Writing About Yourself
What is worse than writing about yourself without sounding too self-centered? A personal statement can be the among the most difficult parts of an application. Generally speaking, these documents are one or two ages long, but even that can seem long when the writer struggles to tie their life experiences into future aspirations.
Start with a theme. Talk to someone about where you have been and where you want to go. How can those dreams link together? Don't be afraid to write different versions of your statement, exercise your writing muscles by playing with how you see yourself.
Job applications can be tedious, they take time and effort to complete not only correctly but on time. Often there are several components to the entire process as well. Though all parts carry importance, one document which can be the most difficult to put together is the CV and/or resume. Since both need to be updated throughout one's working life, and amended for each application, this writing project can quickly become confusing. The resources below are here to help in that process.
How to Write a Personal Statement
This site walks a writer through the brainstorming process through the reading of prompts and to the final draft
Includes a video guide as well as a comprehensive list of how to approach and write a personal statement.
American Association of Medical Colleges
The Advising Corner of the AAMC, lists how professionals have come to view the personal statement an advice on how to work the draft stage.
Articles of Interest
Agha, R., Whitehurst, K., Jafree, D., Devabalan, Y., Koshy, K., & Gundogan, B. (2017). How to write a medical CV. International journal of surgery. Oncology, 2(6), e32. https://doi.org/10.1097/IJ9.0000000000000032.
"A medical curriculum vitae remains an important document that has 2 main roles: to distinguish candidates applying for various positions, whether that be jobs, posts, grants and it provides a means of keeping an up-to-date record of all your achievements and skills gained thus far. This article provides detailed guidance on how to structure an effective curriculum vitae to maximize your chances of success when applying for these positions."
Writing the Curriculum Vitae and Personal Statement
Statements for Residency & Med School
How to Write and Impressive Residency Personal Statement
Misc Resources
A quick read on what ot include, what not to include, and how to approach this writing project.
American Academy of Family Physicians helpful guide to writing personal statements. Also includes interview tips.
Pulse - voices from the heart of medicine
"Telling the personal story of health care…by and for everyone–patients, health professionals and students of narrative medicine." This resource includes the personal stories of doctors, their poetry, the art they produce, impactful encounters with patients that left a mark on their practice. Understanding what makes up a person, both within their career life and outside of it, is crucial in the writing process.
What's in a CV?
What distinguishes a curriculum vitae from a resume? Well, there a few distinct differences.
A CV will always begin with your educational background, degrees earned, school organizations, academic memberships, etc...The purpose of this document is to emphasize the applicant's academic strengths.
A resume will always begin with one's work experience. Following this will be one's education history, any awards whether academic or work-related, and then other certifications or outside endeavors.
What these two have in common are: a descending order in how degrees, job positions, publications etc are listed (newest always comes first), a section at the end for references, headers for each new section, and at times the formatting can be similar.
American Medical Association guides to writing medical CVs
British Medical Journal article on preparing your medical CV
A Guide To Writing a Medical CV: Tips and Example
"Different from a resume or cover letter, a curriculum vitae is a multi-page overview of your background and accomplishments relevant to the opportunity you're applying for. Learning what to include in a medical CV can ensure you submit a document that gets the interest of hiring managers. In this article, we discuss what to include in a medical CV and provide tips and an example."
Resume & CV Templates
A thorough overview of what should be included in a CV & includes examples of how to list those items.
A printable PDF of what must be fit into a comprehensive resume
From LiveCareer.com, a collection of medical resume examples, with a list by job title.
From the Uni. California San Francisco, a list of residency and healthcare CV examples