Sample Dr Resume

In fact, you might not know the latest resume standards and practices the hiring managers are expecting. That is where we come to help. Our resume templates are being used by thousands of candidates to land their dream job.

By the end of this article, you will know exactly how to write your doctor resume to be among the TOP 5% of the applicants for future doctor positions you apply for. Let's get started without further ado.

The average annual pay for a Medical Doctor is $200,000 (Payscale.com)

Senior medical doctors are earning more than $300,000 per year and the salaries and incentives are growing every year.

While family practice and internal medicine get around the average, doctors working in intensive care get 20% higher salaries than the average.

The general physician position is the starting point of a great career leading to becoming a Chief Medical Officer with just the basic salary of $300,000.

However, to get all these benefits and incentives, you need to get your placement. Becoming a doctor was not an easy task which you have already accomplished. Now the next challenge is to land your dream physician position.

Facing challenges is an everyday part of your medical career, but we are here to help you with this challenge to create a stunning resume that gets you more interviews.

As a doctor, the opportunity cost of every hour you spend on writing your resume is $100+, therefore, if you like to create your resume fast, use our pre-designed resume templates, that would save you tons of time.

Doctor’s Resume Examples

Here's an example of a job-winning doctor resume

You are welcome to use our doctor resume examples to create yours. However, read through the article to create an outstanding doctor resume sample tailored to your requirements.

How to make a Doctor Resume

Start the resume writing process as you start a critical surgery. Plan ahead and be prepared about what you are going to do. Show the recruiter that you are well organized. You should reflect this skill throughout your resume since it is one of the important skills they look for in a candidate.

A hospital hiring manager gets hundreds of resumes for a demanding position such as a doctor. As a result, they spend about 6-8 seconds on each application. During those few seconds, you should show them that you're a great hire.

By following a standard layout and a structure, you make the hiring manager's life easy, which would positively affect your application to stand out from the others.

Though most applications are read for 6-8 seconds, you should make sure they stop at your application and spend an extra few seconds to read a little more about you. How you do it is what you are going to learn here.

The layout of the Doctor Resume

The layout is your plan of WHAT you are going to write. Following is a well optimized layout for medical doctor resumes,

• Header with name and contact details
• Professional Summary/ Objective summary
• Work experience
• Education
• Skills
• Additional sections

One-page resumes have many advantages,

• The HR manager can scan the whole resume at a glance
• Your resume will be concise and on point
• You are following the latest resume standard in the industry

The structure of the Dr. Resume

The structure is your plan of HOW you are going to write. A proper structure will save time for the reader and make the relevant information stand out.

There are three types of standard resume structures,

Functional structure

Reverse chronological order

Hybrid

For a medical doctor's resume, we recommend using the reverse chronological structure. In this, you start with your latest experience and list down the rest in reverse order.

In this resume format, your latest experience gets the most attention from recruiters and that is exactly what we need.

Apart from the main resume structure, the formatting of your resume is also important. Here are the things you should consider:

• Microsoft Word or PDF is the preferred format for resumes. However, refer to the job description as to how they expect it
• Choose an easy-to-read font (font size 12-14)
• Use a larger font size for Headings (font size 15-16)
• Consistent margins

If you want to stand out from the majority of plain resumes made with Microsoft Word, check out our resume templates for a perfect resume template. You also get rid of the hassle of making layouts, choosing fonts, headings and margins.

Start with the Header of the Doctor Resume

Writing the header section of the resume is a simple straightforward exercise. However, this is crucial as the header makes the first impression about your profile. If you mess it up, your application would probably fail.

Isn’t it just the Name and Contact details that I have to write in this section?

Yes, of course.

Nevertheless, there are quite a few things you need to remember while writing this section.

