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