Personal Statement/Letter of Intent for Away Rotations &
Away Rotation Letter of Recommendation
Career and Professional Advisors
University of Arizona, College of Medicine—Phoenix
12/21/2023 version
While expectations for an Away rotation personal statement are quite varied and site-specific, that does
not diminish their importance. Please craft and polish these personal statements with as much attention
to detail as you would for your ERAS application.
OUTLINE
VLSO PS
Paragraph 1: Who you are
Paragraph 2: Why are you choosing to rotate in this specialty and/or this specific rotation
Paragraph 3: Why do you want to do a rotation at this specific program
Please pay attention to the program specific VLSO prompt and/or character/space limitation.
This above is different than your ERAS PS. Your ERAS PS should be maximum one page.
ERAS PS
Paragraph 1: Why medicine +/-
Paragraph 2: Why you choose this specialty and possibly how
Paragraph 3: Why you are special/weave in some of your acvies/med school interests into your
specialty of interest
Paragraph 4: Why this program and/or geographic region and what you are looking for in a
program? I am looking for a program that will provide me…
FOR VSLO:
DO
• Highlight why you chose the specialty and why you are interested in rotating at their site
• Share what makes you unique, and why you are a great candidate
• Keep the length under one page
• Double-check grammar and spelling
• Minimize clichés, dictionary definitions, quotes
DON’T
• Just update your medical school application personal statement
• Focus too much on the past; make sure to address future goals
• Make this a creative writing or English Lit. assignment
• Tell them details about their program, or what an anesthesiologist is, for example. Make this
about why you want to rotate at their program or why you want to be an anesthesiologist.
Please review the following ILM on creating a personal statement:
https://arizona.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=941df797-6c01-4559-a7ff-
ab9c0114e19f
Personal Statement/Letter of Intent for Away Rotations &
Away Rotation Letter of Recommendation
Career and Professional Advisors
University of Arizona, College of Medicine—Phoenix
12/21/2023 version
VSLO LOR
1. Follow all requirements on the program specic VSLO site
a. Example- if it says you need a Chair LOR or a LOR specically from someone in
that eld
b. Leers need to be from aendings (not residents)
2. Ask your leer writer early and provide a copy of your CV and your VSLO PS/Leer of
intent
3. If it does not specify who the leer needs to be from, consider:
a. Asking someone who knows you both clinically and personally
b. If you did not work with an aending too long but worked with the residents on
that team, you can ask the residents if they would be willing to provide feedback
to the aending. If the residents are willing to do so, you can share this
informaon with the aending.
The goal is that you have all documentation, including vaccinations, PS, and LOR ready for upload on the
first day that the away rotation accepts applications. Many of these away rotation acceptances will
occur on a rolling basis, so the earlier you apply, the better chance you will have at securing an away in
the time slot which you want.
