The Savvy IMG

How to write a CV for an NHS job as an IMG

Dr Adam Jakes shares his best tips for how to stand out when preparing your CV for NHS job applications.

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medical cv writing for the nhs img plab gmc registration

If you’re anything like us when we started out on our IMG journey, this might be the first time you are writing a medical CV.

You might be wondering

  • How can I start?
  • What should I include?
  • How long should it be?

This isn’t our area of expertise at The Savvy IMG, so we welcome Dr Adam Jakes in this expertly written guest post. 

Dr Jakes has summarised all the important parts of the medical CV and gives us his top tips for IMGs including mistakes to avoid! Read this guide today so you can write a good CV and maximise your chances of landing an NHS job.

Dr Adam Jakes

Dr Adam Jakes

MBBS, MSc, MRCP, MRCOG, PG Cert Clinical Education

Dr Jakes is currently an Obstetrics & Gynaecology specialist registrar in central London. He has previous medical registrar experience and a number of formal academic, teaching and leadership roles. He helped develop the PLABABLE 4-day revision course, BIG MOCK exam and revision webinars.

Dr Jakes also offers career services for IMG doctors such as CV and NHS application reviews, mock interview preparation and CPD-accredited professional development courses including clinical governance and train the trainer.

The Medical CV

A medical curriculum vitae (CV) is an essential document to portray your career progression and achievements to any potential employer. It can also be used to:
  • Apply for clinical attachments or observerships
  • Apply for research posts
  • Supplement your NHS job application
  • Supplement your annual review of competence progression (ARCP) or annual appraisal
  • Identify gaps in your skills and experience so you can focus your attention on building these weaker areas
It is very different from a non-medical CV as it needs to include a wide variety of skills and attributes which are important within the healthcare profession. There is a big focus on academic qualifications, research skills and publications, clinical governance, teaching and management experience. All doctors should have an up-to-date medical CV. It is vital that new information is added and amended regularly, so that it is readily available if required.

How to structure the CV

There is no enforced or standardised structure for a medical CV, however, there are many templates available.

Do not be disheartened if you do not have evidence for each section within the template – everyone will have different strengths and weaknesses.

In addition, some sections can be deleted or may not be appropriate for the job role.

I have created a suggested structure for a medical CV below:

Personal Details

Include your full name, email, telephone number, GMC number and visa status.

Education & Qualification

Include your primary medical degree and post-graduate qualifications.

There is no need to include O levels, A levels or school qualifications.

If an exam contains multiple parts (PLAB 1 and PLAB 2), only state the completed exam

A suggested format is below:

Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) GMC (UK) 2021

Awards & Prizes

Include any medical awards and prizes you have achieved, together with the name of the awarding body and year.

Work Experience

Include a list of current and previous employment in reverse chronological order (most recent on top).

Your role, name of employer and date of employment should be listed.

A suggested format is below:

Medical Officer
The Savvy IMG hospital, London, UK

January 2018 – April 2021

Training Courses & Conferences

Include a list of training courses, continuing professional development activities and conferences you have attended in reverse chronological order.

The course name, provider and date should be listed.
A suggested format is below:

Basic life support (BLS) Resuscitation Council UK 2021
Introduction to clinical governance Dr Adam Jakes Ltd 2021

Teaching

Include any bedside teaching, small-group teaching, lecturing or demonstrating you have provided. This should include any presentations at departmental meetings.

Research

Include any research projects, grants and publications.

List the citation for any publication with all author names.
If indexed in PubMed include the PMID identifier. Otherwise state the DOI.

Presentations

Include any oral or poster presentations (usually at conferences).

List the name of the presentation, location and year (+/- abstract number).

Audit & Quality improvement projects

Include any ongoing or completed audit/quality improvement projects.

Leadership & Management

Include any formal leadership and management roles or experience.

Language Skills

Include any languages you can speak and your OET/IELTS scores.

Personal Interests

Include any hobbies, interests or voluntary experiences.

References

Include the phrase ‘Available upon request’.

You can have a separate document with all agreeable references (name, job title, email and contact telephone number) and choose ones who are appropriate for the job role when requested.

Top Tips

Format

  • Maximum 2-3 pages in length
  • Use a consistent font and font size throughout your CV
    • Calibri, Arial or Times New Roman font
    • Font size 11 or 12
  • Education, Qualifications, Employment and Training courses should all be listed in reverse chronological order (most recent at the top)
  • Ensure there are no spelling or grammar errors
    • Use a UK English spell check
  • When sending out your medical CV, ensure it is PDF format (not word document)

Content

  • Once you have completed an exam with multiple parts (PLAB/MRCP/MRCS), only state that you have passed the exam.
    • Listing the date of passing part 1, part 2, etc. will only take up space
  • Present your experience in short bullet points
    • Avoid blocks of text or long paragraphs
  • Create a reference/referee document that has a list of potential references (for your own personal use)
    • Most job applications/CVs will require 2-3 references; however, it is worth having a document with a list of potential references so that you are well prepared

Avoid

  • Do not lie or exaggerate the truth
    • This could get you in serious trouble with the General Medical Council
  • Do not include your age, date of birth, gender, sexuality, marital status or nationality
    • This information is not necessary for employers and can also lead to unconscious bias.
  • Do not use a silly or unprofessional email address
    • Use one that has your name or initials
  • Do not include a photo
  • Do not include a list of generic attributes or clinical skills

Conclusion

A professional, well-structured medical CV is vital for all doctors. International medical graduates will benefit from having an up-to-date CV to summarise their achievements and experience to potential employers, particularly as competition is increasing for NHS roles.

CV Review Service

Dr Adam Jakes offers a professional CV review service to ensure it represents your achievements and experience in the best possible way. In addition, he’ll provide a professional CV template, CV example, CV development guide, and suggestions on how to further develop each section with examples of experience.

Click here for more information about the CV review service

Dr Adam Jakes

Dr Adam Jakes

MBBS, MSc, MRCP, MRCOG, PG Cert Clinical Education

Dr Jakes is currently an Obstetrics & Gynaecology specialist registrar in central London. He has previous medical registrar experience and a number of formal academic, teaching and leadership roles. He helped develop the PLABABLE 4-day revision course, BIG MOCK exam and revision webinars.

Dr Jakes also offers career services for IMG doctors such as CV and NHS application reviews, mock interview preparation and CPD-accredited professional development courses including clinical governance and train the trainer.

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2 Responses

  1. Hello
    Thank you for the very informative post. Was really useful.
    Would any electives done outside of the UK during medical school have any favorable impact on my CV?

    1. Hi there! For non-training jobs, probably not. But for training jobs, some specialties award points for doing electives!

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Meet the Team

Hi, we’re Drs Nick & Kimberly Tan, the two IMGs behind The Savvy IMG. We write comprehensive guides, create courses, and provide one-to-one guidance to help other overseas qualified doctors on their journey to the UK.
We have scoured the official guidance to put these posts together, but we can make mistakes! If you spot anything that is incorrect, please get in touch and we’ll put it right.
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