What's the difference between a physician CV and a physician resume?

In medicine the two terms are used interchangeably for clinical roles, but the convention is the CV format (3-6 pages) covering rotations, procedures, teaching, research, presentations, and publications. The 1-2 page resume is rare for physician and PA roles outside non-clinical industry positions.

How long should a physician assistant CV be?

3-4 pages for newly graduated PAs (program rotations and procedures take space). 4-6 pages for experienced PAs who've added teaching, research, or QI work. Department leads expect this length and skim accordingly.

Should I include my procedure log on my PA resume?

Yes, in a dedicated Procedures section with rough frequency ("80+ procedural sedations," "60+ fracture reductions"). Department leads use this section to map you to their case mix and decide whether you can plug into their schedule.

Do physician resumes need a publications section?

If you have publications, yes; if you have none, omit the section rather than leave a gap. Clinical-track applicants are not penalized for thin publication lists, but research-track applicants are screened on them.

Should I list my medical school grades or step scores?

Step 1 score: include if 240+. Step 2 CK: include if 250+. Otherwise omit. Medical school grades are usually summarized as honors or AOA membership rather than listed by course. For PAs, GPA in the PA program if 3.7+ is worth listing.

How do I structure a physician CV for a job change?

Lead with current attending or hospitalist role and scope, the patient population, and the volume. Then prior practice, residency, fellowship, and medical school in reverse chronological order. Teaching and research come after clinical experience. Keep procedural and clinical specifics on page 1; publications and presentations can flow to pages 3-4.

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Physician Assistant Resume & Doctor CV Template

Physician assistant and physician CVs get screened first by credentialing systems and second by department leads. Both want the same things in the first half of page one: NCCPA certification or board status, clinical rotations or specialty experience, and the procedures you've performed at scope. The strongest PA resume examples lead with those three.

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Why physician assistant and physician resumes are different

PA and physician hiring runs through credentialing first. Hospital systems require active state license, NCCPA certification (PAs) or board certification (physicians), DEA registration where prescribing is in scope, and current BLS/ACLS. If any of those are missing, the application can stall in credentialing for weeks. Department leads only see resumes that pass that check.

The second filter is specialty fit. A PA with three years in orthopedic surgery is a different hire from a PA with three years in primary care. Department leads want clinical rotations, procedure logs, and patient population specifics. "Performed routine clinical duties" tells them nothing; "Logged 240 first-assist hours in total knee and total hip arthroplasty under Dr. X over 18 months" tells them whether you can plug in.

The third differentiator is academic and teaching work. Many PA and physician roles include precepting, residency teaching, or grand rounds presentations. If you've done any, list them. The CV format (longer than a resume) explicitly leaves room for publications, presentations, and teaching, even for clinical-track applicants.

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What to include on a physician assistant or doctor CV

Contact + credentials. Name, credentials in the header (Jane Doe, PA-C; or John Doe, MD), phone, email, city. Add NPI if relevant.

Licensure. Active state license(s) with number and expiration. DEA registration if prescribing in scope. Federal DEA and state-controlled substance registration as applicable.

Certifications. NCCPA (PAs), ABMS board certification (physicians), BLS, ACLS, PALS, ATLS, NRP, plus specialty certifications (CAQ in surgery, hospital medicine, emergency medicine for PAs).

Education. Reverse chronological. PA program (with accreditation), or medical school, residency, fellowship. Include institution, dates, and any honors.

Clinical Experience. For PAs: rotations during program (specialty, hours, supervising provider). For physicians: residency rotations, attending experience, scope of practice, patient volume. Lead each role with patient population, acuity, and procedural scope.

Procedures. A separate Procedures section listing what you've done with frequency. Splints, fracture reductions, lumbar punctures, central lines, suturing, intubation, etc., with rough volume.

Teaching, research, publications, presentations. Even clinical-track CVs benefit from these. List in reverse chronological order.

Languages. Many hospitals filter for bilingual clinicians, especially Spanish.

Skills to put on a physician assistant resume

Lead with the hard skills that ATS keyword scanners can verify. Use soft skills sparingly, and only when paired with a phrase that proves them.

