
Slide7Type of Letter?
Providing students with a
strong
letter of recommendation is very important.
S
tudents waiving their right to see the LOR is strongly recommended.
Slide8Who should write a LOR?
Someone who…
Knows the student well
Is able to describe the applicant’s attributes
Has observed the student in a clinical setting
Slide9Who should write a LOR?
“Famous
”
versus “non-Famous
” Faculty
Programs requirements
Specialty versus non-Specialty Faculty
.
Slide10What are the main
applicant elements
you should convey in your LOR?
Slide11Elements
clinical aptitude
personality
and
professionalism
l
eadership roles and attributes
research experience
future goals
outlying
circumstances or
things requiring explanation
Slide12Gather information:
Meet with the student
Review CV and personal statement
Request copies of evaluations
Request a photo (to jog memory)
Ask others!
How do you execute this?
Slide13ReflectWhat would a program director like to hear?
What would make a great resident?
Compare students to others with whom you have worked (top %)
Be specific - think of stories that illustrate the student’s strengths
How do you execute this?
Slide14How do you execute this?
Opening of letter
Body of letter
Closing
Slide15Avoid pitfalls!
Do
not
reiterate
CV content
Not too short (1-2
pages is
ideal)
Over-generalizations; don’t be too general (i.e., ‘best student I ever had’)
Avoid
personal remarks
(i.e., age
, race/ethnicity, marital status, children, physical characteristics, political and religious affiliations, geographic
interests, or
other personal
attributes)
Typos
/ wrong
gender/ wrong name
Slide16What are potential challenges
when writing an LOR?
Slide17Challenges
Writing
many
unique
letters
The
a
verage
student
You are unfamiliar with the student
The student has unique challenges; i.e.,
Academically
Personally/professionally
Clinical challenges
Slide18What are strategies for overcoming these challenges?
Slide19Overcoming challenges
Meet with the
student
Share
a story about a personal interaction with
the applicant
Stick to what you can truthfully say about a student
Decline
-especially
if you
do not
have anything positive to
say or cannot write a
strong
letter of recommendation
Or…
I
nform
the student that you will need to discuss challenges that they
have
Slide20Timeline and Process
Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP)
Enables LoR Authors and/or their designees to upload letters of recommendation (LoRs) to ERAS for distribution to training programs, at the request of applicants.
Applicants generate a Letter Request Form (LRF) for each LoR they are requesting and provide the author with the form
Authors and/or their designees use the unique Letter ID on each form to upload LoRs for applicants.
A designee may not be a member of the hospital in an advising role or a medical school staff member supporting the application process.
Slide21Timeline and Process
Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP) Guidelines
You will need an
AAMC account
.
In order for a letter to be uploaded to the Portal:
File must be in a PDF format, cannot exceed 500KB, and cannot be password protected, encrypted and/or contain an electronic signature
File name cannot contain spaces or special characters (i.e. hyphens, slashes, period, etc.)
Page size must be 8.5 x 11 inches
Recommended that letters are written on a professional letterhead and signed by the author
Before uploading a letter, carefully review the letter for accuracy and grammatical errors.
Slide22Timeline and Process
Standard Forms/Letter
of
Evaluation
Programs
may request standardized forms/letters in addition to or instead of a narrative
letter; if this occurs,
both documents should be uploaded as
one
single PDF file.
Otherwise
, the standardized form/letter should be uploaded alone
.
Slide23Timeline and Process
Letters may be uploaded once the ERAS season opens in May/June.
Students may submit applications around September 15
th
.
A student’s application is considered complete when they have three letters of recommendation.
Programs view applications early in the process.
To ensure your student receives a fair review, ensure you have your letter of recommendation uploaded prior to the application submission date (preferably by September 1
st
).
Slide24Small group work
Review your applicant scenario
As a group, think about how you would execute the LOR
Do you need additional resources?
What should you include in your LOR?
Outline a plan for writing this LOR to share with the large group
Slide25Large group work
Small groups will report back to larger group
Discuss your plan for writing this LOR.
