The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has shared important updates for pain medicine programs for the 2027 Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®) season. These include the introduction of a specialty-specific Standardized Letter of Evaluation (SLOE) and new specialty-specific personal statement prompts.
New Pain Medicine SLOE Template
Beginning with the 2027 ERAS season, pain medicine will implement a specialty-specific SLOE through the AAMC Letter Writer Portal. Applicants will continue to request letters of recommendation through the MyERAS application.
The AAMC developed the changes to provide more consistent and structured information, improve transparency and efficiency for applicants and letter writers, and reduce variability in letter content across programs.
- View the SLOE template for pain medicine
- View the step-by-step guide to uploading a SLOE
New Personal Statement Prompts
Applicants will respond to the following pain medicine-specific prompts, with a maximum of 600 words, in the personal statement section of the MyERAS application:
- Describe your clinical experience with pain medicine. How have your experiences shaped your understanding of the field, and how have they influenced your decision to pursue this fellowship?
- Share your career goals and how a pain medicine fellowship would help you achieve them. How do you envision your future role in advancing the field, whether through education, clinical innovation, research, or advocacy?
- What unique skills, perspectives, or background will you bring to the fellowship class? Describe how these factors have prepared you to be successful as a fellow and how they will elevate your co-trainees.
Important Dates
- Nov. 4, 2026: Pain medicine SLOE launches, and applicants may begin requesting SLOEs. Programs gain access to the Program Director’s WorkStation for preseason setup.
- Nov. 12, 2026: Applicants can begin applying to programs.
- Dec. 2, 2026: Programs can begin reviewing applications.
Additional Resources
- 2027 ERAS Letter of Recommendation Updates Webinar Recording
- Pain Medicine Specialty Spotlight Recording
- What You Need to Know About the 2027 ERAS Application Season webpage
APPD members are encouraged to review the SLOE template and additional resources in preparation for the 2027 ERAS season. Questions about the changes may be directed to the AAMC Support Center.
