You finished your rotation, the attending seemed to like your work, and now you have to ask for the letter. For many IMGs, this is where things stall. A residency letter of recommendation request email feels risky when you’re not sure how direct you can be with a US attending, or how long the message should run.
In practice, the email is short. Tell the attending who you are, ask one clear question, and make it easy to say yes.
Every residency LOR email template below can be edited in a few minutes. They cover:
We will define common letter writing terms, explain the Letter Request Form, Letter ID, and LoR waiver. Finally, we will explain the AAMC Letter Writer Portal. We will cover the AAMC Letter Writer Portal, which is new for the 2027 ERAS cycle.
It is always better to ask as early as possible. An attending who supervised you recently can attest to your presentations, while one who supervised you 8 months ago may have a difficult time remembering your name. Aim to ask during your last week on service or first few weeks after.
For a long time before you put pen to paper, there is important preparation. Attendings can describe your interactions with patients and resident only if they see you do it.
Asking for a letter of recommendation in person, then following up with an email, is the best way to go. Thank them for their teaching, and share something specific.
Already back home? You can still ask, because letters are submitted online. But the attending has met plenty of trainees since you left, so your email has to jog their memory:
Three to four weeks is a sensible minimum, if your timeline allows it. AAMC doesn’t set this number. It’s just practical advice for working with busy people.
You can technically get a letter into ERAS after submitting your application. The catch is that AAMC doesn’t guarantee programs will review a letter assigned after you applied, so plan backward from your application date.
If you want to know how to get a strong residency LOR, start with the choice of writer. A famous name who barely remembers you won’t have much to say. The attending who corrected your presentations for three weeks will.
Look for someone who:
The test is whether they could give an example. “Dr. Khan was hardworking” could be about anyone. “Dr. Khan noticed a rising creatinine during pre-rounds and alerted the team” tells a program what you actually did.
One small change in wording makes a big difference:
The first version lets the attending back out politely, and you want that. A no costs you little, but a weak letter can’t be swapped out once it’s assigned to a program you’ve applied to.
Yes. General praise doesn’t tell a program director much, while a description of how you handled real patients does. A factual rotation summary can help the attending remember details. Just don’t offer to write the letter yourself.
This is common, especially on short rotations. You have a few options:
If they hesitate, thank them and look elsewhere. Pushing rarely produces a useful letter.
You can’t ask for a specific, example-filled LOR if no US attending has supervised you. We place IMGs in hands-on rotations that produce exactly those letters.
Choose a sample email for letter of recommendation based on your situation. Change info in the brackets, change wording as best you can. Attending’s get lots of these and can tell if its copied. Do not include anything that can identify a patient.
Subject: Letter of Recommendation Request
Dear Dr. Last Name,
I was the (department) Service at (hospital) from (date) to (date). Thank you for all the work you did to teach the (service) skill.
I am currently applying to (specialty) residency for the (year) ERAS cycle. If you are able to write a strong letter of recommendation, I will provide my ERAS Letter Request Form, CV and (service) rotation summary. Thank you for your time. I understand your schedule is very busy and can be very demanding.
If you are able to write a letter of recommendation for me, please mail or email it to (E-mail) or (address). I have a (phone number) if you have any questions.
Thanks again,
(your name)
Be honest about your role here. If you were just an observer, don’t say you managed patients.
Subject: Letter of Recommendation Request
Dear Dr. Last Name,
I observed your (clinic or service) at (hospital) from (start date) to (end date). I learned a lot about (skill) by observing (specific example). Your talk about (topic) helped my interest in (specialty).
(your name)
I will be submitting my application for the [year] ERAS cycle in the coming months. Could you please write me a letter based on what you have seen of me as a student?
Thank you for having me in your clinic.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Only describe the duties you actually performed.
Subject: Letter of Recommendation Request: [Your Name], [Elective or Externship]
I took this chance to thank you for your help and supervision during my [elective or externship] at [hospital] from [start date] to [end date]. I [took histories, presented patients, drafted notes] and you provided feedback on [skill]. This was helpful with [task].
I am in the process of completing my [specialty] application for the [year] ERAS cycle and am in the process of requesting letters of recommendation. I was hoping you would be able to write me a letter based on your recent observation.
I will send my CV and rotation summary when it is most convenient for you.
Best,
[Your Name]
Subject: Letter of Recommendation Request: [Your Name], [Department] Rotation, [Month, Year]
Dear Dr. [Last Name],
I believe you may remember me from the [department] rotation at [hospital] in [month, year]. We talked about [memorable case or topic], and you advised me to [advice]. Since then, I’ve been living in [country].
I’ve applied to [specialty] for residency, during the [year] ERAS cycle and am in the process of collecting letters of recommendation. Would you be able to write me a strong letter of recommendation? My CV and a one-page rotation summary are included. Letters will be submitted online, so being in [country] will not be a problem.
A short reply is all I need for now. Thank you!
Sincerely, [Your Name]
A yes isn’t the end of it. The attending still needs a second email with everything required to submit the letter.
MyERAS can also send the form to the attending for you, with a custom message. If you go that way, warn them it’s coming so it doesn’t get lost.
Subject: ERAS Letter of Recommendation Request: [Your Name]
Dear Dr. [Last Name],
Thank you for agreeing to write my letter. As we discussed, I’m applying to [specialty] residency in the [year] ERAS cycle.
My ERAS Letter Request Form, CV, and personal statement are attached. The form explains how to upload your letter through the AAMC Letter Writer Portal, and you won’t need to create an AAMC account.
Would [date] work for you? If a rotation summary or anything else would help, just tell me.
