Medical Curriculum Vitae Example and Writing Tips

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When writing a curriculum vitae (CV), your objective is to provide details of your professional, academic, and extracurricular achievements. The details will vary slightly depending on your industry as well as your experience.

Review information on what to include in your CV, tips for writing a CV for a medical position, an example, and get a template to download to use as a starting point to write your own curriculum vitae.

What to Include in Your CV

A medical curriculum vitae should include details of your education (undergraduate and graduate), fellowships, licensing, certifications, publications, teaching and professional work experience, awards you have received, and associations you belong to.

Medical CV Writing Tips

Is a CV right for you? If you’re applying for a job in a country that’s outside the U.S., or you’re in academia or research, a CV may be the right choice. However, if you’re job searching in the United States and your experience fits on one page, you may be better off writing a resume unless the job advertisement specifically asks for a curriculum vitae.

Length: Typically, CVs are at least two pages long, sometimes longer. While not every job search expert still believes that resumes should be kept to one page, resumes are typically briefer than CVs. However, even with more room to expand, job seekers should be careful only to include information that pertains to the job. Unrelated job titles, experience, and skills will only draw attention away from your more relevant qualifications.

Consistency: When formatting your CV, choose a basic font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri, and use it consistently throughout your document. Mixing up fonts won’t look eye-catching and will confuse the reader giving an unprofessional impression. It’s also important to be consistent with formatting choices like bold, italics, and caps. If you do some of your headings in bold, you should do all of them. If you choose to italicize job titles or employers, you should do so throughout.

Customization: Write a customized CV for every job opening. While this may seem like a waste of time, it’s anything but. Sending out a cookie-cutter CV or resume is a good way to get your application tossed. It will be immediately apparent to hiring managers that you’re trying to land any job, not specifically the job they’re hoping to fill. That’s not a selling point.

Accuracy: Make sure you’re scrupulously accurate about dates, job titles, and names of advisors and employers. Proofread your document carefully and make sure that the tenses, names of companies, and formatting are consistent throughout.

What Not to Include in a CV

You shouldn’t include your photo or salary history when sending your CV. Send references only upon request, separately from your CV.  

Medical Curriculum Vitae Template

Like many curricula vitae, this medical CV example follows a standard format and contains sections for education, certification and licensure, graduate medical training (including internship, residency, and fellowship history), professional experience, publications, and honors and awards.

This particular example is for a physician with a focus on neurology. This person also teaches in medical school, so their curriculum vitae includes a section describing their teaching experience.

Download the medical CV template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online).

Screenshot of a medical CV template

Medical Curriculum Vitae Example

Medical Curriculum Vitae Example (Text Version)

JANET APPLETON
101 Main Street
Van Tassel, NY 10701
janet@noemail.com
000.123.4567 (Cell)

EDUCATION

M.D., New York University Medical School, 2016, New York, NY

Bachelor of ScienceNeuroscience, Southern Vermont Universitymagna cum laude, 2012

CERTIFICATION AND LICENSURE

  • Board-certified in internal medicine, 2016-present
  • Licensed physician in New York State, 2016

MEDICAL TRAINING

  • Fellowship: Neurology and Neurophysiology, Gulf Coast Hospital, Tampa, FL, 2017-2020
  • Residency: Neuropsychiatry, Dalla General Hospital, Dallas, TX, 2014-2017
  • Internship: Psychiatry, New York Memorial Hospital, New York, NY, 2013-2014

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Consultant Physician, East Side Partners Private Practice, 2020-Present, New York, NY

  • Assess, diagnose, and treat patients at high-volume neurology office.

Attending Physician, New York Public Hospital, 2020-Present, New York, NY

  • Honed expertise in the practice of neurological medicine in metropolitan hospital ER.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

  • Assistant Professor, New York University Medical School, Department of Psychology, 2020-present
  • Teaching Assistant, Southern Vermont University, Pre-Medical Studies, Fall 2010 - Spring 2011

HONORS AND AWARDS

Jeffrey Jacobs Memorial Medical Student Scholarship, 2013

  • Awarded based on undergraduate academic achievement, leadership, and character.

Valedictorian, Southern Vermont University, Spring 2012

Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Southern Vermont University, 2012

  • Nominated by department chair based on student surveys.

PUBLICATIONS

Appleton, J., Smith, W., and Martinez, O. “Preventing Drug Abuse: An Alternative Solution.” American Journal of Medicine 50.2 (2020): 138-59.

Appleton, J., Jones, B. “Opioid Addiction and PTSD: An Exploration.” Medical Journal of the West 40.1 (2019): 92-97.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

“A Different Approach to Treating Opioid Addiction.” Treating Addiction Conference. Pittsburgh, PA, 2021.

“PTSD Treatment: Rewiring the Brain.” Anxiety Disorders Symposium. New York, NY 2020.

MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS

  • American Medical Association
  • U.S. Psychiatric Association

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Peer-reviewed articles for:

  • American Journal of Medicine
  • Medical Journal of the West

COMMUNITY SERVICE

  • Free Clinic of the Lower East Side, New York NY, 2016-Present
  • Volunteer Consultant Physician, Neurology