Medical School Resume—Examples & Tips for Med Students

It’s not easy to get into medical school. Each year, 50,000+ apply but only 20,000 make it in. It all comes down to each applicant’s resume for medical school applications.

Don’t panic. You just need the right moments from your bachelor’s degree and work history. Do it well, and you’ll look like Meredith Grey in the rough.

In this guide:

• A medical school resume template better than most.
• How to write a med school resume that works.
• What to put in resumes for medical school to stand above the sea of white coats.
• How to format your medical school application resume to prove your worth.

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Not looking for a resume for or after medical school? Do you need a different kind of school resume? See these guides: 

• Law School Resume Examples
• Medical Billing Resume
• Graduate School Resume/CV Examples
• MBA Resume Examples
• Dietary Aide Resume
• Patient Care Technician Resume Examples
• Medical Assistant Resume Examples
• Doctor Resume Examples
• Chemistry Resume Examples
• Science Resume Examples
• Science Research Resume Examples
• Pharmaceutical Sales Resume Examples
• Dentist Resume Examples

Do you need a pre-medical school resume? See our guides:

• High School Resume for College Application
• Student Resume Sample & Guide

Are you writing a medical school graduate resume? Not sure how to list medical school on a resume? See our guides: Recent College Graduate Resume Sample & College Student Resume Sample & Guide

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Examples for Any Job.

Sample Medical School Resume You Can Copy and Use

What is a medical school resume?

A medical school resume is a document that presents your professional background, skills, and accomplishments when applying to medical school. A compelling medical school resume will convince the admissions counselors that you are a better than other applicants.

Now—here’s how to write a resume for medical school that gets interviews:

1. Use the Best Medical School Resume Format

It’s your time to shine. But you won’t if your resume for med school looks scruffy. Give yourself every chance to get accepted. It all starts with clinical resume formatting. Use these tips:

Medical School Resume Format

• Your resume length should be 1–2 pages, depending on your accomplishments.
• Add white space so you don’t give readers a subconjunctival hemorrhage.
• Use one resume font like 11–14pt Tahoma or Lucida Sans.
• Set resume margins at one inch.
• Make resume sections for Objective, Education, Experience, and “Other”.
• Put items in reverse-chronological resume layout.
• For readability on all devices, save your resume as a PDF.

Expert Hint: Do you “just” have a humanities degree? Buck up! A study by Zippia showed humanities graduates have a 46% acceptance rate in medical schools. Compare that to a 39% rate for biology majors! Don’t be ashamed of a “non-medical” degree in a med school resume.

2. Write a Medical School Resume Objective

Most admissions screeners won’t even read your med school resume. They’ll give it the once-over. That’s how they get through thousands of resumes for medical school each year. Unless—

You make them want to read it, with an elegant resume objective.

Include:

1. An adjective (driven, hard-working)
2. Your job title or bachelor’s degree title
3. Years of healthcare experience if any (2+, 4+)
4. School you’re applying to (University of Wisconsin)
5. Best resume achievements (Orwin W. Telsdale Scholar...)

Write it last to make it easy. See these medical school resume examples:

Medical School Resume Objective—Example

Passionate medical researcher and applicant to the Medical College of Wisconsin. Scored 517/521 on the MCAT. An Orwin W. Telsdale Scholar and Senior Scholar at Marquette University with a BS in Human Biology. GPA of 3.8. with focus in anatomy.

Medical school applicant with BS in biology and strong skills in research and human biology. Strong in anatomy and passionate about medicine and health care. Excited to enter medical school and take the first step toward a medical career.

The second of those sample medical school application resume objectives is on life support. It says you’re passionate about health care. But the first adds high MCAT scores and other school accomplishments.

3. Heal Your Education Section

Your resume education section is life or death. You must show academic achievement in a med school resume. If you don’t—you’ll be one of the 60% who don’t get into any medical school. Include:

• Relevant coursework
• Your GPA
• Your MCAT scores
• Publications
• Honors programs
• Research projects
• Certifications earned
• Groups, clubs, or affiliations
• Any big accomplishments

Learn from these medical school resume samples:

Medical School Resume Example—Education

Education

Bachelor of Science, Human Biology

Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI

2015–2019

GPA 3.8

Relevant Coursework:

• Molecular Biology
• Human Anatomy
• Organic Chemistry
• Microbiology
• Endocrinology

Publications:

• Charles, K. and Gordon, A. "Lyme Disease, Sleep, and Intermittent Fasting." McGill Journal of Medicine 53.5 (2019): 123-27.
• Bradford, E. and Gordon, A. "Insulin, Glucagon, and Meal Timing." Marquette Medical Journal 88.5 (2018): 98-103.

