Email from CORD about SLOR

[Kim Reising]

All,

Please see email below that was sent last week from CORD.

Dear Program Coordinator,

Last week, we sent you a note, asking you to provide your thoughts on the SLOR. CORD needs your input to help improve the application process.

Reminder: Click here to submit your feedback on the SLOR now.
Deadline: Tuesday, March 11

About this Request: You have been identified as someone who assisted a writer(s) of letters of recommendation for an orthopaedic surgery residency applicant(s) during the 2019-2020 application cycle. We plan to have a brief discussion during the 2020 Spring CORD Conference in Orlando and will report results of this survey to the CORD community during the 2020 Summer CORD Conference in Baltimore.

The CORD/Academics Committee is dedicated to making the recommendation letter an important component of the application package, which can help identify the best applicants for our profession. And with the recent decision to make the USMLE Step 1 test pass/fail, there will be more emphasis on the elements that help us differentiate the applicants from one another.

Several years ago, the CORD/Academics Committee developed a Standardized Letter of Recommendation (SLOR) form in a fillable PDF format. This past year, we implemented a new electronic SLOR online form (eSLOR).

What elements of the eSLOR are helpful in achieving a successful application process? And what elements may present barriers? This is why we need your input.

One of our primary goals of the eSLOR is to capture data that can help us evolve this tool. But it appears only about 50% of all SLORs were in the electronic format. Also, in addition to the SLOR, many letter writers also wrote a traditional narrative LOR.

Ultimately, we strive to make this tool a transparent way to compare and contrast a consistently high-achieving cohort of applicants each year. With your help, we hope to achieve this goal.

On behalf of the CORD/Academics Committee, thank you in advance for your feedback!

We’d appreciate your response by March 11.

Joshua C. Patt, MD, MPH, FAOA
Chair, CORD/Academics Committee

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