OMSAS Reference Examples: Crafting Perfect Support Letters

OMSAS References Examples

What is Unique About the OMSAS Letter of Reference?

OMSAS letters of reference follow a specific structure and can’t be treated like other medical school recommendation letters. OMSAS uses a form called a confidential assessment form, or CAF. This form asks referees to respond to certain prompts rather than writing a general reference letter of praise.

Tip: You can share this section and these prompts with your letter writer! This is especially important if your letter writer is not used to writing OMSAS reference letters for medical school applicants.

You will need three separate referees to fill out a CAF in OMSAS, regardless of what school or program you are applying to. In addition to OMSAS’ own requirements for referees, make sure you check your program’s admissions requirements as they may require additional letters or have guidelines for selecting specific referees .

Check out this infographic for more information on the OMSAS application:

OMSAS Reference Requirements

When selecting letter writers, find referees who not only know you, but who will communicate this well to the admissions committee. The more exciting things they’ve seen you do, the farther they’ve seen you grow, the better.

Make sure your letter writers can (at minimum) answer all of the prompts on the Confidential Assessment Form (CAF).

First, make sure you contact your OMSAS references and let them know how to fill out the form and the associated deadlines. You will submit your referees’ emails through OMSAS and the system will send a link to the CAF, but it is your responsibility to give your referees these instructions as they may not be familiar with OMSAS.

Second, use your referee’s business or university email address, not a personal one, as this is a professional application.

Include your contact information when emailing your referees, to ensure that they can reach you if need be.



Who Should I Choose to Be My OMSAS References?

• The first OMSAS referee and letter must be academic or employment-related.

This should be the easiest to select. You should choose a professor to whom you demonstrated your academic ability, in particular your scientific ability. Ideally this professor will have a strong connection to you. Maybe they supervised your undergraduate research project or they were a faculty mentor for an extracurricular. Make sure this is someone who knows you as more than just a student in their class.

This referee does not have to be academic, but make sure any work-related referee has some sort of connection to the practice of medicine. For example, you could use a supervisor from your premed gap year job.

• The second OMSAS referee must be non-academic.

The second referee is meant to directly comment on your ability to study as a doctor, not just your academic ability. Remember that your references should be complementary. If your first referee supervised a research project and speaks of your academic talent, make sure your second referee can speak to your other skills like communication and empathy. Keep the CanMEDS roles in mind when selecting this referee. Selecting a referee from a volunteer position in a medical setting is a great way to achieve this.

• The third OMSAS reference is one referee of your choosing.

This reference can be tricky, but should be used to fill in any gaps left by your other referees or to demonstrate something unique about yourself. For example, if your other two references speak strongly to your academic ability and professional skills, but not your empathy or soft skills, make sure your third reference can speak to that.

They can also speak to something unique that may not be easily apparent to the admissions committee. For example, if you are an international applicant and you received a prestigious internship in your home country, pick a referee who can explain what a big deal that is!

Tips for Choosing Your OMSAS Referees

Some tips for making sure you get an excellent OMSAS reference:

• Humanize yourself while showing off a skill! For example, your reference could be someone who you volunteered for in a foreign country. This would showcase your drive and passion for a cause, while also simultaneously allowing the letter writer to comment on your ability to work under pressure.
• Make sure your letter writers speak to the medical school requirements and missions of your particular school. For example, Schulich School of Medicine values creating opportunities for physicians from Southwestern Ontario who wish to practice in this region. A great reference for this school would be a physician you shadowed at a clinic in Southwestern Ontario. Ask your letter writer to comment on your desire to live and work within the region! 
• If you are a non-traditional applicant and you have letter writers who are not familiar with OMSAS, make sure you give them all the information they need to fill out the CAF. You should always provide your letter writers with your personal statement and medical school resume as this will allow them to understand your application better and speak to your strengths. But if your referee is from outside academia or medicine, they might need basic information such as the medical school application timeline or for you to write your own reference for them.

Looking for more help with your OMSAS application? Check out this video:

Programs That Require Additional OMSAS References

There are two medical schools in Ontario that require additional referees: Queen’s University medical school and the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine. These schools want OMSAS referees that speak to other, specific areas of your life. 

How To Fill Out a CAF: Tips for OMSAS Reference Writers

The following information should be passed on to your letter writers, even if you are helping them by writing your own letter.

CAF Question 1

Question one on the CAF form should follow a standard essay writing structure and style. The writer of the letter should open with an introduction paragraph and an attention-grabbing sentence. The body is formed by several paragraphs describing detailed, specific qualities of the applicant. These should speak directly to the applicant’s qualities as related to the kind of referee who is writing the letter – academic, non-academic, professional, and so forth.

Detail is excellent, as long as it isn’t too much. The main thing is to emphasize the applicant’s capabilities. The best characteristics to speak of are perseverance, kindness, ethical decision making, critical thinking, and sympathy. Referees should use concrete examples to demonstrate your qualities.

Finally, a concluding paragraph wraps up the essay.

CAF Question 2

The second question has the referee rating the applicant. Instead of just providing a number, it would be most helpful to provide the ranking with context. Eight out of ten means little without knowing why the applicant is an eight out of ten. For example, “I have supervised 100 students as a professor, and X candidate is in the top 5%”.

CAF Question 3

For the third section – identifying an area of improvement – take a little space to explain the kinds of things that the applicant is missing. This is similar to the “what is your greatest weakness” question you might get in an interview. Ideally, the writer can demonstrate how you have grown in the face of a weakness, rather than just stating something you need to do better.

CAF Question 4

Finally, use the section at the end – anything to add that might be relevant – to come up with something that the committee would like to hear that maybe isn’t as easily contained within the other sections. You can use this to show off other, unique aspects of the person so that they feel more genuine, human, and invaluable to the committee. If you know of a personal hardship that the student has undergone, for instance, you might list it here. Or, if your student comes from a background – such as a rural upbringing – that will give them insight into a specific area of medical practice, include that in the final section.

FAQs

To your success,

Your friends at BeMo

BeMo Academic Consulting

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