If this is your first SLOR, please review the instructions below. Included in the instructions are tips for navigating the eSLOR (Electronic Standardized Letter of Recommendation) website. For authors new to the process, we encourage you to seek any necessary support from CORD, the AOA/CORD SLOR Taskforce, or your program leadership before completing the eSLOR. Please limit authorship of this form to only orthopaedic surgery faculty.

Do’s

  1. Use the eSLOR without any additional letter or paperwork.
  2. Answer every question.
  3. Use the Personal Comments box to explain any response or highlight distinctive accomplishments.
  4. Try to accurately place an applicant on your hypothetical rank list. Please keep in mind that the majority of applicants will match. Additionally, an applicant placed into even the middle third of a hypothetical list should still be viewed as a very competitive candidate.
  5. Try hard to provide comments and perspectives not easily found in other parts of the ERAS application packet.

Don’ts

  1. Don’t append any additional information or letters of recommendation. The eSLOR is meant to be a stand-alone document.
  2. Avoid reiterating information that can be found elsewhere in the ERAS application, such as on the applicant’s transcript or in his or her Dean’s Letter.

Steps to Completing the eSLOR

  1. Students requesting an eSLOR and authors completing an eSLOR form should navigate to the eSLOR webpage.
  2. On the eSLOR webpage, either log in with your unique AOA username and password, or if you don’t have an AOA login, create a new account. Anyone who had an AOA username/password prior to December 23, 2020, should have received a message that explains your need to create a new password with a unique link.
  3. Students must enter their ERAS AAMC ID and sign a consent.
  4. Authors must verify the applicant’s ERAS AAMC ID number before beginning an eSLOR.
  5. Click here to view the eSLOR Frequently Asked Questions
  6. Once the letter is complete, the author should download, print, sign, scan, and upload the PDF letter to the Letter of Recommendation Portal on the ERAS site. Click here for instructions on uploading a SLOR to ERAS.

Our eSLOR is a function of a very active and engaged CORD membership body. It is an iterative document that is meant to grow and evolve as the membership wishes. Please contact our CORD office or any member of the SLOR taskforce with any comments or suggestions that you may have. Finally, if you experience problems using the eSLOR, please contact the CORD office by phone at (847) 318-7330 or email at cord@aoassn.org.

While the electronic version of the SLOR is preferred, the pdf version is still available and can be found below.

Standardized Letter of Recommendation