Curriculum Vitae (CV) Writing

Medicine

Erin LoweryVCU University Career CenterDivision of Student Affairs and Enrollment

ServicesVirginia Commonwealth University

Agenda

CVs– Purpose– CVs vs. Resumes– Content– Organization and Appearance

Purpose of a CV What is your purpose in writing a CV?

– To obtain an interview– To supplement an application– To prepare to complete applications– To prepare a recommender/reference– To apply for a

scholarship/award/grant/fellowship– To provide a bio

Don’t just list information Who is your audience/reader? Be strategic

CVs vs. Resumes

A Curriculum Vitae is typically used for academic, teaching, research, higher education and medical positions

A CV tends to be more comprehensive and longer than a resume

A CV always starts with Education A CV includes categories not commonly

seen on resumes, including presentations, publications, research experience and interests, academic appointments, committees, conferences, fellowships, grants

CV Content *Use the categories that fit your experience

Core Content Areas:

Name and Contact Information Education Postdoctoral Training Certification/Licensure Honors Experience Research Experience Publications Presentations Professional Development

Additional Categories:

Objective or Professional Interest Statement

Computer/Technical Skills Leadership Additional Experience Committees Academic Appointments Professional Development –

training, professional organizations, workshops, conferences

Community Service/Volunteer Foreign Languages Interests/Hobbies

Name and Contact Information

Do not write “Curriculum Vitae” on your CV

On top of page:– Name – slightly larger font size (14 or 16)– Contact information – legible font size (11 or

12)– Address– Phone number(s) (cell – screen calls,

professional voicemail)– Email address (remove hyperlink, professional)

Name & Contact Information~Examples~

Jamie T. Student, M.D.907 Floyd Avenue ▪ Richmond, VA 23284 ▪ 804.123.4567 ▪

studentj@vcu.edu_______________________________________________________________

JAMIE T. STUDENT, M.D.907 Floyd Avenue

Richmond, Virginia 23284(804) 123-4567

studentjt@vcu.edu_______________________________________________________________

Jamie T. Student, M.D. Current Address: studentjt@vcu.edu Permanent

Address: 907 Floyd Ave. 804.123.4567 123 Lovely Ln. Richmond, VA 23284 Fairfax, VA

32145

Education

List all degrees in reverse chronological order

Abbreviating degrees is appropriate; writing them out is my preference

GPA optional for graduate or professional school

Indicate graduation with honors Do not include high school

graduation

Education~Examples~

EDUCATIONM.D., May 2007Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA(in the tradition of the Medical College of Virginia)

B.S. in Biology, magna cum laude, May 2002The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA

EDUCATIONVirginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Richmond, VADoctor of Medicine 05/2007

The College of William and MaryWilliamsburg, VABachelor of Science, magna cum laude 05/2002Major: Biology, Minor: PsychologyGPA: 3.88

Postdoctoral Training

Include internships, residency, and fellowships or any postdoctoral training

Locations Dates, including months Cities and states Can include committees here or in another section such as

professional development, activities, or leadership

Postdoctoral Training ~Example~

POSTDOCTORAL TRAININGHematopathology Fellowship, 08/2008-presentDuke University Medical Center, Durham, NC

Resident in Pathology, 08/2004-08/2008Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, Chief Resident, 2006-present

Licensure & Certification

State and license number Dates National boards and parts

Licensure & Certification ~Examples~

Licensure Board Certification: American Board of Radiology

06/2009 State of Virginia: License #33229 2007 USMLE: Step I: 06/2004, Step II: 08/2005, Step III: 11/2007

BOARD CERTIFICATIONBoard Certification: American Board of Radiology, June 2009 USMLE: Step I: 06/2004, Step II: 08/2005, Step III: 11/2007

MEDICAL LICENSUREState of Virginia: License #33229, 2007

Honors Honor Societies Scholarships awarded Other significant awards May separate into undergraduate and

medical school if you have many items Reverse chronological order Include graduation with honors in

Education section (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude)

Honors~Example~

HONORSMedical School:Dean’s Merit Scholarship (2006-2007)Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society (inducted 2006)MCV Alumni Association of VCU Scholarship (2004-2006)

Undergraduate:Samuel L. Wurtzel Scholarship (2000-2004)William and Mary Athletics Scholarship (2000-2003)Phi Beta Kappa (inducted 2003)Order of Omega Honor Society (inducted 2003)Golden Key International Honour Society (inducted 2002) Dean’s List (all semesters)

Experience

Focus on relevant experience Only include experience obtained

before medical school if it is relevant and significant

Include volunteer/community service completed during medical school

Do not include experience that is part of the Medical School curriculum

Include work experience that explains time gaps or a career change

Experience

May divide into additional categories: Relevant Experience Additional Experience Research Experience Teaching Experience International Experience Health Care Experience Volunteer Experience or Community

Service

Experience Descriptions

Elaborate on your relevant experience Use bullets, avoid paragraphs Begin descriptions with strong,

descriptive action verbs Include complete but succinct

descriptions Avoid the use of personal pronouns Focus on skills and accomplishments

rather than including a comprehensive list of job duties

For less relevant experience, focus on transferable skills

Action Verbs Use strong, descriptive action verbs to describe

your experience If it is a current experience, use the present

tense If it is a previous experience, use the past tense Avoid gerunds (-ing) Vary your action verbs (refer to action verb list in

CV guide) Avoid “duties include” or “responsible for” Refrain from using “handled” or “dealt with”

when referring to people

Medical Action Verbs

Examine Perform Interpret Prescribe Administer Diagnose Counsel Evaluate Treat Confer Monitor Assess

Refer Specialize Repair Consult Communicate Document Teach Implement Supervise Manage Collaborate Plan

Experience~Example~

EXPERIENCEFan-Free Clinic Richmond, VAMedical Clinic Assistant January 2007-Present Assist physicians - take vital signs, obtain patients’ medical

histories and conduct physical exams.

