Though you’ll often hear the words “resume” and “CV” (curriculum vitae) used interchangeably, the reality is that while they are similar documents, the resume and the CV have some key differences. And in the world of medicine, the CV is what most healthcare professionals use. Here are some tips on what to include in your CV.
A CV for a medical professional is typically two to three pages in length and includes details on a professional’s contact information, education, work history, licenses, certifications, and professional achievements.
Contact Information
Contact information should include your full name, title, current address, all phone numbers, email address, and fax number if applicable.
Education
The education and training you include will depend on where you are in your medical career. If you are a medical student, for example, you’ll want to include undergraduate and/or graduate education, as well as the medical school you are currently attending. If you are a physician who has completed residency, on the other hand, your CV will include everything from medical school forward.
Always go in reverse chronological order when listing multiple items in this category. Each item should include the name and location of the program, degree or type of training obtained (medical degree, residency, internship, fellowship, etc.), any concentrations or specialties, and dates attended. There is no set standard for how you should order these details, so be sure that whatever you do is uniform.
Work History
Like education, all items in work history should go in reverse chronological order. Work history should include all practices since completion of medical training, including any relevant military experience, research positions, laboratory positions, etc. For each work history item, you should include the position title, type of practice (solo, specialty group, etc.), employer’s name and location, and dates of employment. Rather than listing out major duties, it’s best to include details on major achievements, research interests, etc. As with education, there is no set standard for how you should order these details, so be sure that whatever you do is uniform.
Licenses and Certifications
Often this is included as a subheading at the end of the work history section. This should detail the name of the certificate or license, certificate or license status, name of issuing board, location issued, and date issued.
Achievements
You should also include a section for academic and professional achievements. The means any memberships in professional organizations, published works, honors received from any organizations, and elections to any positions or committees. If you have multiple achievements of any type, you might create subheadings such as “publications,” “professional memberships,” etc.