Curriculum Vitae (C.V.) as a doctor (Part -1)

Creating an impressive CV is everyone’s dream. Let’s talk about how to get one.

To begin with, let’s start with the most common question:

How should I create an impressive CV for myself?

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The straight forward answer to this is :

Do more things.

I can only tell you how to impressively structure your CV but cannot add in the important bits of tasks that you must have done yourself and the skills that you should own.

Example:

Do you want to work in a prestigious university hospital?

Recruiters look for the workplace skills and the life skills which you have developed during the course of your career.

Get yourself learning those interview skills and the research aptitude. Get a BSc./ MSc. / Ph.D. Develop on those hobbies to stand out from the regular nerd. And then, you will surely have an impressive CV to get in.

But, won’t it take a lot of time?

Undoubtedly, yes!

That’s why many doctors apply for post-graduate training with experiences in different fields at a later stage in their life rather than the first instance they get a chance to get in into a random specialty in a random city.

It seems like a lot of work. Shouldn’t I just work in my home country then?

Surely, as you will need those below-mentioned sub-headings in your CV to work in a developed nation.

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I have done a lot of things. How should I present them now?

Awesome!

Let’s move on to the next question.

How to structure your CV?

An impressive CV should be structured under the following sub-headings.

Qualifications

Always put in your undergraduate (MBBS/ BSc.) and post-graduate degrees under different subheadings along with the place and date of qualification.

Career History

This will include your work experience. Here you need to mention the dates and duration along with the places you have worked in.

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Courses

This includes all courses at the international/ national /regional or local level attended in your specialty of choice. For example, the Basic surgical skills (BSS) course is a common course attended by surgical aspirants.

Look for CPD accredited courses in the specialty of choice.

Long term-certifications have higher value because they show your commitment over a long duration.

Publications

You should subdivide your research publications into the ones in peer-reviewed journals and the ones selected as abstracts.

You can also create a subheading for other publications like publishing a chapter in a book or even the whole of it.

Research Experience

This will include your experience of working as a researcher in a laboratory / non-laboratory setting.

For E.g. You can go for a research elective or work as a research fellow at a prestigious university. This is something undergraduates at AIIMS, New Delhi go for during their undergraduate years.

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Presentations

These include your research and audit presentations.

Divide them into oral and poster presentations.

Subdivide these into international, national, regional, or local presentations.

Awards and Prizes

This section can help you shine out if you won an impressive award or a grant during your schooling, undergraduate training, or postgraduate training years.

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Clinical Audits

Clinical auditing skills are very important to have in your CV.

Subdivide these into the full cycle and partial cycle audits which you have conducted.

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Teaching experience

Include your experience at the international/national/regional (in a regional meeting) or local level ( in a lecture hall in your medical college or in a ward-based setting).

Collect feedback forms from your audience to attach to your portfolio.

A feedback form for my session on teaching Chest X-ray interpretation to medical students

Training in the teaching

You should add any teaching related courses which you have attended.

A common one to attend is the ‘Teach the teachers course’ in the U.K.

You can also go for a post-graduate certification (PGCert.) or an MSc. degree in teaching and add it here.

Management and leadership experience

This will include any management related activities you have done which can include organizing a college festival or organizing a course or conference/ blood donation camps.

You should also include courses that you have attended that were focused on leadership or improving management skills.

Memberships of organizations

Include various organizational memberships related to your specialty of choice.

Please do not spend extra money to become a member of an organization just for the sake of it. It will not give you an unfair advantage over others.

Extra-curricular activities and other skills

This is a very important area as recruiters usually prefer an all-rounder person over a studious topper nerd.

References

Add their name, positions, and contact details.

Try to include three consultants in different specialties and mention them starting from the recent ones.

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