SMILE Program Richmond, VAVolunteer August 2005-May 2006 Served as a buddy to children during and following cancer

treatments.

American Medical Student Association Washington, DCIntern, Health Policy and Politics May-August 2003 Conducted research on medical malpractice. Scheduled and conducted lobby visits.

Community Service/Volunteer~Example~

COMMUNITY SERVICEChesterfield Youth Center, Richmond, VA, October 2006-June

2007 Tutored underprivileged children in math and science Coordinated a community health fair with a team of

volunteers

Camp Bruce McCoy, Chesapeake, VA, May-June 2006 Took an interdisciplinary team approach in working with

campers with traumatic brain injury Adapted activities for a variety of functional levels

Habitat for Humanity, Newport News, VA, July 2005 Collaborated on a team to build affordable homes for low-

income families

Research Experience

Institution or organization and department

Principal investigator, supervisor or advisor

Research topic or title Your title/role Dates (months and years) Short description of project and your

role

Research Action Verbs

Analyze Assess

ClarifyCollaborate

Collect CompareConduct DetermineConsult DisproveDocument EvaluateExamine ExtractFormulate GatherIdentify

Invent InvestigateLocate Manage

Measure Monitor

Organize Perform Research ReviewSolve SummarizeSupervise SurveyStudy TeachTest

Research Experience~Example~

RESEARCH EXPERIENCENational Institutes of Health – Summer Research Fellowship ProgramNational Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research Bethesda, MDResearch Assistant 05/2005 –

08/2005 Principal Investigator: Frank Balis, MD Assisted with a clinical research study of cancer patients Conducted interviews of patients and assisted in conducting physical exams

The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Health Physics Austin, TX Research Assistant 06/2004 –

05/2005 Project Title: The Leaching of Cesium-137 from Cement-Based Matrices Supervisor: Dr. Anthony Stark Investigated the effect of cement-based matrices on the inhibition of

radioactive leaching Collected and performed statistical analysis of data

Publications and Presentations

Include published articles Publication year or “in press” if

accepted but not yet published Use correct medical bibliographic

citation Include relevant presentations,

including poster presentations at conferences or association meetings

Include presentation title, name of conference and association, location, audience, and date

Publications and Presentations ~Examples~

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONSStark, A.E., P.L. Jeffries and J.T. Student. 2005. The leaching of cesium-137 from cement-based matrices. Journal of Health Physics, 142(5): 1492-501.

Presented at the Annual Conference of the Health Physics Research Society, Washington, DC, April 23-25, 2005.

PRESENTATIONSFillmore, P.D., P. Gerding and J.T. Student. Effect of an intra-corneal fluid interface following keratotomy on intraocular pressure measurement by applanation. Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, April 25, 2006.

Professional Development Focus on relevant organizations, committees,

workshops, and conferences

Highlight leadership positions

Include memberships in professional organizations and student organizations related to field

Include years of membership

Can be combined with Honors or another section

List in reverse chronological order

Professional Development~Example~

ORGANIZATIONS & COMMITTEES Institutional Committee for Graduate Medical Education (2007-

present)– Judicial Hearing Panel, 2008

American Medical Student Association (2005-2007)– President, local chapter (2007)

VCU School of Medicine, Honor Council Representative (2005-2007)

Richmond Academy of Medicine (member since 2005) Medical Society of Virginia (member since 2005) American College of Physicians (member since 2004)

CV Organization and Appearance

Consistent organization is critical to an effective CV

The appearance and organization of the CV is just as important as the content

Skim …in less than 10 seconds

CV Organization Avoid templates Consistent organization Use horizontal space Balanced page Fill the page White space between

sections and entries Use tabs, not space-bar

to indent Use “print preview” If you use more than one

page, include “Name, Page #” & avoid stragglers on all subsequent pages

Use bold, CAPS, italics and underlining strategically and sparingly

Be consistent with heading style and margins

Use one font style and size (except for your name and/or headings)

Font: Times New Roman or Arial

Font size: at least 11 Margins: at least 1.0 inch Avoid paragraphs Use bullets, not dashes Avoid numbering your

sections

CV Appearance - Proofread

Use all periods or no periods at the end of bullet points

Dashes used in dates – consistent size, consistent spacing

Check for spelling and grammatical errors

Spellcheck does not check words in all caps

Avoid personal pronouns

CV Appearance - Final Copy

Avoid graphics, pictures (exception: picture included in residency application), color ink

Print on laser printer Use high quality, 100% cotton paper in

white or off-white Don’t staple or fold Don’t print on both sides of paper If mailing, use large envelope

References/Recommenders List 3-5 professional references on a separate document

following the CV Copy and paste your contact information at the top of

the page When listing references include name, title,

organization/institution and department, business address, phone number, and email

Don’t write “References available upon request” on your CV

ALWAYS ask permission from person giving you the reference

Inform your references of the positions you’re applying for so they are prepared

Offer your references/recommenders a copy of your CV

References~Example~

REFERENCESJudy Smith, M.D.VCU School of MedicineDepartment of Neurology417 N. 11th St.Richmond, VA 23219Phone: (804) 828-9350Fax: 804 828-9355jsmith@vcu.edu

VCU University Career Center

Erin Loweryerlowery@vcu.edu

University Student CommonsMonroe Park Campus

www.students.vcu.edu/careers828-1645