Secrets of Successful PA School Letters of Recommendation

Admissions directors Letters of Reference Tip:

What are you looking for in a letter:

It is likely that you will not see your letter, your letter writer is submitting a digital letter of reference.

On the CASPA application, there is a page where you will submit the name title and email address of the 3-5 people you will be asking to include letters of recommendation too.

CASPA will send an email to your letter writers indicating that they have been selected to submit a letter of reference on your behalf.

Four guidelines to Letters of Reference for PA School

When gathering your letters of recommendation focus on these 4 traits:

Someone who has known you for some time
Someone who practices in some field of medicine
Someone who has seen how you interact with patients
Someone who supports you as an applicant

Try to pick someone who has known you for some time

'Know the people from who you receive letters of reference well!' - Dr. Shafran, Case Western Reserve PA SchoolClick To Tweet

It is better to get a letter from someone you have known longer than someone you have known for a shorter period of time.

One of the questions asked of the letter writer is how long have you known the applicant? How well could they assess you if they have met you only once or had you in the office for just 2-3 hours of shadowing?

The most desirable is someone who has been witness to your patient care experience. This could be a physician, PA, NP, DO, etc. who have witnessed you work with patients.

You can use nurses and clinical managers although these references may not be as strong as the former. Ideally, they want to see a letter from someone who knows what you are getting into and is enthusiastic about you.

Practices in some field of medicine

If you don't have a lot of healthcare experience this can be a hard one and you may not be able to produce a letter from someone who has seen you working with patients in a clinic.

If this is the case you are going to choose someone who knows you well and can speak to them about a domain that is relevant to the PA profession such as your ability to communicate effectively or your science ability.

Who should your letters of recommendation come from?

There is ideal and there is real, what most of us have to work with is something in-between.

If you have decided to apply even though you don't have a ton of experience your options may be more limited and that is fine.

You work with what you've got. There is ideal and there is real, what most of us have to work with is something in-between.

One Academic Letter from an instructor or professor of a prerequisite science:

Someone who taught you one of the "big 5 sciences": anatomy, biology, microbiology, physiology, or chemistry. This is someone who can attest to your academic ability specific to the field of science and medicine.

You definitely need a letter from a medical provider where you have volunteered or worked:

A provider is a universal term for an MD, PA, NP, DO or anybody who cares for patients somewhat independently. Of course, the ideal letter is going to be from a PA but this is not always possible. When I applied to PA school I did not have a letter from a PA, was this a big deal? I don't know I still got into PA school.

A letter from another provider from another discipline or supervisor in a medical setting:

If you received a letter from a PA in #2 you can choose another provider such as an MD, DO, NP, RN who knows you personally and has seen you work directly with patients.
If you don't have another provider you can choose a clinical director, charge nurse you worked under, volunteer coordinator or direct supervisor.
1. I received a letter from the supervisor of the medical records department where I worked. She ended up writing me a wonderful letter. You can see a couple of my letters here.

Summary of Ideal situation

Summary of the ideal situation:

Academic letter + 2 provider letters (ideally one from a PA)
Academic letter + provider letter + healthcare work supervisor

What should they demonstrate? Dependability, honesty, and intellectual curiosity!

How good do your letters of reference need to be?

You want the best letter you can get, you want a letter from someone who glows and raves about you. Why?

Anybody who reads letters of recommendation assumes that they will be writing for you because they believe in you, and letter writers who don't know you well will speak in "glowing" platitudes.

What is a glowing platitude? A platitude is a remark or statement, especially one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful.

Here are a couple examples:

Platitude: Stephen has a positive attitude and works well with others
Glowing recommendation: I don't ever remember him saying an unkind or angry word. He is the most positive person I have worked with in my Laboratory Medicine career of 25 years.
Platitude: Stephen has a strong worth ethic and has experience working in the healthcare field
Glowing recommendation: He works hard, but has a balanced life with leisure activities. I'm impressed with his career development as a student... working in Healthcare information (1.5 yrs), laboratory (1.5 Yrs), and a summer camp with special needs children. he has since trained as an EMT, has a patent pending for a physical therapy machine, and worked at a Blood Bank center. All of these experiences give him a broad base of knowledge for a healthcare career as a physician assistant.
Platitude: I think this person would be a good fit and would be capable of performing the relevant duties.
Glowing recommendation: I am really sad to see this person go, but you are so much the better for it because they need to be in this field and I am enthusiastic about them.

