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Important pieces of information from MyERAS User Guide (Residency)

Reserving Slots for LoRs

You will need to reserve a slot for your LoRs in order for your designated dean’s office to attach these documents to your electronic application. This can be done prior to applying to programs and your documents arriving at your designated dean’s office. As soon as you submit your LoR(s) request, your designated dean’s office will receive an update that allows them to scan your LoR(s) and make them available to programs when you apply. You may create an unlimited number of LoRs; however, no more than four (4) letters may be assigned to any individual program.

To Reserve a Slot for Your LoR(s):

1. Click on the Documents tab.

2. Click on the Letters of Recommendation tab.

3. Create a new letter writer by clicking Designate a New Letter of Recommendation Writer.

4. Next, fill in the following required fields: LoR Author Name and LoR Author

Title/Department. The last field, Specialty(s) to which this letter will be assigned is optional.

Note: The specialty field helps you identify your LoR(s) when assigning them to programs and to help your dean’s office identify LoRs when attaching them to your application. Programs will not be able to view the information you enter in this field.

5. Click Save when you are finished.

Note: Repeat this process for all of your designated letter writers.

6. After you have finished designating your letter writers, click the check box next to the LoR(s) that you wish to reserve a slot for and enter your MyERAS password in the box provided.

7. Click Submit Request to complete the process.

Tip: When reserving the slot for your LoR(s), make sure to click Submit Request instead of hitting Enter after entering your password.

Note: Once you reserve the slot for your LoR, you cannot edit the LoR. If it contains errors, you will need to create a new letter writer and assign him/her as a replacement to the one containing errors. Contact your designated dean’s office and inform them of the error so that they may attach your document correctly. Your designated dean’s office will be able to see/scan your reserved LoRs the next time they contact the ERAS PostOffice.

It is your responsibility to follow-up with letter writers and confirm that LoRs reach your designated dean’s office in time to meet program deadlines (See Step 8: Assign Documents to Programs).

If you are an international medical graduate and plan to apply to a California program, you may need to submit a California Letter. To do this, you will need to designate one of your LoRs as a California Letter. When designating a LoR, you will need to check the box which reads “This is a California Applicant Status Letter.” Once this box is checked, the remaining fields will auto-populate.

Dean's letter or MSPE is given to American graduates.

As a foreign medical graduate you won't have such a letter. You can do one of 3 things:

1. when i applied for residency i sent the “shihadat altafaseel” instead of dean's letter.

2. leave it blank

3. ask the dean of medical school to write a letter. when i applied for fellowship i did that (since they still request it).

essentially he confirmed the following:

• date of graduation
• duration of study
• methods of assessment

In my opinoin i don't think it really matters whatever way you do it, and frankly i don't think it makes much of a difference. but this is my personal opinion, others may differ