A CASPA recommender packet should make facts easy to verify without scripting the evaluator’s opinion. Its job is to restore context: how you worked together, what the evaluator observed, where the letter is going, and when it is due.
Because PA programs can set different evaluator requirements, build the packet only after checking every target program.
Check evaluator eligibility first
Review each program’s current CASPA instructions and note whether it requires or prefers a PA, physician, science professor, supervisor, or another role. A detailed letter from an ineligible evaluator may not satisfy the application requirement.
- Required evaluator roles
- Number of evaluations
- Program-specific questions
- Deadline and submission channel
Build a one-page relationship brief
State where and when you worked together, the applicant’s role, approximate hours or frequency of contact, and the kinds of work the evaluator directly observed. Keep applicant-reported history separate from firsthand moments.
- Relationship and observation period
- Setting and responsibilities
- Two or three moments the evaluator may remember
- Outcomes, feedback, and growth
Add useful application context
Include a concise résumé, patient-care experience summary, personal-statement context, certifications, and program list. Highlight facts relevant to the writer’s vantage point rather than sending an unfiltered document dump.
Send the official CASPA request
Tell the evaluator to expect an email from CASPA/Liaison Letters, confirm the preferred email address, and set a courteous internal deadline before the actual program deadline. Monitor the request status and follow up without asking to review a confidential letter.
Verify evaluator eligibility, supply a compact evidence packet, and let the recommender independently complete and submit the CASPA evaluation.
Keep the pa school requirements in view.
CASPA requires applicants to request at least two and permits up to five evaluations. Evaluators submit electronically through Liaison Letters, and programs may set strict rules about acceptable evaluator roles or relationships. Confirm every target program’s current instructions before sending a request.
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