Honors Programs:

• Orwyn W. Telsdale Scholarship for Excellence in Chemistry
• Senior Scholar Program for dedication to biology studies.

Research Project:

• Conducted research into sleep disorders in Lyme disease.

Scores:

• 2019—MCAT 517/521

Don’t just show you went to school and got good grades. To get the interview, list details and accomplishments.

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4. Put Experience in a Medical School Resume

On-the-job experience can invigorate a medical school application resume. Have you worked as a researcher? Teacher? Pharmacy assistant? Nurse? Peace Corps member?

Those look fantastic on med school resumes. So—put them in your resume experience section. See these sample resumes for medical school admission:

Medical School Resume Sample [Experience]

Work Experience

Medical Research Assistant

Personius Labs, Madison, WI

2017–2019

• Raised quality control scores 17% by documenting adverse events, then working with researchers to improve adherence to best practices.
• Collected data from 120 transplant centers for clinical studies.

Substitute Biology Teacher

Addison High, Madison, WI

2015–2017

• Prepared lesson plans and taught classes in biology.
• Developed and supervised 10+ lab experiments.

Work Experience

Research Assistant

• Responsible for documentation and record-keeping in a working research lab.
• Handled data collection for clinical studies.
• Cleaned and sanitized laboratory.

The first of those med school resume examples is from a hard-working applicant. She has real-world medical skills. The second just held a job.

Expert Hint: You’ll need MCAT scores of at least 500 and a GPA of 3.4 to get into most allopathic medical schools. Want to know the stats you’ll need to get into your first pick? MedEdits has a great searchable table. Use it to guide you in submitting your medical school applicant resume.

5. Add Other Items to a Medical School Resume

Your medical school resume has to wow them like Crispr. If it doesn’t, you’ll look cloned. So do the forensics to find your greatest healthcare moments. You need to prove you:

• Work hard
• Are goal-oriented
• Have strong teamwork skills
• Strive to improve yourself

Fill your med school resume with the most impressive things you can. Add:

• Volunteering
• Freelancing
• Certifications
• Publications
• Associations and groups
• Projects
• Media appearances
• Honors
• Awards
• Conferences
• Languages

See these medical school resume examples:

Medical School Resume—Other Sections

Volunteer Work 

Pharmacy Assistant

Chelton-Blake Hospital, Madison, WI

2014–2015

• Filled 50+ prescriptions per shift.
• Identified 7 prescriptions with unnoticed contraindications.
• Worked directly with AIDS patients to refine treatment.

Additional Activities

• Volunteer ambulance driver, Dane County Ambulance Service.
• Run daily for self-care and fitness.

Additional Activities

• Drawing
• Listening to audiobooks

What’s the diagnosis on the second of those medical school resume samples? It lacks medical achievements. Now—if you’ve listened to 200+ healthcare audiobooks, that’s a different story.

Finally, a list of skills to put on a resume for med school:

Medical School Resume Skills

1. Interpersonal Skills
2. Communication
3. Collaboration
4. Organization
5. Problem Solving
6. Computer Skills
7. Time Management
8. Attention to Detail
9. Work Ethic
10. Healthcare-Specific Skills (human anatomy, organic chemistry, etc.)

Beware: If you list them all in a resume for medical school, you’ll look like an impostor. List a skill only if you can prove it with medical accomplishments.

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Expert Hint: Write a cover letter for your med school resume. Explain why you chose this school, and what you’ll bring to the table for a healthy shot at getting in.

Key Points

Here’s how to write a medical school resume:

• Use a good medical school resume template. Fill it with unique achievements from your bachelor's degree
• Write a gripping med school resume objective to make the admissions department stop daydreaming about Chicago Med.
• Add special sections for healthcare and school accomplishments that don’t fit into education or experience.
• Include a medical school cover letter. In it, tell them why this school matters to you, and what you have to offer.

Got questions on how to write good medical school application resume? Not sure how to list medical school on a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply! 

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