How do you build your CV for a comp. residency?

[uclakid]

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What else is required for a competitive residency? I thought it was JUST good grades, STEP scores, and LORs. What else can you do for your CV?

 

[tigershark]

It's not a CV until you have publications, before that it's just a resume.

 

[uclakid]

oh ok. so how do you build your resume?

 

[Amy]

That's pretty much it. Having research can help, esp for competitive fields. And extracurricular activities... they wanna know you have outside interests.

 

[Winged Scapula]

It's not a CV until you have publications, before that it's just a resume.

I would respectfully disagree. The difference between a resume and a CV is primarily differences in length, content and purpose. A resume is a brief summary of your skills, experience and education; most will focus on work experience without details of what that entailed and a resume is generally the term used in non-academic or research circles.

A CV is generally longer and more detailed synopsis, including a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details. Its used primarily when applying for academic, education, scientific or research positions or when applying for fellowships or grants.

Maybe its just semantics: the terms are often used interchangeably as they both focus on academic and work history but publications do not a CV make. Obviously the more research, publications, presentations, academic honors. teaching awards, etc.one has, the better (and longer) ones CV will be.

I am not sure however that uclakid is actually referring to the DOCUMENT itself but rather what he/she needs to do to buff up his experience so that he will have an impressive CV when the time comes to apply for residency. If this is correct, the usual answers fit here. Have some evidence of community service and dedication to the field to which you are applying. Research, publications and presentations (even that Student Research poster you presented counts); have work experience which is either interesting, related to the field or both. See numerous other threads for more advice on "how do I match into competitive field X?"

 

[uclakid]

Have some evidence of community service and dedication to the field to which you are applying. Research, publications and presentations (even that Student Research poster you presented counts); have work experience which is either interesting, related to the field or both. See numerous other threads for more advice on "how do I match into competitive field X?"

Does medical school easily provide opportunities for work experience, volunteering, etc.?

 

[tigershark]

I would respectfully disagree. The difference between a resume and a CV is primarily differences in length, content and purpose. A resume is a brief summary of your skills, experience and education; most will focus on work experience without details of what that entailed and a resume is generally the term used in non-academic or research circles.

A CV is generally longer and more detailed synopsis, including a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details. Its used primarily when applying for academic, education, scientific or research positions or when applying for fellowships or grants.

Maybe its just semantics: the terms are often used interchangeably as they both focus on academic and work history but publications do not a CV make. Obviously the more research, publications, presentations, academic honors. teaching awards, etc.one has, the better (and longer) ones CV will be.

I am not sure however that uclakid is actually referring to the DOCUMENT itself but rather what he/she needs to do to buff up his experience so that he will have an impressive CV when the time comes to apply for residency. If this is correct, the usual answers fit here. Have some evidence of community service and dedication to the field to which you are applying. Research, publications and presentations (even that Student Research poster you presented counts); have work experience which is either interesting, related to the field or both. See numerous other threads for more advice on "how do I match into competitive field X?"

The answer to his question was in my response. Academic productivity (publications) is the main thing that will make a CV impressive, and his post made no mention of the most vital component of a CV.

I did not literally mean that a CV must have publications listed to be considered so.

The professor I work with, who interviews residency and med school applicants, has told me on numerous occaisions, "It's not a CV unless you have publications"

 

[Winged Scapula]

The answer to his question was in my response. Academic productivity (publications) is the main thing that will make a CV impressive, and his post made no mention of the most vital component of a CV.

I did not literally mean that a CV must have publications listed to be considered so.

The professor I work with, who interviews residency and med school applicants, has told me on numerous occaisions, "It's not a CV unless you have publications"

Point taken. I would still state that your professor is incorrect, at least given the usual meaning of a CV (which does not require publications).

At any rate, you are right that academic productivity will make a CV impressive but I thought we were getting too caught up in what comprises a CV rather than his real question which was "how do I get into competitive residency X?".

 

[Winged Scapula]

Does medical school easily provide opportunities for work experience, volunteering, etc.?

Easily? Probably not. You have to use your vacations, and make some effort to get those experiences - most major medical schools in the US have active research labs, volunteer trips for students (in which you can often travel to an underdeveloped country to offer some medical assistance), etc.