Check out the following example

Example of a good header / Example of a bad header for a Doctor

CORRECT

Daniel Jackson

Medical Doctor

danyjackson@gmail.com

+1 234 45 86 48

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danyj

INCORRECT

Medical Doctor

Daniel Jackson

danythedoc@gmail.com

+1 289 67 45 23

101, main street, apt 24,

Washington DC

USA

Consider the following while writing this section,

Where to Start: The header of the doctor's resume should always begin with your name. Do not begin with the job title

Email: Use a professional email address to send the resume. If your personal email sounds unprofessional, create a new one

Residential Address: Do not include your residence unless it is absolutely essential. If you are applying for a position in a different geographical location from where you live and it is necessary to inform them about it, just use the Country and the City you live in

LinkedIn: Optimize your LinkedIn profile and remove unnecessary postings on your social media pages.

Is a photo required in the Medical Doctor Resume?

Including a photograph is not essential in your doctor resume. US companies are firmly against this practice because it favors discrimination against applicants.

Only include a photograph if the job ad states to do so. Ensure that you use a recent color photograph if you are adding one.

The best place to showcase your recent headshot is on LinkedIn. Before you send your application, update LinkedIn with a professional looking photo of you and put the link in your header.

Doctor Resume Example of a Professional summary

Writing the summary section in a resume is a challenge for everyone, even doctors, but you need to use the right resume format.

It is for this reason that we want to keep things simple. A summary focuses on work experience and key achievements, while a objective is applicable if you have a lack of experience, so instead you write about your career goals, ambitions and an opportunity to talk about your passion for the work.

For a professional summary anyone can write, follow this format.

Use the first sentence to describe your current position, experience, and how you can be a good hire for the new position

Use the second sentence to describe what you did in the previous position with proof

Example Professional Summary for Doctor Resume

INCORRECT

Doctor with 5+ years of experience in UCLA Medical center now seeking the opportunity to extend my service to Loma Linda Medical Center as a Senior Doctor

CORRECT

Highly experienced Medical Doctor with 5+ years of experience in Cardiology and Gynecology, in a UCLA medical center serving 20+ patients daily, seeking to leverage the Cardiology section in Loma Linda medical center. In the previous job, increased patient satisfaction by 20% through reduced waiting time and improved treatments

The two summaries are significantly different. One is boring and the other one is exciting. One is plain text and the other one is factual information. One keeps the hiring manager wobbling and the other one makes him take a decision.

If you are applying as a fresh graduate without much of experience, you should consider writing a doctor resume objective instead of a summary. There is only a slight difference. In a doctor resume objective, you should highlight your career objective and passion rather than your limited experience.

Work Experience in the Medical Doctor Resume

Hiring managers often only read the experience section when shortlisting a Medical Doctor resume.

That is why the work history section becomes the most important part of your resume.

We will take you through step by step to write your experience section better than 95% of the applications so that you will get 10 times more interviews.

If you do not have solid experience to put on your resume, you could still use the same principles we discuss here to showcase your hands-on experience while studying or training to get a similar result.

Describe your professional experiences on your Doctor Resume

Here we explain the exact steps you should follow to write the past jobs experience section for your next doctor resume, and show you some a doctor resume sample.

• Read the job description and pick the experience the hiring managers are expecting
• Use the reverse chronological order to write this section (write your latest job experience first)
• Quantify your accomplishments whenever possible
• If you have worked in multiple positions, list them all if all of them are relevant
• When describing experience use 4-5 lines each for the latest experience
• Start the sentences with power words such as Consulted, Carried out, Recommended, Provided, etc.

Examples of professional experiences for a Junior Doctor

INCORRECT

June 2019 to Present

UCLA Medical Center, CA

Carried out physical examinations and consulted on patient concerns

Accurately diagnosed patients

Assisted patients and prescribe medication

Create patient histories and collect patient details

Participated in surgical procedures and medical procedures

Suggested proper treatment and laboratory tests

Attended medical conferences

Physical injuries management

CORRECT

Aug 2019 to Present

UCLA Medical Center, CA

Consulted 30+ patients a day for general medical care and assigned them to relevant consultant physicians

Provided high-quality healthcare services to all patients in collaboration with the management and the healthcare team

Performed 100% accurate EMR documentation for patients

Increased the Dietetics Center sale by 20% through referrals

Consider writing about the practical experience you had while studying at medical school and relevant coursework you did in the medical field if you are applying for an entry position without much experience to list. Write about how you are involved in patient treatment helping other medical professionals as a medical team.

