Mastering Your CV: A Guide for MD Graduates in Orthopedic Surgery

Why Your CV Matters So Much in Orthopedic Surgery

Among all specialties, orthopedic surgery is one of the most competitive. Programs receive hundreds of applications for just a handful of spots, and your CV is often the first—and sometimes primary—way they decide whether to take a closer look at you.

For an MD graduate aiming for an orthopedic surgery residency, your CV is not just a timeline of what you did in medical school. It’s a strategic document that answers three core questions for selection committees:

1. Can this applicant handle the demands of orthopedic training?
   (Clinical performance, work ethic, rigor of experiences.)

2. Has this applicant demonstrated a genuine, sustained interest in orthopedics?
   (Ortho research, electives, sub‑internships, leadership in ortho‑related groups.)

3. Will this applicant contribute to our program’s culture and academic mission?
   (Teaching, service, leadership, teamwork, professionalism.)

This article focuses on how to build a CV for residency in orthopedic surgery—specifically for an MD graduate. We’ll walk through structure, content, and strategy, and highlight practical residency CV tips tailored to the allopathic medical school match in ortho.

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Core Principles of a Strong Orthopedic Surgery Residency CV

Before diving into the sections, it helps to understand several overarching principles that distinguish an average medical student CV from a compelling MD graduate residency CV for orthopedics.

1. Clarity and Professionalism

Your CV should be:

• Easy to scan in 30–60 seconds
• Consistent in formatting, fonts, and dates
• Error‑free (no typos, grammar mistakes, inconsistent spacing)

Program directors routinely review hundreds of CVs; anything messy or confusing can quickly put you at a disadvantage. Think of your CV as your first demonstration of attention to detail and professionalism—both essential qualities in an orthopedic surgeon.

2. Orthopedic Identity

Your document should tell a clear story: this applicant is committed to orthopedic surgery. The best ortho match CVs typically show:

• Repeated orthopedic rotations, electives, or sub‑internships
• Ortho‑relevant research and quality improvement projects
• Involvement in orthopedic or musculoskeletal interest groups
• Exposure to related fields (sports medicine, trauma, PM&R) where relevant

Programs are not only asking, “Can you do the work?” but also, “Are you truly passionate about orthopedics?”

3. Depth Over Breadth

More lines do not equal a stronger CV. Instead of listing every minor shadowing experience or brief club involvement, emphasize:

• Substantial roles (leadership positions, ongoing commitments)
• Concrete outcomes (presentations, publications, implemented QI changes)
• Specific skills gained (team leadership, data analysis, surgical skills, teaching)

A focused CV tailored to orthopedic surgery residency is more compelling than a long but unfocused list of activities.

4. Alignment With Your Application Narrative

Your CV, personal statement, and letters of recommendation should reinforce the same themes:

• Your interest in orthopedics
• Your work ethic and resilience
• Your academic rigor and curiosity
• Your team‑orientation and professionalism

Think of your CV as the backbone of your application: everything else connects back to it.

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Ideal Structure and Sections for an Orthopedic Surgery CV

There is no single universally required format, but most allopathic medical school match programs expect a familiar structure. Below is a recommended outline for a strong MD graduate residency CV aimed at orthopedic surgery.

1. Contact Information and Professional Header

Include at the top:

• Full name (bold, slightly larger font)
• MD degree (e.g., “John A. Smith, MD”)
• Current address (city, state; full address optional)
• Phone number
• Professional email (avoid casual or unprofessional handles)
• LinkedIn profile (optional but increasingly common)
• ERAS AAMC ID (optional, often useful during application cycles)

Avoid: Photos, personal identifiers (marital status, age, religion), or overly personal email addresses.

2. Education

List in reverse chronological order:

• Allopathic medical school (institution name, city, state, graduation month/year)
• Degree: Doctor of Medicine (MD)
• Honors: AOA, Gold Humanism, Dean’s List, thesis designation, etc.
• If applicable, USMLE Step scores are usually not on the CV itself in the US (they’re in ERAS), but in some institutional CV templates or for non‑ERAS uses, they may be included.

Then include:

• Undergraduate institution(s)
• Degree(s), major(s), graduation year
• Honors (summa/magna/cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, scholarships)

Optional for space reasons:

• High school is rarely relevant; omit unless there’s a prestigious or unique element and your CV is otherwise sparse (often not necessary for MD graduates).

Example (Education section):

• XYZ University School of Medicine, City, State
  Doctor of Medicine, May 2025
  – AOA Honor Medical Society (anticipated 2025)
  – Gold Humanism Honor Society (2024)

• ABC University, City, State
  Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, May 2021
  – Summa Cum Laude, GPA: 3.89/4.00
  – Dean’s List (all semesters)

3. Honors, Awards, and Scholarships

This section demonstrates academic excellence and recognition by peers or faculty. For an orthopedic surgery residency applicant, it can help separate you from a crowded field.