Sincerely, [Your Name]
Think of it as the instruction sheet for your attending. It’s a PDF that MyERAS creates once you add and confirm an LoR entry, and it lists:
Every letter gets its own form. Double-check the attending’s name and email before confirming, because confirmed entries can’t be edited. A typo means starting a new entry.
Applying to both Internal Medicine and Family Medicine? Choose “General” as the specialty and one narrative letter can go to both. Programs never see this label.
It’s a unique code that ties one letter to your application, and it only works once. So don’t forward the same form to a second attending. Attendings who use the link on the form don’t have to type the ID at all.
For each letter, MyERAS asks if you waive your right to review it.
Confidentiality lets the attending write candidly, since they know you won’t read it. That said, waiving doesn’t guarantee a better letter. Make your decision before you confirm the entry.
We help you build the ERAS portfolio around your letters, CV, personal statement, and a rotation summary that gives your attending real details to draw on.
Silence usually means a full inbox, not a refusal. Attendings won’t be surprised by a polite reminder.
Subject: Following Up: Letter of Recommendation Request, [Your Name]
Dear Dr. [Last Name],
I emailed you on [date] about a letter of recommendation for my [specialty] application, and I wanted to check in. We worked together in [month, year]. If your schedule is too full, that’s completely fine.
Thanks, [Your Name]
Subject: ERAS Letter Reminder: [Your Name]
Dear Dr. [Last Name],
Thank you for agreeing to write my letter. My ERAS doesn’t show the upload yet, so I have reattached the Letter Request Form for your convenience. Would [date] work?
Thanks, [Your Name]
Give the date and let it do the work. Words like “urgent” tend to come across badly.
Subject: ERAS Letter Needed by [Date]: [Your Name]
Dear Dr. [Last Name],
My applications go in on [date], and my letter hasn’t been uploaded yet. Could you do it by then? If it’s not going to work for you, please let me know and I’ll do something else.
Thanks, [Your Name]
No official rule exists, but this works as a rough guide:
Send two separate notes: one when the rotation ends and one when the letter is in.
Subject: Thank You for the [Department] Rotation
Dear Dr. [Last Name],
Thank you for teaching me during my rotation at [hospital]. The way you approached [specific case type or skill] changed how I think about [topic].
Sincerely, [Your Name]
Don’t ask for anything else in this one.
Subject: Thank You for Your Letter
Dear Dr. [Last Name],
I just got the notification that your letter was uploaded. Thank you for making the time. I’ll let you know how my application goes.
Sincerely, [Your Name]
Less is more here. Every extra file is one more thing a busy attending has to open.
| Document | Why it is useful |
| Updated CV | Shows your background, including USMLE results and ECFMG certification status |
| Personal statement | Explains why you chose this specialty |
| ERAS Letter Request Form | Tells the attending how to submit |
| Rotation summary | Reminds them what you did |
| AAMC ID | Identifies your application (already on the form) |
| Target date | Lets them plan (put it in the email body) |
A first request usually needs only your CV and rotation summary. Hold the Letter Request Form until the attending says yes.
One page is plenty. Include:
Stay factual. You’re jogging their memory, not telling them what to write.
The portal changed for the 2027 cycle. Attendings now submit through the AAMC Letter Writer Portal, not the older Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP). Your side still happens in MyERAS. From start to finish:
Applicants often forget that last step. An uploaded letter doesn’t reach any program until you assign it.
Planning to reuse an older letter? Letters uploaded before June 1, 2026, were moved to the new system. Requests still incomplete on that date were removed, so those attendings will need a fresh request.
No. They can submit as a guest through a secure email link, or sign in if they already have an account. It’s worth saying so in your email, since a new system can put off a busy attending.
Not if the letter is waived. AAMC only lets applicants upload letters they haven’t waived, and each upload is watermarked with the uploader’s name, date, and time. Having the attending upload it directly is the cleaner route.
The Letters of Recommendation page in MyERAS shows a status for each entry:
If a letter seems stuck, first make sure the form reached the attending. Then send a short follow-up.
By email, briefly and formally. Give your rotation dates, mention one thing you learned from them, name your specialty and cycle, and ask if they’d be comfortable writing a strong letter.
Go to the attending who saw the most of your work. Personalize the request and attach a rotation summary so they have real details to draw on.
Near the end of your rotation or soon after, while they still remember you. Leave at least 3 to 4 weeks before your application date.
Yes, as long as you describe your role accurately. Ask for a letter based on what the attending saw, like your questions and professionalism.
Say what it is and include your name. For example:
That’s your call. Waiving means you’ll never see the letter. It keeps the letter confidential, but it won’t automatically make the letter stronger.
Roughly 7 to 10 days. Go sooner if your application date is close, and later if the attending already gave you a timeline.
Send one or two polite follow-ups. After that, contact the department office and approach another attending who knows your work.
Yes. Everything happens online, so where you live doesn’t matter. The attending just needs your Letter Request Form.
No. In the 2027 cycle, guest submission through a secure email link is an option, and existing AAMC accounts also work.
It depends on the specialty and the program, so check each program’s requirements. ERAS caps you at four letters per program.
Before you send off your residency LOR email template, run through this quick check:
For more help with USCE, ERAS, and residency applications, explore the other guides from IMG Helping Hands (IMGHH).
IMG Helping Hands works with international medical graduates across every stage that turns a rotation into a Match:
Articles published by IMG Helping Hands are prepared by our team using information from direct experience, publicly available resources, and educational references. AI tools may be used to assist with drafting, proofreading, and formatting; however, all content undergoes review and approval before publication.
The information provided is intended for educational purposes only. Requirements, policies, and processes may change over time. Readers should consult official sources for the most current information.
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