Med School Recommendation Letter Sample: Physician

Med School Recommendation Letter Sample: Physician

Below is a constructed physician letter of recommendation of 342 words, written by us for an invented applicant, with a note on every paragraph saying which published writer guidance it follows. A weak version of the same letter, and three strong and three weak opening and closing lines, follow it.

The letter a committee can use is an assessment of what you saw the applicant do, including what you could not judge. TMDSAS states it directly to evaluators: "A substantial evaluation provides an accurate assessment of the applicant's suitability for dental, medical, and podiatry school rather than advocate for the applicant." (TMDSAS, Evaluator Support) A template full of adjectives is advocacy. If you want the reasoning behind each part before the sample, read how to write a letter of recommendation for medical school first.

Every page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026. AAMC's writer guidelines page returned HTTP 403 to our scripted checks that day, so this page does not quote or paraphrase AAMC; it builds the sample on guidance from TMDSAS, VCOM, Lincoln Memorial University's DCOM and the University of Vermont, which loaded.

What a physician can say that a professor can't

A professor sees coursework. A physician sees the applicant with patients, under time pressure, inside a team. The writer guidance we checked asks for exactly those things:

For which premed competencies a physician can see, and constructed sentences for each, see the competencies page.

A research supervisor writing for MD-PhD needs a different letter; see the MD-PhD letter of recommendation from a PI.

• TMDSAS asks evaluators to describe "how the applicant has, or has not, demonstrated" competencies including "Integrity and Ethics, Reliability and Dependability, Service Orientation, Social/Interpersonal Skills, Teamwork, Capacity for Improvement, Resilience and Adaptability, Cultural Competence and Oral Communication."
• VCOM's physician evaluation form opens: "Describe the nature, extent, and duration of your association with the applicant." It also asks: "Describe any weaknesses of this applicant." Its rating grid includes a "Cannot Judge" column. (VCOM physician form, PDF)
• LMU-DCOM suggests writers address "The nature of your relationship with the applicant, including how well you know the applicant, in what capacity, and the length of the relationship", plus traits such as "Communication skills", "Ability to work with others", "Maturity", "Dependability" and "Judgment". (LMU-DCOM, Letters of Recommendation)
• UVM Larner says letters "should critically evaluate your academic ability, strengths, and weaknesses, motivation for medicine, maturity, and special attributes or assets." (UVM Larner, Admissions FAQs)

Three things recur: the relationship stated first, observed behavior, and a candid weakness. A physician who supervised the applicant can supply all three. The "Cannot Judge" column tells you something else: a form built for physicians expects them to say what they did not see.

The sample letter, paragraph by paragraph

Constructed example, written by us, not a real letter. Context (invented): Dr. Samuel Achterberg, MD, is an emergency medicine attending. Marisol Vance worked as a scribe in his department for 14 months and is applying to MD and DO schools. Every name, number and event below is invented.

Paragraph 1. I am an attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Lakeshore Regional Hospital, and I have known Marisol Vance for 14 months as a medical scribe in our department. She has worked roughly 90 of my shifts. Everything in this letter comes from what I observed directly at the bedside and at the workstation, except where I say otherwise.

Paragraph 2. Scribes document; they do not treat. What I can judge is how Marisol listens, how accurately she records, and how she behaves when the department is under strain. On a night in March with eleven patients waiting, a man with chest pain gave a history that changed between triage and my exam. Marisol had recorded both versions word for word, flagged the difference to me before I signed the note, and asked afterward why it mattered. That question led to a ten-minute conversation about unreliable histories that she later summarized back to me accurately.

Paragraph 3. She is reliable in a way I have learned to depend on. She has never missed a shift, and when a colleague's scribe called out sick in August, she covered a double shift and kept two attendings' notes current. Nurses in our department ask for her by name.

Paragraph 4. Her weakness when she started was speed: her notes were complete but late, and I had to wait for them. She asked me how other scribes kept up, built a template for our common complaints, and within three months was finishing notes before I left the room. She takes feedback once and acts on it.

Paragraph 5. I cannot judge her clinical skill, because scribes do not examine or treat patients, and I have not seen her academic work. I can judge her judgment about information, her composure and her treatment of patients and staff.

Paragraph 6. I have supervised 31 scribes since 2021. Marisol is one of the two I would most want documenting my sickest patient, because I would trust her record of what was said. I recommend her to medical school without reservation and would welcome her as a colleague.

Samuel Achterberg, MD Attending Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, Lakeshore Regional Hospital (555) 010-0177 · s.achterberg@lakeshore-example.org

The body, from "I am an attending" to "as a colleague", is 342 words with the paragraph labels removed. The labels are for this page only; a real letter has no labels.

What each paragraph does:

1. Relationship, capacity, duration and basis. This is VCOM's first question and LMU-DCOM's first suggested topic. "Except where I say otherwise" tells the reader every later sentence is first-hand.
2. One observed incident with a consequence. It shows "Integrity and Ethics" and "Oral Communication" from the TMDSAS list in action instead of naming them. The follow-up question shows curiosity without the word.
3. Reliability, with a fact behind it. "Reliability and Dependability" is on the TMDSAS list; the double shift is the evidence.
4. A real weakness and what she did about it. VCOM asks for weaknesses; TMDSAS lists "Capacity for Improvement". A weakness with a correction is more useful to a reader than a claim of no weaknesses.
5. What the writer could not judge. This is the "Cannot Judge" column written as a sentence. It makes paragraphs 2 to 4 more credible, not less.
6. A comparison with its group named, and a calibrated close. The comparison says who she is compared with (31 scribes) and on what (the record of what was said). The close states the endorsement plainly.