Discuss the challenges and how to overcome these challenges.
Slide26Scenario 1
You have just finished a busy week on the inpatient service.
The senior medical student / acting intern asks if you would be willing to write them a
strong
letter of recommendation for residency in your specialty. The student is in their third week of the rotation and, although you didn’t work with them much or observe them do an H & P, you felt like they did a good job.
Slide27Scenario 2
You have been asked to write a letter for an average applicant. How do you write a
strong
letter for an applicant who is average academically or clinically?
Slide28Scenario 3
A medical student asked you to provide a
strong
letter of recommendation in your specialty on their behalf.
The student just completed their acting internship and seemed to struggle more than most students. They showed improvement each week, however, they seemed to perform below the level expected of a senior medical student. Your main concerns are with their clinical judgement and efficiency. They are very nice and interacted well with the team.
Slide29Scenario 4
A fourth-year
medical student
applying
into your field
asked
you to write a
strong
LOR
on their behalf.
They failed the USMLE Step 1 and had to retake the
exam for which they
received a
passing score
of
198.
They
did not receive honors in any of
their Foundations
or
Clinical
Clerkships due to lower exam scores, per
their report
.
However
, clinically all of the residents and faculty
with whom they worked report
that
the student functions
at an
honors-level,
easily
assimilates
into the
team, demonstrates
outstanding clinical
acumen, functions
at the level of an intern in
their
history taking, physical exam, oral presentations and note-writing, as well as
takes
ownership and responsibility for
their
patients.
They are extremely
hard working, professional,
have very
strong
IPCS; moreover, the patients
love
them.
How do you address
their
low USMLE Step 1 score in a LOR?
Slide30Scenario 5
A fourth-year medical
student
applying
into another
field asked
you to write
an LOR.
They have solid
Step 1 and 2 board scores (235, 247), received two honors grades in Foundations, and
honored
the Surgery Clerkship
.
During
their
rotation on your clerkship, several residents, nurses, and faculty expressed concerns about
their professionalism
.
They were often
late to clinical
work, wore headphones
and tuned out during group
sessions,
or left the floor for unclear reasons.
They did not seem
engaged in your particular field of medicine
.
When you
attempted to discuss this with the student, they
accused the residents, nurses, and faculty of
discrimination.
The student is smart, with
strong technical
skills,
and is interested in anesthesia as a career choice.
The student feels like they
demonstrated
strengths
on your rotation with a high shelf score and good comments about
their
technical
skills. They hope
you can write
a
strong letter of recommendation, understanding that the issues raised were not reflective of
their
abilities, but
discriminatory.
How
do you address the professionalism issues in writing a LOR for this student
?
Slide31Resources
APGO faculty development meeting workshop:
Charting an accurate course for a successful journey: how to easily write
en
pointe letters of recommendation.
Star Hampton, M.D.,
Archana
Pradham
, M.D.,M.P.H., Samantha
Buery
-Joyner, M.D.
AAMC Careers in Medicine Website
Guidelines for Writing Letters of Recommendation
; Anita D. Taylor, M.A. Ed., Associate Professor & Director of Career Advising, Oregon Health & Science SOM
University
California San Francisco
http://meded.ucsf.edu/ume/writing-letters-recommendation-residency
Guidelines adapted from Gross Davis B. Writing Letters of Recommendation. In: Tools for Teaching (1993). 1st Ed. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey
-Bass; 1993:407-412.
Slide32
Thank you!
Elise Everett, M.D.
Associate Professor of Gynecologic Oncology, Vice Chair for Education
Elise.Everett@uvmhealth.org
Julie Lahiri, M.D.
Associate Professor of Vascular Surgery, Program Director General Surgery Residency at UVM Medical Center
Julie.Lahiri@uvmhealth.org
Christa Zehle, M.D.
Associate Dean for Students & Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Christa.Zehle@med.uvm.edu
Slide33
Residency Letters of Recommendation: The Best for Success
Download Presentation - The PPT/PDF document "Residency Letters of Recommendation: The..." is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.