Physician Assistant (PA) School Letter of Recommendation

When and Why do You Need a PA School Letter of Recommendation

The opinion of other people who take high positions in certain fields means a lot nowadays. Sometimes the opinions of such people can change one’s life! And in the recommendation letter, the writer takes full responsibility for providing details concerning the subject’s skills, personal characteristics, and traits.

According to statistics, the vast majority of people value the opinions of like-minded people from the same social network more than anything else. In this way, due to the factors listed above, the PA school letter of recommendation plays a significant role in the medical field. It is quite clear that this reference letter is not compulsory yet very essential.

The most-used approach among college and university admission workers is a holistic one. It implies that the student is taken as a whole—they consider every characteristic of the person. Moreover, to exclude the human factor, such admission workers are not meeting with applicants (students) face-to-face. Instead, they ask for a letter of recommendation or some kind of a personal essay. The latter ones are selection criteria for applicants. That is another reason why the PA school letter of recommendation is indeed crucial.

Who Should Write a PA School Letter of Recommendation

Once we have covered why and when one would require such a form, we should discuss the writer (or author) of the PA School Letter of Recommendation. The critical thing about the reference letters is that the person described in the paper cannot be the writer of that form. Several types of people can suit as writers for the reference letter:

• PA with whom you have worked, preferably.
• Some nursing supervisor or practitioner, doctor, and so forth. The person writing the letter should be from your department.

We listed only a few preferable options, and there are many more. For example, you might choose someone from the additional list below:

• A manager whose field is not medicine, but who can argue about your work ethics and supervised you at some time.
• An instructor of the laboratory your work at (assuming you do).
• A teacher, a teacher’s assistant, or a dean who knows you can provide arguments on your performance and activity in class and give a full description of your character.

Now we know that the people mentioned above can possibly write a letter for you. Why possibly? After all, it can be a real headache to write such a paper because it takes some time, not several minutes. The person would have to set aside all of their tasks, sit down, think and remember about you, and compose the paper.

If you want to facilitate the task for the writer, compile a general letter of recommendation by yourself by all of the necessary rules. As a result, this paper could either suit as a helpful template for the final letter or as a final letter itself: the writer might choose to edit your letter and then sign the document!

So, in any case, the writer should be cautious in the process of writing the letter, as it might be life-changing. This letter is an official document to support you through your enrollment process, and you should make a good impression on the admission workers.

Once you choose your author, your next step is to ask that person to write this letter. Remember, the paper has to be positive, impressive, and persuasive. After deciding on that, you should choose the means to reach your writer: either through an email or a face-to-face meeting, you should sound formal, polite, and respectful.

What to Include in the Letter

Now, let us move to the vital details that should be included in the PA school letter of recommendation:

• A formal salutation
• Contact information of the writer
• How the subject and the writer are related, and for how long they have known each other
• All of the traits, qualifications, medical achievements, characteristics of the subject
• The reasons why the subject is a perfect fit for the program
• Formal clothing

How to Write a PA School Letter of Recommendation

Let us discuss an actual physician assistant school letter of recommendation template and how to write it. There is no strict format for the letter.

How to Start the Letter

The best way to start your paper is with a formal salutation to the recipient. Then, you will have to mention that you are pleased to write a letter of recommendation about the subject. It would be great to specify the nature of your relationship to the subject and its durability.

What to Include in the Main Body

Start the next paragraph with a personal greeting, introducing yourself. Overall, the main body should consist of the full description of the subject’s detailed characteristics. It is a great idea to discuss the soft skills of the subject (assuming there are any) and the personal traits. Do not forget to include some valid proofs of the subject’s work throughout your interaction and the skills they possess.

How to Conclude the Letter

To conclude your letter, leave a formal closing, your full name, working position, and signature. You could also leave some other contact details such as address and phone number.

Dos and Don’ts

In the following part, we would like to discuss some details about preparing the letter. To be more precise, we have decided to make a list of what you should do and avoid when designing a PA school letter of recommendation.

What wouldn’t be beneficial to do:

• Ask your friends, professors, and coworkers who do not supervise your work for a letter of recommendation. Such a letter would neither be helpful nor be valued by the admission officers.
• Ask the person with whom you do not interact or who does not have the best opinion about you to write the letter of recommendation. Even if you ask a dean of some medical program (a very valued person) and you do not get along with them, the letter might turn out horrible.
• Lie about your skills or qualities in the letter of recommendation or submit it late.

What would be beneficial to do:

• Stick to one format. The letter should be consistent, well-toned, and formal to make a good impression on the recipient.
• Describe all of the personal traits and characteristics very thoughtfully and add details; try to write about all valid proofs of your achievements.
• Write several letters for various schools.