Examples of work experience for a Senior Doctor

INCORRECT

June 2015 to Present

UCLA Medical Center, CA

Increased satisfaction rates for patients and patient goal attainment ratio

Network with the consultant physicians

Purchased medicine at lower rates

Attracted more patients for the dietetics section

Medication administration

Increased patient intake

CORRECT

Aug 2015 to Present

UCLA Medical Center, CA

Increased satisfied patients rate by 20% within two years which was measured through annual follow up calls and reviews

Developed the consultant physician network by 15% attracting consultants for all major medical sections

Enhanced relationship with pharmaceutical agents resulted in cutting medical and equipment costs by 10%

Executed a social media strategy to increase the patient joining rate for the dietetics section by 13% resulted in an additional annual income of $350,000

Go through each line in the CORRECT and INCORRECT sections to understand the difference. Do you realize that the same experience is written in two different formats giving totally different impressions to the hiring manager?

The majority of applicants write their experience section following the INCORRECT approach to write their involvement in the previous doctor job. Therefore, it is easy to stand out from those boring resumes by following the right approach.

Further, see the difference in the experience section for the senior doctor position and the junior doctor position. For the senior position, our focus is more on showcasing the managerial experience that directly affects the profit of the medical practice. The objective of senior doctor jobs is to find good fits for hospital administrators positions. The junior experience is mostly focused on handling day to day operational tasks in the clinic.

Doctor Resume Examples of the Education Section

To be a doctor needs a set of academic qualifications. It's no wonder doctors are academically sound. As they need to go through a challenging academic experience for 5-8 years in a medical school approved by the medical board.

Most physician jobs descriptions specify the educational qualifications they expect.

Generally, it would be a Bachelor’s degree and a medical degree. Even if the recruiter does not highlight the education requirement, it is a crucial part of your resume to include the descriptive education and qualifications you possess.

Should you start with education or work experience for a doctor resume?

For doctor resumes, we recommend you to start with your experience except if you are applying for entry level positions or internships as medical students.

In all other instances, the recruiters’ highest priority in shortlisting is your experience. Let them read it first in the limited time they spend on your resume.

How to properly list your education in a Doctor Resume?

Use a consistent format to list your education. Be clear and concise on what to write. Do not write lengthy paragraphs in this section.

If you are applying for an entry level position with less experience, state what you learned under each of the degrees using a few bullet points.

For greater clarity, use the following format

Write your degree type and the major

Eg: Bachelor’s of Science in Biology

• Indicate your starting and graduating years

State the University and the location

Eg: The University of California, LA

Honors, awards, or any other special achievements

Eg: Dean’s list

If you have a GPA of at least 3.0, mention it

Doctor Resume Examples of an Education Section

Skills to put in the Doctor Resume

The skills section is an important part of your resume that most candidates overlook. The most common mistake medical professionals make in their resumes is listing unrelated doctor skills.

What does that mean?

For every job posted, the recruiter is expecting a set of skills from the candidate related to the position they are hiring. These are the skills you should write on your resume.

In fact, many medical recruiters use applicant tracking system to shortlist resumes. To get through that, your resume should match the requirements of the job description.

What are the main skills sought for in a Doctor Resume

You should include both soft and hard skills in your list.

Soft skills are generic skills. As these skills are hard to quantify, anyone can list them, making them less appealing to hiring managers.

Hard skills are specialized skills. Testing these skills is easy, and you can even prove them with relevant certifications.