Moral of the story:

Pick someone who is enthusiastic about you!
You want someone who can write well and will take the time to write well about you!

How do you go about getting letters or recommendation?

This can be tough, one way is to scout out early who you may want to write your letter and then do your best to impress.

Are you taking a human anatomy course and have a wonderful professor who you feel could provide an excellent reference?

Then do your best to show up early, attend or lead extra study sessions, create study groups, offer to assist the professor in lab setup or clean up. You don't want to be a "kiss ass" you want to be helpful, show that you are a hard worker, a leader, a dedicated student and make yourself stand out. Then at the end of the course, if all seems well, you can gently ask for a letter of recommendation.

Are you working or volunteering? Well, if you are not you should be. Then be the wonderful person you naturally are. Show up on time, offer to help out wherever you can, don't worry about pay, work for free, or pay them :-), always keep a positive attitude, grab every learning opportunity available... again the goal is not to shmooze, it is to be yourself. I know you are a passionate, caring person who obviously is highly motivated and goal oriented. Don't be afraid to take initiative... After 12 months or more of hard work and effort, the letters will be flowing!

Summary:

You are not looking for good letters, you are looking for amazing letters! The letters should shout from the mountain tops that they would be stupid not to take you.
The quality of letters almost always trump where they come from, in other words, don't get so caught up on the ideal letter writers that you choose a less enthusiastic writer in place of someone who adores you but sits outside the "ideal" category.
If you are applying a second time ask for new letters or if you know it was a great letter ask the same references to submit the same letter a second time.
Don't ever ask for letters from family!
Don't ask for letters based on credentials from people who don't know you well. I have had people ask me for letters after a couple of email exchanges through this website. This is not a quality letter and will not work in your favor. It also makes me extremely suspect as a letter writer.

Advanced CASPA Reference Form Tips (for the prepared PA school applicant)

Professors, physicians, and employers are busy people so ask at least 3 months in advance for a letter.
Set up a little interview with your recommender so they can ask questions to better help write the letter.
Before meeting with the recommender have these ready:
- Updated resume.
- List of schools you’re applying to.
- A paper on what you may want specifically mentioned in the letter (One professor actually complimented me on how prepared I was compared to other students for requesting the letter).
The more personal a letter the better. Don’t ask for a letter from a professor who only knows you as a good grade in their class (that’s all they can really write truthfully).
This is something you can do starting your freshman year so professors can remember you personally and write a great recommendation for you.

Answers to common CASPA letters of reference questions (from the CASPA website)

