LoRs

Letters of Reference

Letters of Reference (LoR) are an important component of the residency application.

Most programs require 3-4 LoRs
You an request more letters than you eventually use/assign.
Specific requirements vary by specialty and program.
- Usually, the main 2-3 letters are CLINICAL LoRs
OSA recommends confirming individual program requirements early in the application process. OSA and Specialty Advisors can provide individual guidance.
We recommend giving letter writers a deadline of September 1^st to submit their letters to ensure letters arrive on time.
Rarely, some letters may be uploaded after the applications are released, in this case we recommend discussing in advance with your OSA Advisor.
For those students planning to obtain a letter from a September rotation, plan to discuss your intent with the faculty member at the beginning of the rotation.
Note that once a LoR is assigned to a program it cannot be unassigned.
A maximum of 4 LoRs can be assigned to each program, so if you are waiting for a late letter, do not assign an alternative letter as a placeholder.

Prelim

Do I need a letter of reference for a preliminary or transitional program?

Under most circumstances, the answer is yes.
This can be coordinated with the Department of Medicine and Department of Surgery, respectively. We recommend meeting with the respective faculty departmental mentors to discuss your circumstances.
- In Internal Medicine, a departmental LOR and an IM LOR from someone who worked with you clinically is recommended.
- We generally recommend at least 1 LOR from a surgical faculty member if applying for a general surgery preliminary position.

ERAS

MYERAS

The MyERAS Letters of Recommendation section allows the applicant to manage requests for LoR and to assign LoRs to programs during the application Process. Through the LoR Portal, letter writers can directly upload the LoR to the applicant’s portal.

	MYERAS
Creating and Confirming LOR Entries	An unlimited number of LoR authors may be entered and finalized; however, no more than four (4) letters may be assigned to any individual program.
To Finalize LoR Author(s)	Click on the Documents Click on the Letters of Recommendation Enter LoR Author information: LoR Author Name, LoR Author Title/Department, and Specialty(s) to which this letter will be assigned (optional field). Programs will be able to view the LoR Author Name, Title/Department, and the "I waive my right to view my Letter of Recommendation" response you select. However, the specialty you enter is visible ONLY to you, the Office of Student Affairs, and your LoR Authors. The purpose of the specialty field is to help you identify your LoR(s) when assigning them to programs. The optional program director selection is NOT applicable to medical students; this is only used for residents and fellows Select Yes or No for “I waive my right to view my Letter of Recommendation.” We strongly encourage you to waive your right to view. Finalize your LoR Author(s). A Unique Letter ID is generated for each Letter Request Form Click on the “Actions” button and choose if you’d like to download the letter request or email the letter request. You may hand deliver, mail, or email your Letter Request Forms Repeat this process for each LoR Author that will be writing a letter for you. You will have the opportunity to edit and delete before finalizing your LoR Author(s). Once you finalize a LoR Author, you cannot delete it. If it contains errors, you will need to enter and finalize a new LoR Author.
Requesting LoRs	An applicant may request a letter from a letter writer by downloading and sending a Letter Request or by emailing the Letter request directly from the MyERAS portal. To generate a Letter Request Form through ERAS, the LoR Author must be finalized. LoR Authors can submit LoRs using the ERAS LoR Portal to upload LoRs themselves.
Assigning LoRs	Once an LoR has been uploaded by the letter writer, it can be assigned to saved and applied to programs through MyERAS by selecting “assign” under the Actions column of the LoR. LoR assignments to programs that have already been applied to cannot be changed. Once the maximum number of 4 LoRs have been assigned to any given program, additional LoR assignments cannot be made.

ResidencyCAS

	ResidencyCAS
Creating and Confirming LOR Entries	see below
To Finalize LoR Author(s)	ResidencyCAR refers to LoRs as “Evaluations.” Students can submit a request for an Evaluations in the Program Materials section of ResidencyCAS. To submit a request students should Select the “plus” icon in the Evaluations section Enter the evaluators full name and email address as well as the date by which the request should be completed Enter a brief message or note to the evaluator Select whether you want to waive your right of access – OSA suggests that you do waive the right of access Submit the request The Check Status tab can be used to monitor the status of evaluations – which will be listed as “Completed” when the request is complete, or “Requested” or “Accepted” prior to completion.
Requesting LoRs	see above
Assigning LoRs	Students have the option to select which evaluations should be sent to specific programs. This can be done in the Evaluations sections under “Assign Evaluations.”

SF Match CAS

SF Match does not let applicants upload the letters themselves — instead, you request them and your writers upload directly. The typical steps are:

Log in to your SF Match account and go to the “Documents” (or “LOR”) section.
Select the option to request a letter of recommendation.
Enter each letter writer’s contact details — usually name, email, institution, and any other requested fields.
Once you submit the request, SF Match will automatically send your writer an email that includes a secure link they use to upload the letter in PDF format directly to the system.

You don’t upload the letter files yourself — the author must do so.

AUA

The AUA uses the ERAS Application System.