Table of Contents
Introduction
As a medical professional, you know that the smallest details in patient care can make the difference between life and death. The same can be said for your resume; the smallest details in how you craft your work history, summary statement, skills section, and education section can mean the difference between your dream job and the death of your job search. With our medical resume template for Word, you’ll be able to stitch together a highly effective resume that can breathe new life into your career.
Writing Your Summary Statement
A powerful summary statement is the key to gaining an employer’s attention. This statement is an introduction to who you are as a professional and should focus on a mix of soft and hard skills. Refer to our medical resume template for Word for an example of the type of powerful language you should use to describe yourself and your career. You should also
• Limit your summary statement to no more than three sentences or bullet points
• Clearly state your title in the first line, such as “Experienced medical coding specialist”
• Keep it high-level and save specific accomplishments for later
Example 1
• Talented medical receptionist with 11 years of experience
• Possess excellent customer-facing skills
• Shine as a self-starter, able to multitask and prioritize
Example 2
Compassionate registered nurse with 16 years of experience in clinical care settings. Able to rapidly assess and diagnose patient condition to facilitate treatment planning. Committed to collaborating with nursing and physician teams to improve quality of patient care.
Example 3
• 19 years of experience as a medical doctor specializing in oncology
• Skilled at long-term and short-term treatment planning to extend patient life
• Extensive history in oncology research, with multiple papers published in peer-reviewed journals
Example 4
Seasoned medical billing and coding specialist with 15 years of experience working with insurance providers and hospital systems to ensure accurate patient billing. Strong knowledge of medical billing and EMR systems. Able to quickly and efficiently resolve billing issues.
Writing Your Skills Section
Your skills section gives you an easy way to list your pertinent areas of expertise in a quickly scannable format. This can help employers rapidly find the key skills they want to qualify candidates for a second look and can also help you pass automated text scanners. Use our medical resume template for Word as a guide for the kind of keywords you should use, and also
• Review your target jobs to extract relevant keywords
• Keep your list short, with no more than 10-15 keyword phrases
• Format simply using bullets or tables if you want to save space
Here are examples of some good medical skills for your resume:
• Patient assessment and diagnosis
• Treatment planning
• Medication administration
• Medical coding and billing
• Patient and family education
• Community outreach
Writing Your Work History Section
Your work history is the beating heart of your resume and should be strong enough to tap into the pulse of what employers are looking for. Write your history in reverse chronological order, focusing on impactful action-oriented language by beginning each sentence with an action verb. Check our medical resume template for Word for an example of a good way to format your work history, along with these tips:
• Limit your history to the past 10-15 years and condense anything prior to a career note
• Use short, punchy bullets, mixing job duties with accomplishments
• Use metrics to convey the measurable impact of your achievements
This is a great example of how to write your work experience for a medical resume:
• Coordinated patient intake in a fast-paced, high-volume outpatient setting
• Screened patients prior to physician diagnosis through detailed assessments
• Recorded initial observations on patient charts for physician review
• Improved daily intake volume 32% by convincing hospital administrative staff to update the patient electronic medical records (EMR) system to new software
Writing Your Education Section
Just as in our medical resume template for Word, you should get right to the point with your education section, focusing only on relevant training and coursework. As a medical professional, you’ll likely have specific courses focusing on your specialization, and you should use this section to show off the skills you’ve honed in your key area of expertise. Follow these best practices:
• List your education in descending order of importance
• Include completion dates only for recent graduations and certifications
• Include the name of the academic institution for any degrees
Example 1
Doctor of Medicine, Geriatric Focus
Johns Hopkins University
Courses: Advancements in Gerontology, X-Ray Diagnostics
Master of Science in Anatomical Studies
Johns Hopkins University
Courses: Musculoskeletal Systems, Advanced Vascular Systems
Bachelor of Science in Human Kinesthesiology
Johns Hopkins University
Courses: Patient Assessment and Diagnosis, Compassionate Care
Example 2
Certified Nurse Practitioner – 2015
Advanced First Aid, American Red Cross – 2015
Bachelor of Science in Nursing – 2014
Devry University
Courses: Cardiovascular Treatment and Care, HIPAA Standards
