Medical School CV—Examples & Tips for Med Students

What is a medical school CV?

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

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

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What users say about ResumeLab:

I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your CV.”
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I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work!
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My previous CV was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful!
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Not looking for a CV for or after medical school? Do you need a different kind of school CV? See these guides: 

• Law School CV Examples
• Graduate School CV/CV Examples
• MBA CV Examples
• Doctor CV Examples

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

• High School CV for University Application
• Student CV Sample & Guide

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

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

Sample Medical School CV You Can Copy and Use

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

1. Use the Best Medical School CV Format

It’s your time to shine.

But you won’t if your CV for med school looks scruffy.

Give yourself every chance to get accepted. It all starts with clinical CV formatting.

Use these tips:

Medical School CV Format

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

2. Write a Medical School CV Objective

Here’s a shocker:

Most admissions screeners won’t even read your med school CV.

They’ll give it the once-over. That’s how they get through thousands of CVs for medical school each year.

Unless—

You make them want to read it, with an elegant CV 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 CV achievements (Orwin W. Telsdale Scholar...)

Write it last to make it easy.

See these medical school CV examples:

Medical School CV Objective—Example

Passionate medical researcher and applicant to the Medical University 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.

Wow.

The second of those sample medical school application CV 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

This is critical.

Your CV education section is life or death.

You must show academic achievement in a med school CV.

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
• Honours programs
• Research projects
• Certifications earned
• Groups, clubs, or affiliations
• Any big accomplishments

Learn from these medical school CV samples:

Medical School CV 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.

Honours 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

Perfect.

Don’t just show you went to school and got good grades.

To get the interview, list details and accomplishments.

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your CV in our CV builder now.

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4. Put Experience in a Medical School CV

On-the-job experience can invigorate a medical school application CV.

Have you worked as a researcher? Teacher? Pharmacy assistant? Nurse? Peace Corps member?

Those look fantastic on med school CVs.

So—put them in your CV experience section.

See these sample CVs for medical school admission:

Medical School CV 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 practises.
• Collected data from 120 transplant centres 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 sanitised laboratory.

See the difference?

The first of those med school CV 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 CV.

5. Add Other Items to a Medical School CV

Your medical school CV 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 CV with the most impressive things you can.

Add:

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

See these medical school CV examples:

Medical School CV—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 CV samples?

It lacks medical achievements. Now—if you’ve listened to 200+ healthcare audiobooks, that’s a different story.

Finally, CV skills list for your med school CV:

Medical School CV Skills

1. Interpersonal Skills
2. Communication
3. Collaboration
4. Organisation
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 CV for medical school, you’ll look like an impostor.

List a skill only if you can prove it with medical accomplishments.

Double your impact with a matching CV and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter builder and make your application documents pop out.

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Want to try a different look? There’s 18 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Expert Hint: Write a cover letter for your med school CV. 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 CV:

• Use a good medical school CV template. Fill it with unique achievements from your bachelor's degree
• Write a gripping med school CV 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 CV? Not sure how to list medical school on a CV? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply! 

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