What Reviewers Look For in the PhORCAS Pharmacy Residency Letter of Intent
This rubric reviews whether your letter explains why you want residency training, supports your claims with pharmacy work, connects your goals to the program, and shows how you learn and contribute. It also checks that the writing is clear, organized, concise, and complete so readers can understand your preparation and direction.
What We Check
Why the applicant seeks this next stage of pharmacy training.
The evidence behind claims of preparation: the applicant’s actual role, task or question, action or observation, and response or result.
The connection between a destination’s stated training opportunity and the applicant’s development need.
How the applicant responds to feedback, uncertainty or a responsibility shared with others, and what that behavior suggests about participation in residency.
Mistakes We Flag
- Treating residency as just the next credential
- Saying residency is the “next logical step” does not explain why you need this training or where you hope it will lead.
- Making claims without showing your work
- Statements such as being a strong clinical leader need an example of your role, actions, observations, or results. Listing rotations or project titles alone does not show what you did.
- Taking credit for a team’s work
- Be clear about your own responsibilities and distinguish them from a supervising pharmacist’s role in an intervention or outcome.
- Using generic program-fit language
- Praise, prestige claims, or a list of rotations can fit almost any program unless you explain how a stated opportunity meets your own development needs.
- Saying you welcome feedback without showing change
- Thanking a mentor or describing yourself as a team player is not enough on its own. Show how feedback, uncertainty, or shared responsibility changed your work or follow-through.
How this rubric reads your essay
- Built from published reader guidance — the sources are listed below.
- Scored per section against defined criteria, not general impressions.
- Calibrated for consistent scoring, so a better draft shows up in the score.
References
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to name a specialty in a PGY1 letter?
No. A PGY1 applicant does not need to commit to a specialty or to PGY2. The letter should explain why broad practice development is the right next stage for you.
How should a PGY2 letter differ from a PGY1 letter?
A PGY2 letter should explain why you need further specialized training. It should not simply repeat why pharmacy interests you or recycle an earlier PGY1 letter.
What kind of experience can I use as evidence?
You can draw on an advanced pharmacy practice experience, community job, operations task, informatics project, research, teaching, or other relevant work. You do not need a publication, hospital placement, quantified improvement, or verified patient benefit.
Is there one required length for every PhORCAS letter of intent?
No. Follow the instructions provided by the program. Residency guidance may recommend one page when a program does not request more content, while some programs expressly allow longer multi-site letters.
Prepare your letter of intent for feedback
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