Admissions readers can already see hours, roles, and grades elsewhere in the application. Your value is explaining how the applicant behaves when patients, teammates, uncertainty, feedback, and responsibility are real.
A focused letter usually needs a clear relationship statement, two evidence-rich moments, an assessment of readiness, and an honest conclusion.
Establish your basis for evaluation
Name your role, the setting, how long you have known the applicant, how often you interacted, and what you personally supervised or observed. Distinguish direct observation from facts supplied by the applicant.
Choose two PA-relevant moments
Select incidents that reveal behavior rather than prestige. A patient interaction, team handoff, response to correction, difficult shift, service commitment, or academic challenge can carry the letter when the details are concrete.
- Situation and stakes
- Applicant’s observable action
- Effect on a patient, team, project, or learning outcome
- Feedback received
- What changed or what the moment revealed
Interpret the evidence
Explain why each moment matters for PA education: person-centered communication, interprofessional teamwork, reliability, ethical judgment, adaptability, or commitment to learning. Do not claim clinical competence beyond what the applicant’s current role permits.
Close with a calibrated recommendation
State whether you recommend the applicant and how strongly. If useful and honest, compare the person with a defined group you have supervised or taught. Then submit the final evaluation yourself through the official CASPA link.
Show what the applicant did, what you directly observed, and why that behavior predicts success in rigorous, collaborative PA training.
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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