Hard skills

•Patient assessment and differential diagnosis
•Procedural skills (suturing, splinting, lumbar puncture, central lines)
•Prescribing within scope (where DEA registered)
•Inpatient rounds and discharge planning
•Outpatient continuity care
•EHR documentation (Epic, Cerner, Meditech, Athenahealth)
•Imaging interpretation at scope (X-ray, CT, ultrasound)
•Procedural sedation and pain management
•Quality improvement and case review
•Telehealth and remote evaluation

Soft skills

•Composure during high-acuity events
•Patient and family communication during difficult conversations
•Cross-discipline collaboration with attendings, RNs, RTs, PT/OT
•Precepting students and residents
•Ethics consultation and shared decision-making
•Documentation under audit and peer review

ATS keywords for physician assistant resumes

These are the terms applicant tracking systems are tuned to find on a physician assistant resume. Embed them naturally in your bullets and skills section - don't list them as a flat keyword wall.

physician assistantPA-CMDDOphysicianNCCPADEAboard certifiedBLSACLSPALSATLSEHREpicCernerpatient assessmentdifferential diagnosisprocedural skillsinpatientoutpatientcontinuity careroundsdischarge planningtelehealthquality improvement

Sample physician assistant resume bullets

Use these as a model - replace the numbers and contexts with your own. Every bullet leads with a quantified outcome, not a duty.

1
Practice as a board-certified PA-C in orthopedic surgery (Dr. Lee, OrthoOne); first-assist 240+ total knee and total hip arthroplasties over 18 months, plus independent clinic of 18-22 patients per day.
2
Rotated through 12 core PA program rotations including 240 hours emergency medicine, 200 hours general surgery, 200 hours internal medicine, 160 hours pediatrics, 160 hours women's health.
3
Logged 80+ procedural sedations, 120+ laceration repairs, 60+ fracture reductions, and 40+ lumbar punctures across emergency medicine and inpatient rotations.
4
Co-led the orthopedic clinic's quality initiative on opioid-sparing post-op pain management; reduced average opioid prescription quantity 38% over two quarters with no change in patient-reported pain scores.
5
Precepted 4 PA students through 6-week orthopedic surgery rotations; all four passed PANCE on first attempt and two were hired by the practice.
6
Bilingual clinical care in English and Spanish for ~30% of clinic volume; rewrote post-operative care handouts in Spanish at clinic request, adopted across all 4 clinic locations.

Recommended resume structure

Section order matters. ATS systems and human screeners both expect this layout for physician assistant resumes.

1Contact + Credentials
2Licensure & Certifications
3Education
4Clinical Experience
5Procedures
6Teaching & Research
7Publications & Presentations
8Languages

Use the CV format (3-6 pages) for clinical roles, not a 1-2 page resume. Hospital credentialing and department leads expect the CV format. Lead with credentials and licensure above Education for the first screen, even though Education tends to anchor the candidate's identity.

Relevant certifications

PA-C (NCCPA)
Board Certification (ABMS specialty for physicians)
Basic Life Support (BLS)
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in specialty (PAs)

Salary range (USD)

$95,000 – $250,000

Median $130,000

Source: bls.gov + AAPA salary report (2025) · As of 2025-08-01

Common mistakes on physician and PA resumes

Credentials not in the header

PA-C, MD, DO, MBBS, MPH go after your name in the resume header. Putting them only in the Education section forces the screener to search.

License or DEA missing

Hospital credentialing requires active license, NCCPA (PAs) or board status (physicians), and DEA where applicable. Missing any of these blocks the application. Even pending status should be noted ("DEA application in process, expected MM/YYYY").

Vague rotation descriptions

"Completed core rotations" is empty. Name the rotation, the supervising provider, the volume, and one procedure or skill you owned. Department leads want specifics.

No procedure log

Procedures performed (with frequency) are a fast credibility signal. A PA without a procedure list reads as inexperienced even when they're not.

Treating it like a resume when it should be a CV

Medical CVs run 3-6 pages and include rotations, procedures, teaching, research, presentations, and publications. Compressing to 1-2 pages cuts the differentiating signal. The CV length is the convention; embrace it.

Generic 'patient-centered care' bullets

Every PA and physician claims this. Replace with specific clinical work: a complex case you co-managed, a procedure you owned, a quality initiative you led.

Frequently asked questions

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