The ERAS Fellowships Documents Office (EFDO) serves as the "Designated Dean's Office" for both U.S. medical graduates (USMGs) and international medical graduates (IMGs) applying to fellowship programs.
The EFDO is the central processing office for fellowship application materials submitted via ERAS for all fellowship applicants.
For detailed instructions on document submission to the EFDO, review the following resources.
All documents will take up to five (5) business days to process to ERAS from the date they are uploaded through EFDO On-line Services, MIDUS or the AAMC’s Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP).
IMPORTANT NOTE: The EFDO is not permitted to provide copies of the documents to applicants or any third parties.
The EFDO will only transmit documents to programs through ERAS.
DOCUMENTS NOT TO SUBMIT
The following documents will NOT be uploaded if submitted:
Curriculum Vitae
In-Service Examination Results other than ABSITE
Medical Diploma
Medical License
Name Change Certificate
NBOME Certificate
Standard ECFMG Certificate
Translation Certificate
Marriage Certificate
Divorce Decree
U.S. Alien Card (Green Card)
USMLE Scores
CREOG Scores
COMLEX-USA Transcript (printed copy)
Board Certification Certificate
Non-medical School Transcripts
You will need to make special arrangements with programs requesting any of the aforementioned documents.
Listed below is information on the types of documents that you may need to include along with your MyERAS application.
This information can assist you with securing and understanding the documents that are meaningful to fellowship program directors.
If you are applying to a surgical training program, you will also need to submit an ABSITE transcript.
Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) (may not be required by programs)
The Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) (formerly known as the Dean's Letter) evaluates a medical student's performance (rather than providing a recommendation or prediction of future performance).
To submit a MSPE, you should contact your medical school of graduation as soon as possible to request it.
Many medical schools will not release the MSPE to students.
Contact your medical school to verify its policy.
Once you secure the MSPE, you may scan and save it in PDF format on your computer and upload at the EFDO On-line Services (located in MyERAS), or you can request for your medical school to upload the document directly to the EFDO through the Medical Institution Document Upload Service (MIDUS).
For more information on MIDUS, please visit the MIDUS page of this website.
Note: Do not designate the MSPE as a LoR.
You will only need to assign it when you are applying to the program(s).
IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not request a copy of your MSPE from your residency program.
In accordance with the AAMC policy, fellowship applicants are NOT permitted to upload MSPEs that have been printed from the Program Director's Workstation (PDWS).
Moreover, it is against the AAMC policy for residency program directors/administrators to provide fellowship applicants with the printouts of this document type for submission to the EFDO.
Programs will be considered in violation of AAMC policy which may result in negative ramifications. Any print-out documents from the PDWS will NOT be uploaded to your MyERAS application.
Medical School Transcript (may not be required by programs)
Medical school transcripts come in a variety of sizes and formats.
They may also be known as mark sheets, time sheets, or hour sheets.
Ideally, they will help the
program directors get an overview of the subjects you studied in medical school, how long you studied each subject, and how well you did on your exams.
To submit a medical school transcript, you should contact your medical school of graduation as soon as possible to request it.
Once you secure the transcript, you may scan and save it in PDF format on your computer and upload at the EFDO On-line Services (located in MyERAS), or you can request for your medical school to upload the document directly to the EFDO through the Medical Institution Document Upload Service (MIDUS).
For more information on MIDUS, please visit the MIDUS page of this website.
Note: The transcript should not be printed on "security paper" with a busy background. Such a background will make the scanned image illegible.
Ask your school to copy it on plain paper.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Do not request a copy of your medical school transcript from your residency program.
In accordance with the AAMC policy, fellowship applicants are NOT permitted to upload medical school transcripts that have been printed from the Program Director's Workstation (PDWS).
Moreover, it is against the AAMC policy for residency program directors/administrators to provide fellowship applicants with the printouts of this document type for submission to the EFDO.
Programs will be considered in violation of AAMC policy which may result in negative ramifications. Any print-out documents from the PDWS will NOT be uploaded to your MyERAS application.
Letters of Recommendation (LoRs)
Obtaining strong LoRs is an essential part of your medical fellowship application.