Samples for a PA School Letter of Recommendation

Sample 1: CASPA Letter of Recommendation

To whom it may concern,

I have been working with  ______ (write the name of the subject under review) for _____ (mention the relationship durability). I was a supervisor of a physician’s office laboratory at _____ (write the place the writer works at).  ______ (fill in the name of the subject) studied and worked as a _____ (write the job position of the subject) with excellent results.

______ (write the name of the subject) is a very hardworking person, with a constant desire to work more and more, develop new skills, and possess new knowledge. (He or She) has brilliant interpersonal skills, that is why (he or she) has always been getting along with colleagues and other working staff.

(His or Her) functional performance of theirs is outstanding:  ______ (write the name of the subject) is reliable, kind and responsible, and demonstrated consistent working trajectory.

(He or She) provided sufficient feedback concerning the operational matters and was very helpful in the process of decision-making concerning some debatable cases during the workflow.  Speaking about the personal skills of the subject, (he or she) is _____ (describe all of the best and unique traits of the subject).

Although a high-valued medical professional, ______ (write the name of the subject) managed to do great in extracurricular activities, for example, ______ (mention the extra work, projects, conferences the subject has participated in). (He or She) worked here for _____ (mention for how long the subject had worked on a specific project) and successfully combined it with the working process, which speaks for excellent time-management skills.

All things considered, I am very enthusiastic about recommending ______ (write the name of the subject) as a physician assistant candidate. Feel free to contact me if any further questions emerge.

_______ (leave the writer’s signature)

_______ (write the full name and the job position of the writer)

_______ (write here the place where the writer works

_______ (write down the address and the contact data, such as cell phone number)

Sample 2: Recommendation From a Doctor

Dear _____ (write the name of the recipient),

With great enthusiasm, I would like to recommend  ______ (write the name of the subject you are describing), who has worked as ______ (mention the already existing experience of the subject and for how long have they worked under your observation or guidance). My name is _____ (write the name of the writer here), and I have been observing ______ (write the name of the subject you are describing) progress throughout (his or her) working time here. I have been a _______ (write about writer’s job position here and how long have you occupied it), and it has been such a pleasure to work with such an expert and reliable person.

During (his or her) first years, ______ (write the name of the subject the writer is describing) presented brilliant service to patients in all units. ______ (insert the name of the subject you are describing) is very skilled in ______ (write the fields your subject specifies on and all of their accomplishments).

______ (insert the name of the subject you are describing) can work on several things at a time, being very responsible and perfect in managing their time.

______ (insert the name of the subject you are describing) knows a lot in such fields as ____ (mention what the subject has studied) and worked in  _____ (write about the place where subject worked), where (he or she) showcased skills and efficient performance.

The staff was impressed by ______ (put the name of the subject you are describing).  ______ (insert the name of the subject you are describing) fulfilled our team with energy, knowing when to take action and when to provide support to (his or her) colleagues.

I recommend giving ______ (put the name of the subject you are describing) your closest consideration for _____ (write about the desired position of the subject). Make sure to contact me at _____ (put the writer’s email address or cell phone number here) in case you need some additional information or any clarifications about the application.

Sincerely,

_______ (append the writer’s signature)

_______ (write the full name and the job position of the writer)

_______ (Write here the place where the writer works)

Sample 3: Letter of Recommendation for Physician Assistant Program

Dear ______, (write the name of the recipient)

I am willing to recommend ______ (write the name of the subject you are describing) to you. My name is   _____ (insert the writer’s name here), and I have supervised _______ (fill in the name of the subject under review), who used to be a student at my department for ____ (indicate the time during which the subject was studying under your guidance).

______ (write the name of the subject you are describing) would be a perfect fit for any physician assistant program. (He or She) is very hardworking, patient, kind, reliable, and _____ (mention any other personal traits of the subject).

During the time of (his or her) studies at my department, the student gained specific hard and soft skills ______ (list the skills of the subject) and accomplished _____ (mention the tasks and study projects has accomplished during the study process). (His or Her) performance was outstanding, and I enjoyed being a supervisor to such a student.

I believe that _____ (write the name of the subject you are describing) will be a great asset to your physician assistant program. In case you have any further questions concerning the student, please contact me  _____ (put the writer’s email address or cell phone number here), and I’ll be more than pleased to answer any inquiries.

Best regards,

_______ (leave the writer’s signature)

_______ (write the full name and the job position of the writer)

_______ (Write here the place where the writer works)