Our view: the physician letter should follow this order: relationship, observed incidents, a weakness, the limits of what you saw, a comparison with its group named, and the endorsement. The basis is the guidance above: the relationship comes first in both VCOM's form and LMU-DCOM's topic list, and TMDSAS and UVM both ask for weaknesses alongside strengths.

The countercase: if the school sends you its own form, as VCOM and TMDSAS both offer, answer the form's questions in its order. VCOM says applicants "are welcome to submit letters of recommendation in lieu of the evaluation forms," so the form is optional there, but where you use a form its structure wins. If you only shadowed the applicant, see the letter from a doctor you shadowed instead; this sample assumes supervision.

Constructed example: the weak version of the same letter

Constructed example, written by us, not a real letter. Same invented writer and applicant.

It is my great pleasure to recommend Marisol Vance for admission to medical school. Marisol is one of the most hardworking, compassionate and intelligent young people I have ever met. She has been an invaluable member of our team and has shown outstanding dedication to patient care. Her maturity and professionalism are far beyond her years. She has excellent communication skills and is a natural leader. I have no doubt she will become an exceptional physician. I strongly urge the committee to accept her. She is truly one of the best.

That is 91 words. It never says how the writer knows her, describes nothing she did, claims "patient care" for a scribe, makes a comparison with no group, and ends by urging a decision. "I strongly urge the committee to accept her" is a plea; TMDSAS asks for an assessment "rather than advocate for the applicant."

Opening lines: three that work, three that don't

Constructed examples, written by us, not real letters.

Closing lines: calibrate the recommendation

The close is where the reader checks how strongly you mean it. Say it once, plainly, at the strength you mean.

• Works: "Of the 31 scribes I have supervised, she is one of the two I would most want documenting my sickest patient. I recommend her without reservation." The group and the basis are named.
• Works: "I recommend him with enthusiasm; the one area I would watch is pace, which improved steadily while I knew him." A calibrated close with its reason stated.
• Doesn't work: "Please give her the chance she deserves." A plea, not an assessment.
• Doesn't work: "She will be an asset to any program lucky enough to have her." Stock phrasing with no basis.

Format checklist before you upload

Letterhead, date, degrees, signature and file rules differ by service and school; the AMCAS letter writer portal guide puts them in one table with the Request ID step. Three checks belong here because they change the letter itself:

1. The applicant's full name and today's date are on the first page, and your degrees follow your name in the signature block.
2. No grades. TMDSAS's evaluation form tells writers: "please refrain from relisting grade performance."
3. The letter is signed by hand and scanned to PDF, which meets the strictest signature rule in that table.

Questions physicians ask about this letter

How long should a physician letter for medical school be?

No service page we read sets a length for an uploaded letter. TMDSAS's evaluation form gives each answer "a 2000 character limit." One page is enough for the six parts above; the sample is 342 words. For more on length, see how long a letter of recommendation should be.

Should I mention the applicant's GPA or MCAT score?

No. TMDSAS tells evaluators the "Official Academic Record has been recorded in the application" and asks them not to relist grades. Mention academics only if you saw something the numbers do not show.

Is there a Word template I can download?

No file is needed. Copy the sample's structure into your own letterhead template and replace every sentence with what you observed. Interfolio notes that "Most medical practices will also have letterhead templates for doctors and staff."

I am a DO. Should my letter be different?

Same structure, one addition: what you saw the applicant learn about osteopathic practice. The guide on how a DO writes a letter for osteopathic school covers that letter, and the DO letter requirements table shows which schools ask for a physician letter. More letter guides are in the medical school essays hub. For sentence-level fixes, see strong and weak phrases for a medical school letter.

Writing as a non-physician supervisor? See the letter from an employer or scribe lead.

Get a free review of the letter

Get a free Quick Review of your letter against GradPilot's Medical School Letter of Evaluation rubric. Paste your draft and it checks what the margin notes above check: a stated vantage, incidents instead of adjectives, a comparison with its yardstick, and an assessment rather than a plea. For a PA, dental or pharmacy applicant, use the health professions evaluation letter rubric.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• TMDSAS, Evaluator Support (letters dated after May 1, 2025 preferred): assessment rather than advocacy; competency list; evaluation form questions and 2,000-character boxes; no relisting of grades; contact information.
• Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Osteopathic/Allopathic Physician evaluation form (PDF) and Step by Step (no cycle stated): association question, weaknesses question, Cannot Judge column; letters accepted in lieu of forms.
• Lincoln Memorial University DCOM, Letters of Recommendation (no cycle stated): suggested topics for writers.
• University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Admissions FAQs (2026-27 timeline): what letters should evaluate.
• Interfolio, About Adding a Letterhead or Signature to a Letter (no cycle stated): letterhead templates.
• AAMC, Guidelines for Writing a Letter of Evaluation: HTTP 403 on November 7, 2026; not quoted.