CV content for residency LOR writers?

[Geekchick921]

I've searched for this but most of what I found was either several years old (and didn't apply too well to me) or in Pre-Allo for applying to med school. Google hasn't cleared things up for me, either.

I asked a surgeon I worked closely and got along well with on my Gen Surg rotation for a residency LOR. I honored the block and I'm pretty sure I want to do Ob/Gyn or possibly a surgical subspecialty so he seemed like a good choice to ask for an LOR. He wants my CV before he starts. I have an old one from applying to medical school that I've mostly finished updating but I am not sure how much, if anything, from undergrad I should still include in it. It seems like a lot of traditional students include undergrad accomplishments and activities but I'm a nontrad student. I was working and taking pre-reqs part-time for 5 years between getting my bachelors and started medical school and I'm 29 now. Things from my time in undergrad are pushing 10 years old and I'm not sure what would be expected on my CV. Should I just leave them out at this point or include it and just tell him in the e-mail that I wasn't sure if he'd want this information or not?

Also... some of the results I did see when I was googling mentioned including something like a personal information section were things like marital status and family could be described (here). Is this a thing people actually do? It seems kind of odd for a CV but according to this link, some people expect it?

I've been kinda sitting on sending it to him because I'm not sure what to do. Thanks in advance, guys.

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[itallbelongstoyou]

Advice I give and have been given in CV/LOR conference forums:

Your CV and application may list items from your undergrad, or in between undergrad and medical school, but I would restrict these activities to teaching, research and work in the medical field. Listing that you worked at McDonalds for 4 years of your life really doesn’t contribute to your goal of becoming a neurosurgeon. Listing that you worked in a neurosurgery research lab dissecting mice brains for 4 years is a huge contribution and I would never leave that off even if it happened in undergrad 8 years ago.

I have more details about the application process on my blog: http://itallbelongstoyou.com/2013/09/19/eras-application-advice/

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

I've searched for this but most of what I found was either several years old (and didn't apply too well to me) or in Pre-Allo for applying to med school. Google hasn't cleared things up for me, either.

I asked a surgeon I worked closely and got along well with on my Gen Surg rotation for a residency LOR. I honored the block and I'm pretty sure I want to do Ob/Gyn or possibly a surgical subspecialty so he seemed like a good choice to ask for an LOR. He wants my CV before he starts. I have an old one from applying to medical school that I've mostly finished updating but I am not sure how much, if anything, from undergrad I should still include in it. It seems like a lot of traditional students include undergrad accomplishments and activities but I'm a nontrad student. I was working and taking pre-reqs part-time for 5 years between getting my bachelors and started medical school and I'm 29 now. Things from my time in undergrad are pushing 10 years old and I'm not sure what would be expected on my CV. Should I just leave them out at this point or include it and just tell him in the e-mail that I wasn't sure if he'd want this information or not?

Also... some of the results I did see when I was googling mentioned including something like a personal information section were things like marital status and family could be described (here). Is this a thing people actually do? It seems kind of odd for a CV but according to this link, some people expect it?

I've been kinda sitting on sending it to him because I'm not sure what to do. Thanks in advance, guys.

If you are an M3 (or M4) asking for residency LORs, you should have an updated CV. This will closely mirror what you put onto ERAS in 6-8 months. If your CV is blank right now, it would stand to reason your ERAs app will be blank too, so you should have something to put in there.

Honestly from this point in your career onward, you should always have a relatively up to date CV. Never know when you might need it.

Your CV should at this point largely (exclusively, almost) be focused on your medically related achievements, research, and education.

 

[Geekchick921]

Thank you, guys. Yeah, I thought I had updated my CV at one point or another, but I couldn't find it. *Shrug* Well, at least it's up to date now.

It feels sparse to me. I was not a science major in college, so almost none of my EC time in undergrad is relevant. I mostly just worked (relevant jobs) and finished my prereqs in my time between UG and med school. And as a parent, I avoided getting involved in a lot of med school ECs because of time constraints and home responsibilities (I started med school pregnant with my second child). I know it's my own fault but it's nervewracking.

 

[mvenus929]

Agreed with above. You can keep stuff from undergrad on it, but it should be relevant to your current job, or should fill in gaps. Since you're a non-trad, you should have the jobs (or whatever) you had since you graduated from undergrad and before you started med school. No one wants to see a 3 year space with nothing in it. Include research you've done, achievements you've gotten, etc. Include the high ticket items from med school (don't include every interest group, but leadership positions, volunteer positions, etc, are acceptable).

Each person has a different focus for their CV. Mine focused on the humanistic qualities I have (lots of volunteering), while someone else might focus more on their research and leave off some of those other things.