Health Professions Recommendation Committee

Technical details:

• Your autobiography may be up to 1500 words. 
• Use Times New Roman Font 12-point. Double-space.
• Number pages on the top right.
• Include a cover page that contains your name, your major, the date, the health profession(s) to which you wish to enter (allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, etc.). The cover page should not be numbered.
• Use APA style for formatting and headers if you choose to use them (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html ). (You need not use headers.)

Content

The autobiography is a document, written in a your own words, that will help the HPRC get to know you as a whole person. Ultimately, you decide about what you wish to write however the committee is interested in your life, your passions, your challenges, and how you may have changed (or not) through time. The committee asks that you tell us who you are in a way that may allow committee members (who mostly have never met you) feel that they know a little about you as a person and what is important to you. 

There are other element that you may wish to consider however you should not view these as a checklist of “must have” items. The committee is not interested in ticking boxes but rather getting to know you as a genuine human being. 

Other elements that you may consider including are:

• Why you wish to be a doctor, dentist, veterinarian etc. 
• Why you think you are qualified for this field.
• What events in your life led you to your current path.
• What motivates you (social, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, etc.)

The autobiography content should be a genuine reflection of your personality, abilities, and goals.

The criteria used by the HPRC:

There are 9 criteria on which the HPRC members judge you. You will be judged based on your interview, your autobiography, your recommendations, and your academic transcripts. 

The criteria are: motivation, maturity, emotional stability, interpersonal relations, empathy, judgement, reliability, communication skills, and self-confidence.

Read More

Each health profession has a different character count and prompt that you should follow to develop your personal statement. Check the instruction manual for your particular field to determine what personal statement format, length, and prompt you should follow. 

Read More