When arranging for LORs in ERAs, one option reads "This LoR Author is a Department Chair where I completed my clerkship training. Group departmental letters must be signed by the team composing the letter." If the author is the chair (or medical director) of a department where the applicant completed residency, would this be correct? Clerkship sounds like it refers to medical school rotations, but the applicant is applying to fellowship and the author is from the applicant's residency program, not the medical school's institution.
ERAs LoR Language for Fellowship
- Thread starter j.b.3z
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There should be a choice to label a letter as coming from a PD. All of my resident LOR requests have that option chosen
Thank you for your reply! The applicant has a LoR from the program director for their residency, and has marked the selection you mentioned for that letter. For the LoR in question in this case, the author is not the program director for the residency but a subspecialist and the medical director of the department, which the applicant is pursuing in fellowship apps cycle. To be more specific, applicant is a pediatrics resident, applying to a peds subspecialty. They have the PD LoR and have marked it accordingly. They also have a letter from the chair of the department in the subspecialty they're pursuing. For this letter, it wouldn't seem right to mark as a PD letter; should they mark it as a department chair letter even though that letter option uses "clerkship" in the language? Thanks for any input!
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They should just mark it as a plain LOR. It won't really matter, everyone will read it no matter what. The "department letter" is something used in residency apps.
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ERAS does not modify their application at all for fellowship applications. The designation of a chair letter doesn't matter beyond residency applications.
Also, in most places, the head of subspecialty divisions is not actually a chair--they are a division director or chief, but the chair is for the entire Department of Pediatrics. The letter writer should include their credentials and titles in their letter, so people will know who they are. They don't need to be marked as a chair letter to lend more credence to their letter. Subspecialty pediatrics is small enough that it is possible that people will know who the letter writer is without this description.
Also, in most places, the head of subspecialty divisions is not actually a chair--they are a division director or chief, but the chair is for the entire Department of Pediatrics. The letter writer should include their credentials and titles in their letter, so people will know who they are. They don't need to be marked as a chair letter to lend more credence to their letter. Subspecialty pediatrics is small enough that it is possible that people will know who the letter writer is without this description.