Your letters should give the fellowship program director a clear picture of your skills and clinical ability.
It is recommended that LoR authors be current physicians familiar with you and your work.
Previous applicants have found it helpful to provide a copy of their CV and personal statements to each of their LoR authors to assist with this process.
It is your responsibility to follow-up with your LoR authors and confirm that LoRs reach the EFDO in time to meet program deadlines.
Only four (4) letters can be assigned/sent to any individual program in MyERAS.
Please contact each program for their LoR requirements.
You are required to create and confirm for upload your LoR authors on the Documents/Letters of Recommendation
section of MyERAS prior to submission of LoRs to the EFDO.
You will be able to select whether or not you waive your right to see a particular LoR when you add that LoR author in MyERAS. The decision to waive your right to see your LoRs is between you and your LoR authors.
All LoRs must be uploaded to the EFDO through the AAMC's Letter of Recommendation Portal (LoRP). After you confirm for upload your LoR author, you will be able to email, print or save the Letter Request Form from MyERAS
to provide to your LoR author. The Letter Request Form will include instructions for accessing the LoRP.
Confirming for Upload LoR Authors:
Log into MyERAS using your AAMC username and password.
Click on Documents.
Go to "Letters of Recommendation".
Click "Add New"
Enter and save the LoR Author’s information to create your personal list of Authors.
Select the check box next to each entry in your list, and click “Confirm” located on the right-hand side just above the selected LoR(s).
Once you have confirmed for upload your LoR Authors, you can email, print or save the Letter Request Form, and Assign the LoR to programs from the Actions column.
Keep in mind that in order to assign a LoR to programs, the LoR Author must be confirmed in MyERAS AND the LoR must be uploaded to the ERAS application.
Note: If you confirm for upload a LoR entry that contains an error, you must return to Step 1 and create a new entry and provide the new Letter Request Form to your letter author.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are applying to more than one specialty and intend on submitting a generic, non-specialty specific letter to programs, it is only required that you create and confirm for upload one entry for that particular LoR Author in MyERAS.
You may indicate that the letter is for “All Specialties” in the "Specialty to which this letter will be assigned." field.
Tip: LoR authors should address the letter “Dear Program Director,” and not address the letter to individual program directors.
The EFDO cannot process LoRs addressed to specific programs or program directors, and you will be notified through the MyERAS Message Center to obtain a corrected LoR.
Photograph
Programs use your photograph to identify you when you arrive for an interview, and as a memory aid when creating a rank list.
Your photograph should have a clear, full front view of your head and shoulders. Your face should be in the middle of the photograph, and your expression should be natural with your eyes open and looking directly ahead.
You may submit one (1) digital photograph in JPEG format and upload at the EFDO On-line Services (located in MyERAS).
Note: You can view your photograph in your MyERAS application.
Personal Statement Guidelines
There are hundreds of program directors, each with his or her own idea of what a personal statement should contain.
Examples of personal statements should only be used to guide you in writing your own individualized statement.
Using the same language is considered plagiarism.
Such action can lead to an investigation and possibly toward your ineligibility to participate in fellowship training.
Visit ERAS Policies to view information on the ERAS Integrity Promotion Education Program.
Note: Your personal statements can only be created from within MyERAS.
You may use your Personal Statement to add any additional information after submitting your MyERAS application.
Postgraduate Training Authorization Letter (PTAL) or “California Letter”
The PTAL is a document issued by the Medical Board of California that confirms the applicant’s eligibility to begin
training in a program located in California and may be required for some international medical school graduates. The
Medical Board of California will require several months to issue the PTAL. You should contact the Medical Board of
California for information and apply for the PTAL well in advance of program deadlines.
To submit your PTAL, you must indicate in MyERAS that you will be including the PTAL. Once you secure the PTAL you
may scan and save it in PDF format on your computer and email it to our office. Before submitting your PTAL, make
sure that it does not exceed the maximum file size of 500KB.
Note: The Medical Board of California has established additional criteria regarding international medical
schools and the eligibility for medical licensure. If you are a graduate of an international medical school and
plan to apply to fellowship programs in California, consult the Medical Board of California before you apply to determine if
graduates of your medical school are eligible for licensure.
