CURRICULUM VITAE

A curriculum vitae, or CV, is similar to a resume. Its purpose is to provide a succinct, formal, yet positive overview of a candidate's academic, professional and co-curricular background for an interviewer. In addition to the information provided on a resume, a CV may include additional information in the areas of research, clinical experience, publications, certifications/licensure and presentations/teaching. Given these additions, CVs are often more expansive and contain more information than resumes, usually one or two pages in length for medical students (or more as you advance in your career). A CV is most commonly used in medical, research, scientific and educational fields.

You should create your CV, even a rough draft, early in the process so that you may provide it for those who are writing recommendation letters for you. You may also want to include it in all of your non-ERAS applications. When using the electronic residency application service (ERAS), you will not need to submit your CV with your application. However, it will be helpful to have it on hand as you write your personal statement and fill out your application. In addition, it is advisable to have several copies on hand during your interviews.

Each individual must create a CV that works best for him or her. Although your CV may not contain information in all these areas, a CV may include the following elements:

Name & Address

• Use the exact name as in your application, dean's letters, transcripts, etc.

• Highlight your name using bold or larger point size to make it stand out.

• Include a second address if your current one will not be permanent throughout the application process.

• Home phone number.

• E-mail address.

Objective (Optional)

• A brief, but detailed one sentence statement of your residency and career goals. It is recommended to include an objective only if your career goals are not readily apparent to the interviewer. An objective statement is not often used in CVs.

Education

• List all colleges/universities you have attended with the most recent ( Rush University) first.

• Include name and location of institution, title and date of the degree and major/minor field of study.

• If you do not have an honors section on your CV, you may include that information here.

• If you completed a thesis or dissertation as part of one of your degree programs, you may wish to add this distinction along with the title of the paper, particularly if it is relevant to health care or science.

Honors

• Include any awards and/or scholarships received during medical school.

• If you did well in medical school or on the boards, list your honors and board scores.

• Include the most important awards and scholarships from undergraduate or other programs.

Publications

• List, in medical bibliographic reference style, any abstracts, papers or articles published or in the process of being published.

Research

• List any research activities and projects you assisted with or conducted alone.

• Include the title of the project, lead advisor or researcher (if any), institution at which it was conducted and date(s).

Presentations

• Include any research, professional, or poster presentations conducted at conferences, lectures or symposiums.

• This section may be easily combined with publications to create a single, more attractive section.

Work Experience

• List all major or medically-related work experiences, whether paid or volunteer.

• Include position title, name of employer, location of employer and dates of employment.

• For most medically-related work, add a brief description of your responsibilities, achievements and competencies gained.

• If there are gaps of time in your history, make sure to include ANY work experience, medical or non-medical, which accounts for your time out of school (e.g. time between undergraduate studies and medical school).

Memberships & Affiliations

• List any professional organizations of which you are a member (dates optional).

• Include any leadership positions you may have held.

• This section may be combined or redefined to include student organization involvement.

Licenses & Certifications

• List any currently held health-related licenses and health-related certifications (e.g. RN, EMT, ATLS, etc.).

Co-Curricular Activities

• Include the most important long-term activities you were involved in during medical school, including committee work, community service projects and student organization involvement (dates optional).

• Include activities from before medical school only if they are extraordinary or applicable to health care.

Special Skills

• This section can be a catch-all for any additional skills you wish to highlight, such as foreign language proficiency, knowledge of sign language, computer skills, certifications, etc.

Personal

• Personal information may be added at your discretion. This might include hobbies, interests, and other activities that define you personally.

Tips

Once you are ready to create your CV, there are several things you should keep in mind. In general, make sure it is easy to read and well organized. Follow these layout and writing tips:

• Keep margins at 1 - 1.5 inches.

• One page is standard length at this point in your career, but don't reduce the font size, change your margins, or leave important info out just to crowd it onto one page.

• Avoid splitting a section when going onto a second page.

• 12 point font is preferable, but 11 point is acceptable.

• Stick with one font, or two similar fonts (one for headings, the other for everything else) - use only conservative, common fonts.

• Headings should be consistent in style, size, and formatting.

• Use bold, italics, caps and bullets to organize your CV - but use sparingly.

• Check text for misspellings and poor grammar - use proofreaders.

• Avoid using abbreviations for states, degrees, addresses, etc.

• Keep sentences short and succinct while using active verbs and vivid, precise language.

• Print your CV on a laser printer.

• Use only high quality, bond paper - white, ivory, and light gray colors are most appropriate.

Lastly, the Office of Student Affairs is available to meet with you individually to review your CV and shape it into a quality finished product. We will suggest ways to highlight your strengths and tailor it to your needs. We also have examples of CVs for your reference and several helpful resource books.