Q: What is the difference between an evaluation, letter of reference, and a letter of recommendation?
- A: Nothing. They are all the same thing.
Q: How many evaluations must you enter?
- A: CASPA requires three letters of reference to be listed on your application in order to submit to CASPA, however, you may list up to five. These must then be completed through the CASPA reference website. CASPA will verify your application as long as two of your evaluations are completed. Any additional references received by CASPA will be available to your schools immediately once they are completed.
Q: How long should the letters be?
- A: The file uploaded by references may not exceed 5 MB (this is a pretty big file). The Evaluator Portal will not allow references to exceed this file size when uploading their assessment.
Q: Can I submit more than five references?
- A: NO. You may not submit more than five references via CASPA, and CASPA cannot accept any additional or substitute letters. However, you may want to contact the schools to which you are applying in inquire as to whether they will accept an additional or substitute letter. If so, you would send this additional letter directly to them.
Q: Why can I only have five letters? Why are letters restricted to 5 MB in length?
- A: Restrictions regarding the length and number of references have been determined by the Physician Assistant Education Association (PAEA) and the CASPA Admissions Committee, which is made up of admissions officers from CASPA participating PA programs. These restrictions reflect the PA programs’ desire to receive concise assessments and allow a certain degree of standardization in the amount of consideration given to each applicant’s reference material.
Q: Can I have different evaluations sent to individual programs?
- A: No. Each evaluation is sent to all programs that you applied to.
Q: Can I send letters of reference which are on file at Interfolio or a career center?
- A: NO. All letters of reference must be completed via the CASPA reference website by the evaluators themselves.
Q: Does CASPA accept committee letters?
- A: If you wish to submit a committee letter to CASPA, it must be a single composite letter written by ONE individual (usually an advisor) who will also complete the ratings section. This single evaluator must be listed on your application with the individual’s name. Do NOT label this letter as being from a group; i.e. “Thesis Committee.” The composite letter and ratings still must be submitted electronically through the CASPA Evaluator Portal and must consist of ONE composite letter which fits within the 5MB upload limit. Do NOT upload a file containing multiple letters. Please note that a committee letter only counts as ONE letter of reference. CASPA applicants using a committee letter must still submit additional individual references, completed by evaluators who were not involved with the committee letter.
Q: What do I do if I want to change the person who is sending the reference or edit the information I entered?
- A: Even after you submit your application, you may edit, delete, or replace references whose status is still listed as “new” or “incomplete.” Once a reference is “completed,” you may not make changes to that reference, regardless as to whether or not you’ve submitted your application.
Q: Can I e-submit my application before my references are received by CASPA?
- A: Yes. Once you have successfully filled out your application, you can e-submit it to CASPA at any time. However, your application will not be processed until CASPA has received all of your official transcripts, at least two letters of recommendation and your payment.
Q: How can I view my letters of reference?
- A: Even if you have not waived your right to view the reference, you still cannot access the reference via CASPA. If you have not waived the right to view your reference, this means that you may ask your reference for a copy of their recommendation, or, once you matriculate into a PA program, you may view the reference in their offices.
Q: Can CASPA forward my references to me, my evaluators, or schools not affiliated with CASPA? (i.e can I see what the reference said about me?)
- A: NO. As per the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), CASPA may not release letters of reference to anyone other than your designated schools, including other schools or the applicant themselves.

For a complete list please visit the CASPA website - letters of reference

Want to see my letters of recommendation for PA school?

Physician Assistant Application Letter of Recommendation Samples: Applying to PA School

Here are two letters of recommendation I received when applying to PA school. I am not posting them here as a way to fluff my feathers but merely to serve as an example of what I included as part of my actual PA school application. A great letter of recommendation weighs heavily in your favor, I believe this (and a passion-filled essay) is the reason that I, an average student from a state university, was able to receive an acceptance letter over many Ivy league applicants with pedigree backgrounds and 4.0 GPA's. A great letter of recommendation must be earned. It comes when you provide a valuable service with the sole intent of doing your job or providing your service for the benefit of others...[Read More…]

Physician Assistant Letters of Recommendation: Downloadable Templates

This download includes nine physician assistant profession specific letters of recommendation to cover most situations:

Letter of recommendation for PA School Applicant 1
Letter of recommendation for PA School Applicant 2
Letter of recommendation for PA School Applicant 3
Letter of recommendation for PA School Applicant 4
Physician assistant colleague letter of recommendation 1
Physician assistant colleague letter of recommendation 2
Letter of recommendation for staff (MA/Front Desk/Tech/ETC) pursuing healthcare career/graduate school 1
Letter of recommendation for staff (MA/Front Desk/Tech/ETC) pursuing healthcare career/graduate school 2
Letter of recommendation for PA Student who rotates in your clinic

These are pre-formatted MS Word document templates that you may modify and edit to your liking.

Writing a good letter of recommendation can be helpful, but writing a great letter of recommendation can change a person's life. If you care deeply about your coworker, colleague, employee, student, MA, staff member or yourself (if you have been tasked with writing your own letter), taking the time to write a reference letter that will uniquely separate you from the pack is worth your time.

Download Letter Templates

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Comments

Amanda A says

April 12, 2018 at 3:45 pm

Hi Stephen!
First I would like to say thank you for creating such a useful resource for students like me! I have spent countless hours absorbing all your information over the past few weeks, and it has helped me better understand the process behind becoming a PA.

Second, I was wondering if you have any tips on the best ways to ask someone for a Letter of Recommendations. I’ve read the article about figuring out who to choose, but I want to be sure to ask correctly.

Thanks again!

Amanda