First impressions count. For medical students seeking residency, writing a strong curriculum vitae—or CV—is a critical step to gaining a competitive advantage over other applicants. This is especially true for Caribbean medical students who may need to demonstrate that they are just as qualified and well-prepared as graduates from medical schools in the U.S. 

We have created this helpful step-by-step guide to help you craft a well-structured CV. From essential details and tips to the dos and don’ts, we are committed to providing the essential tools that you need to succeed in your future.

What is a curriculum vitae?

Unlike a résumé, which is a job searching tool, a CV is a detailed academic and clinical history highlighting your education, medical training, research, and contributions to the field. Program directors use your CV to evaluate your qualifications to determine if you’re a candidate for the program. That’s why it’s important that your CV— “tells the story”—as to why you’re the perfect candidate for that medical specialty that’s being sought. 

Key sections of a residency curriculum vitae

When it comes to writing a CV, organization, structure and formatting all matter—big time! Yes, your qualifications top the list of importance, but keep in mind that recruiters have numerous applications to review. Keeping your CV clear, concise, and well-organized will therefore better position your application to get noticed. 

Let’s start with the key sections to include in your residency CV:

• Contact information—Include your full name, address, telephone number, professional email address, and LinkedIn profile or personal webpage, if applicable. Ensure all information is current.
• Education—List all higher education institutions you’ve attended in reverse chronological order—starting with your medical school, followed by undergraduate schools, degrees earned, and graduation dates for each. 

• Clinical experience—Detail rotations, clerkships, and hands-on training. Highlight your skills, procedures performed, and patient interactions. Be sure to specify locations, dates, department/specialty, and your supervisor’s name and title. (*Note: This section is critically important for Caribbean medical students, so be sure to detail U.S. clinical rotations and electives.)

• Research experience—Did you conduct research? If yes, this is the section to list research projects (include project title or focus), institution, dates, labs, and faculty mentors. Be sure to include your role, methodologies, and key findings.

• Work and volunteer experience—List and describe medical and non-medical jobs that showcase transferable skills (e.g., leadership, communication, patient care). For medical or health-related work, emphasize relevance to your specialty or interest. Additionally, this is the section for describing your role and contributions in community service, health fairs, and outreach programs—especially if you helped underserved populations. 

• Publications and presentations—List any published—or forthcoming—articles, conference presentations and posters. Be sure to group them into peer-reviewed articles, oral presentations, and abstracts/posters, along with the place and dates of publication or presentation.

• Certifications and licenses—List Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), and any other relevant certifications relating to a specialty. List each state medical license (but not the license numbers) you hold and indicate if you are board-certified or board-eligible in any specialty. It is not necessary to list United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores since program directors receive this information electronically through the application process. 

• Awards and honors—Include scholarships, academic, organizational or community scholarships, distinctions, or special recognitions. In this section, it’s important to use your best judgement if the person reading your CV will value this distinction in the decision process. 

• Professional memberships—Showcase memberships in any specialty-specific societies or professional organizations. Include any leadership positions held and the length of time of your membership.

CV tips to strengthen your CV for a successful match

The American Academy of Family Physicians (AACF) —a professional medical organization—compiled their top eight tips for medical students to strengthen their CV for a successful match, empowering them to succeed through the residency process. 

1. Start now—Begin drafting your CV at least one year prior to applying. This gives you time to seek out opportunities and update your progress.
2. Keep it short—Make it easy to read and identify your top accomplishments. Choose two or three good reasons why recruiters should choose you. 
3. Use concise language—Use succinct and direct language (in short, no fluff). Save the details for your personal statement. 
4. Keep it orderly—Arrange your CV in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent positions and experiences—with dates and titles clearly marked and identified. 
5. Showcase unique qualities—Highlight accomplishments and activities that spotlight specific qualities that are unique to you.
6. Keep it real—Be honest and do not embellish or invent any information or level of participation. Skip excessive unrelated details and stick to what is relevant to residency. When in doubt, leave it out.
7. Customize for each residency—Your CV should be customized to the program’s unique characteristics and tailored to the position you are seeking. You may need to review, restructure, and even rewrite your CV, depending on which residency programs you apply to. 
8. Ask an expert for feedback—Your CV is a big deal. It is strongly advised to have an expert or mentor review yours before submitting. 

The Do’s and Don’ts That Can Make or Break Your CV

We cannot stress enough the importance of the structure and formatting of your CV. You have one chance to make a great impression with the program directors. Here are the dos and don’ts to format your CV effectively:

Do…

• Keep it concise—Your CV should be between 1-to-3 pages. 

• Use bullet points—Keep descriptions brief and action-oriented. Bullet points make key information stand out and they are also easier to scan and read.

• Be consistent—Font size, formatting, spacing, and headings should be uniform. Use bold or underlined section headers to improve structure. 

• Optimize white space—Keep your CV visually appealing by designating appropriate margins and spacing to avoid cramming too much information on a page.

• Highlight U.S. experience—U.S. clinical rotations and letters of recommendation carry weight in the decision-making process.

• Tailor for specialty—Emphasize experiences that support your interest in a specific field.

• Proofread—Grammatical errors and typos can make a bad impression.

• Save as a PDF—This format pr events issues when submitting your CV online. 

Don’t…

• Don’t use colorful fonts or designs—Use professional fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri. Also, keep the point size between 10-and-12 points.
• Don’t lie or exaggerate—Residency programs verify experiences.
• Don’t use vague descriptions—Be specific when describing experience—numbers and specifics add credibility. 
• Don’t include high school details—Focus on medical training and relevant experience.
• Don’t forget to update your CV regularly—Keep CV up to date, especially after STEP scores and new clinical experiences. 

A word from Xavier 

Remember: Not all residency CVs are created equal. Since each field of specialty values different skills and experiences, it’s important to not only tailor your CV to match your specific field of specialization but to highlight that experience early on in your CV.

Considering a medical degree?

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