How to Write a Physician CV
Your CV is arguably one of the most important components for your job search. It’s your “highlight reel”. Your CV provides your prospective employer with a summary of your professional experience and qualifications that focuses on your education and training, skills and certifications, research and scholarly activities as well as professional membership and community involvement. How much you include on your CV will depend on the stage of your career, but there are several areas you'll want to be sure to cover. Free downloadable templates and professional CV review make it easy to put together a stand-out resume that gives employers exactly what they need to know.
What Is a physician CV?
A curriculum vitae (CV) is similar to a resume. It documents your educational and professional accomplishments. Unlike a resume, it's typically more detailed and can be used to highlight personal interests and activities. While this extra information is optional, including it can help distinguish you as a candidate.
When developing your CV, think about what your prospective employer is looking for in a candidate, and then try to present your competencies and experiences in a way that speaks to those needs.
9 common sections to include on a physician CV
The following headings are typically found in a CV.
#1 |
Contact and personal information |
| Include your full name, address, phone number, and email address at the top of the CV. If you have a LinkedIn profile or relevant personal webpage, include this information as well. | |
#2 |
Objective statement (optional) |
| Limit your objective statement to one or two sentences, tailored for your prospective organization. If you choose not to include an objective in your CV, you can include it in your cover letter. | |
#3 |
Education |
| List schools attended (medical school, graduate education, and undergraduate education) in reverse chronological order, with the most recent listed first. Include the school name, degree completed, and graduation date for each. | |
#4 |
Internships, residencies, fellowships |
| Include the name of the organization, the location, your specialty, and leadership roles, if applicable. | |
#5 |
Board certification, specialty, and states in which you are licensed |
| Do not include license numbers. | |
#6 |
Professional experience |
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List experiences that are relevant to medicine or that show your range of experience. Be sure to include the following in the order listed:
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#7 |
Publications, presentations, and other activities |
| For publications, include complete bibliographic citations. For presentations and other activities, include titles or event names, as well as dates and locations. | |
#8 |
Professional memberships, awards, and honors |
| Include full names of organizations, years of membership, and leadership positions held, if applicable. For awards and honors, include the name of the honor or award, the location, and the date received. | |
#9 |
Extracurricular activities and interests (OPTIONAL) |
| Although this information is not required, it can help the person reading your CV learn more about who you are and whether you are a good fit for the organization. Try to show how your activities helped you develop skills such as leadership, supervision, communication, or collaboration, if possible. | |
CV formatting tips
Because your CV is typically your first, and often your only, chance to make a good impression, it’s important to ensure that it is error-free and uncluttered. Ask others to proofread it several times to ensure it is free of grammar, spelling, or other errors. Download member-exclusive CV templates to build a professional CV with ease.
- Leave plenty of white space.
- Use a simple, professional font such as Times New Roman or Arial.
- Include a name header and page number on all pages.
- Place job title, organization name, and duties on the left side and dates on the right.
- Choose a format and stick to it. Layout, spacing and structure should be consistent.
- Use parallelism: Keep the structure of your phrases and/or sentences consistent throughout your document.
Download free physician CV templatesAAFP members can download free custom templates created for family physicians by hiring and recruitment experts. |
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Resident/New Physician CV Template |
Experienced Practicing Physician CV Template |
Academic Physician CV Template |
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| Physicians looking for a first job should highlight leadership positions, educational activities and memberships near the top of their CV. | Have a variety of professional roles and accomplishments to organize and highlight? This template includes several headings to help you categorize. | Ensure you include thorough information about your scholarly and educational achievements in a relevant and organized way. | ||||
Job Opportunities
Job Search Support
Membership has benefits. The LAFP and AAFP offer a FREE online job search portal. The Career Center allows you to apply filters by location, job function (i.e., type of work), visa assistance, and more. You can also sign up for job alerts and receive an email when positions that match your interests are added.
Learn as much as you can about prospective employers. Talk to colleagues currently practicing at the organization or who have practiced at the organization.
LINK TO LAFP CAREER CENTER PAGE
Resources
Applying and Interviewing
Interviewing for a physician job is different than interviewing to get into medical school or residency. You’re in demand and have many options as a family physician. However, it’s still important to prepare. Practice giving answers to common questions to build your confidence and keep your focus on evaluating the employer.
Get strategies for responding in a way that generates conversation and gets employers excited about hiring you.
The interview should be about you and practice deciding if you would be a good fit. The potential employer/partner will be assessing your personality type and clinical skill levels to see if you are an ideal candidate. You should also make observations during the interview about things you like and dislike about the potential partnership.
Resources
The Interview Day
Key Points:
- Relax!
- Leave early enough to get lost.
- Make eye contact
- Dress for success. It’s better to be overdressed than under dressed.
- Take a moment to gather your thoughts before answering.
- Give concise examples from your work or life
- Write up a summary from your interview that details your thoughts on the overall day
Contract Negotiation and Review
Understanding the terms of your contract and knowing how to negotiate to protect your interests are central to ensuring your career success and well-being as an employed physician.
A physician employment contract defines conditions of your employment. Read your contract carefully because it can greatly impact your professional satisfaction, as well as your personal happiness.
Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate
As a physician, you are negotiating daily with patients. You have learned how to finesse Ms. Smith who doesn’t want to take her BP medication. You have eitherbeen a chief resident or worked with your chief about schedules and call rotations. Now it’s time to negotiate your employment contract.
Contract review is the best way to prepare for negotiating, plus it will help you identify needed corrections and items an attorney can help with. How do you prepare for contract negotiations? Here are a few key steps to consider:
| Step 1 | Read the Contract Make sure you fully understand the provisions and make notes to address with your healthcare lawyer. Note any vague language |
| Step 2 | Make a List This list might include items you'd like to negotiate, i.e. salary, length of the contract, etc. and items that you had specific questions about. Remember your “required” and “preferred” items from the Career Assessment Checklist (hyperlink to document) |
| Step 3 | Review Your Notes Going back through your notes from interviews and comparing them to details in email correspondence, letters of intent, and your employment contract is a good way to identify any inconsistencies or details that you need to address in your negotiations. Make sure you know who your point of contact is for the employment contract. |
| Step 4 | Hire a Healthcare lawyer An attorney can guide you in evaluating the physician employment agreement and provide counsel as you prepare to negotiate with an employer. |
| Step 5 | Get Answers to Your Questions Having a list of questions and issues is essential to you before negotiation begins with the employer. |
Resources
- Contract Review Checklist
- AAFP Guide to Employment Contracts
- AAFP Contract Scorecard
- 10 Red Flags in a Physician Employment Contract
- Video: “How to Negotiate a Physician Employment Contract”
Improve Your Contract
| Picture | Picture | Picture | ||
How to Choose a
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How to Review Your Contract
Use a checklist to determine whether your contract is missing something important. |
How to Negotiate aContract
Learn the most important changes to ask for and how to successfully negotiate. |
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