Writing Reference Letters for Trainees
From Dr. Brovender Oct 5th, 2021
Hi everyone,
I have it on good authority that the CaRMS site has opened and we have once again entered the season of Letters of Recommendation. If you have not been asked to write any letters yet this year you could apply this to the daily narrative evaluations we complete for residents and AA students.
In addition to the resources I shared last year (also included here), here are two new recommendations. I found the UCSD one particularly helpful.
1. University of California San Diego Letter of Recommendation Resource for Faculty
https://facultydiversity.ucsd.edu/recruitment/Letter-of-Recommendation-Resources-2020.pdf
2. University of Arizona Avoiding Gender Bias in Letter of Reference Writing
https://csw.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/avoiding_gender_bias_in_letter_of_reference_writing.pdf
Letters of reference and narrative comments for non majority groups are more likely to contain mentions of soft skills (empathetic, good communicator) compared to hard skills (knowledgeable, led a QI initiative, created new curriculum tools). It is also more common for “doubt raisers" to appear in letters in support of non-majority candidates. You can run the language of your reference letter through this online tool to see if it may contain gender biased language:
https://www.tomforth.co.uk/genderbias/
This worksheet can help you identify bias in evaluations and write stronger evaluations:
You can help your trainees improve their self evaluation skills by sharing the following worksheet with them:
https://biasinterrupters.org/wp-content/uploads/Writing-an-Effective-Self-Evaluation-Guide.pdf
If you are unsure where to start writing a letter the CaRMS site has the following guide:
What should a reference letter include?
In order to ensure programs receive the information they need to evaluate applicants, reference letters should include:
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A confidentiality statement indicating that the applicant has not seen and will not receive a copy of the reference.
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The date the letter was written
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The time and duration of your contact with the applicant
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Assessment of the applicant’s
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Cognitive skills and knowledge
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Problem solving and patient management skills
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Behaviour and attitudinal skills
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Communication skills and working relationships
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Motivation and punctuality
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Sense of responsibility
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Procedural skills specific to the discipline
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Special qualities and unique contributions
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If you are unable to comment on an applicant’s performance in any of these categories, you should indicate in your letter that you have not observed or do not have knowledge of that specific component.
I personally find it helpful to have the students send me their CV, draft of their personal letter/ statement and some written reflections on our time together with some case descriptions so I can recall details.
Happy letter writing!
Andrea Brovender