Introduction

Everyone keeping banging on about CV this and CV that. But what actually is it? The CV or more fully the Curriculum Vitae is a complete record of your achievements, skills and experience and is something that may be used at any point in your career. As a medic it can be used to get roles on committees, teaching roles, clinical or research placements, electives and the list goes on. Later down the line, your CV forms part of your portfolio that you will use to get into specific training programs as you progress in your career. 

The CV you keep on your computer should be a complete record of your achievements, skills and experience that you can add to as you progress through medical school. We call this the “Bucket CV”. Depending on what you are applying for, the CV you send out should be a condensed version of this “Bucket CV”, only including the content that matches the criteria for the opportunity. 

In this series, we will cover the structure and format of a CV, ways to develop your CV throughout clinical school, some top tips and resources and finally some FAQs.Remember to see the bigger picture whilst going about building your CV, that is happiness, health, adding value to yourself and society! Stay tuned for some major keys!