Medical student CV examples

If recruiters have to interpret your CV like an unreadable prescription, they’ll move on to the next candidate. This guide will teach you everything about writing a CV that demonstrates your promising future as a doctor. Once you’ve read it, your CV will be ready to wow recruiters and kickstart your career.

Just like a well-structured treatment plan, your CV needs to be organised so recruiters can quickly find the most important details. If hiring managers have to sift through your CV like they’re reviewing a set of complex lab results, you’re already in trouble: a coherent layout will emphasise the things you want to show off.

Here’s the structure you should follow:

• Name and contact details – These personal details sit at the top to provide easy access for prospective employers to get in touch.
• Profile – Hook the recruiter right away by stating the value you’ll bring to their company, your medical education, clinical experience, and areas of interest.
• Core skills – State your best qualities at a quick glance, such as patient care, medical research, and diagnostic skills.
• Clinical experience – List your previous job titles from newest to oldest, focusing on key responsibilities and achievements.
• Education – Show off your academic record and qualifications, like your medical degree and training.
• Additional info – Include anything from your hobbies and interests to the languages you speak and awards you’ve earned – these are all totally optional.

Recruiters won’t spend time decoding a messy application. Keep it clear, like a neatly written prescription (if such a thing exists). Mistakes in your formatting will overshadow the skills and experience you’re hoping to show off, so make sure your CV looks good.

Make full use of these formatting tips:

• Bullet points – These let the recruiter pick out the key bits with ease.
• Divide sections – Making the information easy to navigate with clearly-defined sections is important.
• Use a clear and readable font – Along with an appropriate colour scheme, ensure your font is easy for the recruiter to read.
• No more than 2 pages – Too long would start to bore the recruiter, and this is plenty of space to list the important details

It’s essential that you properly introduce yourself as a dedicated and capable medical student. This is best done with a CV profile or, since you’re a graduate or junior candidate, an extended personal statement. Think of it as your initial patient assessment – it should highlight your strengths and key areas of expertise.

Along with your personal statement, you should attach a comprehensive cover letter to go over the things your CV can’t.

Here’s what you should include:

• Medical training – Highlight your current stage of education, including your university and expected graduation year.
• Clinical experience – Mention any hospital placements, shadowing, or rotations.
• Areas of interest – Whether you’re passionate about surgery, paediatrics, or general practice, make it clear.
• Research and academic involvement – If you’ve participated in medical research, presentations, or case studies, include them.
• Soft skills – Communication, teamwork, and adaptability are crucial in medicine, so don’t overlook them.

A strong core skills section gives employers a quick overview of your competencies. If a skill isn’t relevant to medicine, leave it out – this isn’t the place to list ‘knows how to make instant noodles in under 2 minutes’ (even if it got you through medical school).

Since medical students develop a wide range of abilities, tailor your skills to match the role or placement you’re applying for. For example, if you’re applying for a research role, highlight analytical skills and data interpretation. If it’s a clinical placement, focus on patient care, teamwork, and diagnostic reasoning.

A solid education is the backbone of any medical career – your CV should prove you’ve put in the hours (and sleepless nights). Ensure your medical degree, relevant coursework, and additional certifications are clearly listed. 

If you’ve completed additional training, such as first aid certifications, mental health courses, or specialist workshops, list them here. As a candidate with little or no experience, you should really expand on this section, outlining the key modules which contributed most to your expertise.

Example education sections

What to include in your education section

For each qualification, add the following info:

• Qualification & organisation – State what you studied and where you studied it
• Dates studied – Either when you earned the qualification, or when you expect to finish it
• Extra details – You should provide additional detail for your most recent and most pertinent courses, modules, or projects, tailoring them towards the roles you’re applying for.

You wouldn’t diagnose a patient without running some tests – don’t expect recruiters to hire you without seeing your hands-on experience. Your clinical placements, shadowing, and any hands-on patient care work experience should be the centrepiece of your CV.

List your experience in reverse chronological order, ensuring each entry is structured with bullet points. If you’re early in your medical training, highlight coursework, simulations, or volunteer work related to healthcare.

• Outline – Introduce the hospital, clinic, or placement site and your role there.
• Responsibilities – List key tasks, such as patient assessments, assisting in procedures, or conducting research. Use action words like “assisted”, “diagnosed”, and “analysed”.
• Achievements – Highlight measurable outcomes, such as improved patient care, research findings, or commendations from supervisors.

The additional info section is an optional section to showcase anything that might further convey that you’re a good fit for the roles. Doing so is especially important if you currently lack work experience.

Good additional info for Medical Students

Additional info example