What are Letters of Recommendation and how do we handle them?

Something that catches many GCs off guard when applying for state licensure is letters of recommendation. Some states require you to provide personal references and ask them to fill out forms and submit them directly to the state. Others will need current and previous supervisors to do the same. Some states even require GCs to contact all the supervisors they’ve had over the past five years. Yikes!

This requirement can become a hindrance during the application process. Typically, the references respond promptly, but GCs are busy people and are not obligated to reply quickly – some even outright refuse. And yet, these states will delay issuing a license until this step is completed.

The Problem with Email

These letters of recommendation are something we at Elsie handle for our GCs. Until recently, we have been using email to send the forms and instructions to each reference and supervisor. Using email for this process has many disadvantages, but the biggest one is that it adds an unnecessary burden to the people completing the forms! We have often sent supervisors a list of GCs they’ve supervised with multiple forms for them to fill out for each GC, all with a different set of instructions on how to complete the requests. This process can be hard to explain concisely via email and even more challenging for the supervisor to keep track of all the steps.

Elsie’s Solution

To make the process easier for all involved, we have developed a new system to make it easier for supervisors and references to fill out these forms. Whenever a GC applies to one of the states that require letters of recommendation, we create a dedicated page for each reference— Listing out all the forms for each applicant on a single page. Within one week of launching this new feature, over one-hundred forms were completed on behalf of our GCs, (a feat that used to take weeks of emailing back and forth). Faster form submissions means quicker turnaround times for GCs applying for licenses.

Step by step instructions that make it easy for supervisors and references to fill out state forms

This new feature makes tracking and completing these types of requests easy. We let your references and supervisors know exactly what it is we are asking them to do, while making it simple for them to do it.

Interested in getting our help with licensure applications? Check out our AutoGen Application Services!