According to your experience and the job description, here are some soft and hard skills you should consider

Soft Skills for a Doctor Resume

• Stress-resilient personality
• Time management
• Communication skills
• Teamwork
• Networking
• Work ethics
• Problem solving
• Interpreting data
• Attention to detail
• Dexterity
• Trust and patient confidentiality
• Personal relationships

Hard Skills for a Doctor Resume

• Cardiology
• Oncology
• Gynecology
• Critical care
• Anesthesia
• Family medicine
• Dietetics
• Pharmaceutical
• Physical exams
• Assist patients
• Practice medicine

What skills for entry level doctors

When a clinic or a hospital is hiring a junior doctor, they want them to be involved in treatments and managing the frontline operations with the other physician assistants and nurses. So your skills section should demonstrate the skills required to work in that capacity.

• Critical care
• Family medicine
• Anesthesia
• Dietetics
• Gynecology
• Dexterity
• Stress-resilient personality
• Teamwork

What skills for a qualified senior

A hospital hires a qualified doctor to oversee the clinical operations, manage budgets, network with other specialists, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies. The objective is to give more managerial tasks to run the operations smoothly and profitably.

You should, therefore, include your managerial skills on your resume when applying for a senior position.

• Cardiology
• Pharmaceutical
• Gynecology
• Oncology
• Networking
• Work ethics
• Budgeting
• Problem solving

Additional Headings for your Doctor Resume

The above sections are common in every resume the HR managers receive. We want to give them a positive surprise and make it easy to pick our resume. This is that section!

Here are some of the additional sections you could add to a doctor resume,

• Certifications
• Licenses
• Awards
• Achievements
• Languages
• Interests

Computer skills and certifications in a Doctor Resume

As a doctor, you have two paths to choose when you advance your career. One is to specialize in a niche. The other one is to expand your expertise into the healthcare industry as a whole.

If your preference is more into management, you could acquire professional certifications in business management, marketing, or administration which would open up whole new opportunities in the healthcare management industry.

Further, whichever of the above paths you take, having a recognized IT certification would stand out if you are up against similarly qualified professionals.

Interests in a Doctor Resume

The interests section is not a truly essential section in your resume. If you are a senior doctor, it does not make any sense to spend your precious resume space to list your interests. The reality is, your recruiter is more interested in your medical specialties.

However, if you are applying for a junior position and some of your interests positively complement the ideal candidate profile on the job posting, you may consider including them.

Languages in a Doctor Resume

Again not a critically important section in your resume. However, if the geographical location you apply for operates in multiple languages and you are fluent in them, that would be a pleasant surprise for the HR manager.

Summary: Key Points for Writing a Perfect Doctor Resume

• Your contact information, including your name, should be in the header
• Make sure your objective summary highlights your expertise and experience
• List your experiences in reverse chronological order
• Write your education qualifications in a consistent format
• Put together a mix of soft and hard skills
• Stand out by including relevant additional sections

Write a Perfect Cover Letter Template That Goes With Your Doctor Resume

A good cover letter positively complements your resume. If you are writing a cover letter, make sure you put together your expertise, accomplishments, and passion into a concise 2-3 paragraphs highlighting how they would help the hospital or the clinic to achieve their revenue and service level targets.

Frequently Asked Questions for a Doctor Resume

What is a Doctors Resume called?

A Doctors resume doesn’t have a special name and is simply called a Doctors resume. It is a way of presenting your work history, qualifications and experience in a short document when applying for jobs. These resumes are similar to most other formats, with a few differences depending on the profession.

How do I make a doctor resume?

Prepare the resume on the following headings,

• Header with name and contact details
• Professional Summary/ Objective summary
• Work experience
• Education
• Skills
• Additional sections

Further, a good doctor resume follows these general principles,

• Use the reverse chronological order
• Limit the resume to one page
• Refer to the job description for important keywords

How do I make a doctor's CV online?

To make a doctor resume online, you could use one of our pre-designed resume templates. These are easy to use and come with all formatting to suit the latest resume standards. It takes only 15-20 minutes to create your CV.