Career and Life Planning Guidebook for Medical Residents

The following list references additional category headings you may want to include in your CV. (Do not feel as though you need to incorporate every category; only those which apply to you). Leadership Committees Memberships Affiliations Awards Honors Skills Languages Academic Achievements Publications Presentations Grants Scholarships Teaching Many of the terms represent slightly different ways of saying the same thing, for example, Academic Background and Education. Grouping key activities in meaningful categories draws attention to education, experiences, background, and scholarly activities. Take a quick look at the myriad of category headings and identify the ones that most represent you and your work. We want to take a minute to mention “Service”. In today’s world, a greater emphasis and value is being placed on service activities in which residents are not only “experts” but also participants. In this sense, service includes volunteer opportunities, experiences that extend out from the institution or discipline, along with those that are not related at all to the discipline. In those instances, service shows you understand the value of working with individuals different from one’s self, that you value the community in which you will live and/or work, and that you have the capacity for empathy and communication. Keep in mind, there is a difference between volunteer work experience and community service. As previously mentioned, you can include medical volunteer work under the experience section and indicate your position/title as “Volunteer Physician”, whereas service activities might include public speaking engagements, service-learning experiences, and community involvement and engagement like Habitat for Humanity or Big Brothers-Big Sisters. In this interdisciplinary world, much can be said for experiences that enrich us as humans and that help connect us to individuals outside our hospital hallways. Employers are keenly aware that you have the intelligence to complete years of training to become a physician; what they are seeking are individuals who can communicate effectively and compassionately represent the mission and values of their organization. Service helps paint the total picture of who you are as a person, not just as a physician. 8. The Missing Link? Question: Are there any particular sections that employers like to see on the CV that most people don’t include? Answer: Apersonalsection! (Especially if you are looking at relocating.) Employers like to see an area within your CV that shows your personal interests and hobbies and tells a little bit about you as a person. These are also good conversation starters and you will notice that these things often come up during the interview. Some people also include personal information in this section such as marital SECTION II: T MINUS TWO YEARS CAREER AND LIFE PLANNING GUIDEBOOK FOR MEDICAL RESIDENTS 182