Rec Letter question (IMG) - Can ECFMG/ERAS handle 2 letters from same writer?

[Alvacea]

Urgent question:

If an IMG is planning to apply to programs in two different specialties (e.g. Neuro and Psych), and would like to request two versions of a letter of recommendation from the same writer (slightly tailored to address each specialty), how does ECFMG's ERAS Support Services handle this?

(It seems that this is routinely handled by US medical schools, by asking students to differentiate multiple letters from the same writer by specifying the specialty on a cover form. The school then scans and uploads each letter to ERAS with a distinct filename so it is easily identifiable on MyERAS by the student.. simple..)

Can ECFMG do this? If so, what does one have to do to make sure ECFMG scans in both letters, and notes them so they show up correctly listed on MyERAS? Or is this a risky idea altogether (I have read some horror stories of having had the wrong letter sent to programs.. eek) and should one ask the letter writer not to put in any specialty-specific comments? Please help!

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[thanx]

Urgent question:

If an IMG is planning to apply to programs in two different specialties (e.g. Neuro and Psych), and would like to request two versions of a letter of recommendation from the same writer (slightly tailored to address each specialty), how does ECFMG's ERAS Support Services handle this?

(It seems that this is routinely handled by US medical schools, by asking students to differentiate multiple letters from the same writer by specifying the specialty on a cover form. The school then scans and uploads each letter to ERAS with a distinct filename so it is easily identifiable on MyERAS by the student.. simple..)

Can ECFMG do this? If so, what does one have to do to make sure ECFMG scans in both letters, and notes them so they show up correctly listed on MyERAS? Or is this a risky idea altogether (I have read some horror stories of having had the wrong letter sent to programs.. eek) and should one ask the letter writer not to put in any specialty-specific comments? Please help!

I have this same question. Does someone have the answer?

 

[Samoa]

Yes, it can. I had two letters from the same letter writer last year, and was able to assign them separately to various programs, as appropriate for the specialty.

My advice, though, would be to have the LOR writer send them in a couple weeks apart, so that one is scanned in before the other arrives. That way, there's no chance of them getting switched, and being sent to the wrong programs. (This was a major source of anxiety for me last year, to the point that I actually called up a program that had rejected me already and politely asked them which letter they had gotten.)