Include:

• National or regional awards (e.g., research awards, specialty organization recognitions)
• Institutional scholarships (merit‑based, leadership awards)
• Honor societies (if not already in Education)
• Departmental awards (e.g., “Outstanding Performance in Surgery Clerkship”)

List with:

• Name of award
• Institution or organization
• Date (month/year)
• Brief descriptor (optional, 1 line) if not obvious from the title

4. US Clinical Experiences and Rotations (Ortho‑Focused)

ERAS captures much of this, but your CV allows you to present select experiences strategically.

Focus especially on:

• Orthopedic surgery sub‑internships (home and away)
• Key surgery rotations where you received honors or notable evaluations
• Significant electives relevant to ortho (sports medicine, trauma surgery, PM&R, rheumatology, musculoskeletal radiology)

Include:

• Institution, department, city/state
• Dates (month/year)
• Your role (e.g., Sub‑Intern, Acting Intern, Clinical Elective Student)
• Optional but powerful: 1–2 bullet points describing responsibilities or highlights.

Example:

Orthopedic Surgery Sub‑Internship, Department of Orthopedic Surgery
University Hospital, City, State | July 2024
– Managed 8–12 inpatient orthopedic patients daily under supervision; presented on rounds and coordinated multidisciplinary care
– Assisted in >30 OR cases including trauma, sports, and arthroplasty; gained experience with fracture reduction and casting

5. Research Experience and Scholarly Projects

In orthopedic surgery, research is a major differentiator in the ortho match. Programs are academic by nature and place heavy emphasis on scholarly productivity.

Structure this section clearly:

a. Research Positions / Projects (Even if Not Published)
Include:

• Project title or focus (e.g., “Outcomes after ACL Reconstruction in Adolescent Athletes”)
• Institution and department
• Mentor(s)
• Dates involved
• Your role (research assistant, sub‑investigator, student researcher)
• 2–4 bullet points emphasizing:
  • Your specific responsibilities
  • Methods used (e.g., chart review, statistical analysis, cadaveric studies)
  • Skills gained (data analysis, REDCap, R, SPSS, biomechanics, etc.)
  • Any outputs: abstracts, posters, manuscripts, IRB approvals

Example bullets:

• Conducted retrospective chart review of 250 adolescent ACL reconstructions; extracted perioperative and functional outcome data.
• Performed statistical analysis (logistic regression, Kaplan‑Meier survival curves) under faculty supervision using SPSS.
• Co‑authored abstract accepted for podium presentation at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine annual meeting.

b. Publications, Presentations, and Abstracts
Consider separating into sub‑headings:

• Peer‑reviewed publications
• Manuscripts under review or in preparation (clearly labeled)
• Conference presentations (oral and poster)
• Book chapters or online educational content

Use standard citation format (e.g., AMA):

• Authors (last name, initials; bold your name)
• Title
• Journal or conference
• Year; volume(issue):pages or presentation location/date
• DOI if available

Residency CV tip: Do not inflate or misrepresent authorship or status (e.g., listing “in preparation” as “accepted”). Program directors and faculty often know each other and can verify quickly.

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Clinical Skills, Leadership, and Extracurriculars That Matter in Ortho

Beyond grades and research, your orthopedic surgery residency CV should show that you are a capable team member and leader, with traits that translate into the OR and the call room.

1. Clinical and Procedural Skills

This section is optional but can be valuable if used judiciously.

List skills that are:

• Clinically meaningful
• Honestly within your comfort level as a trainee
• Relevant to orthopedics

Possible examples:

• Casting and splinting (short arm, long arm, short leg splints)
• Simple fracture reductions under supervision
• Joint injections (shoulder, knee) under supervision
• Basic suturing and wound closure
• Use of fluoroscopy in the OR
• Documentation in major EMR systems (Epic, Cerner)

Avoid long, generic lists (e.g., “Physical exams, history taking”) unless you have a specific orthopedic framing such as:

• Musculoskeletal physical exams: shoulder, knee, spine, hip (special tests, gait analysis)

2. Leadership and Professional Engagement

Orthopedic surgery is team‑intensive and hierarchical; leadership potential is highly valued. In your medical student CV, leadership roles are strong positive signals.

Include:

• Positions in student government or organizations (especially orthopedic or surgery interest groups)
• Committee memberships (curriculum committees, wellness committees)
• Organization founder roles (e.g., starting an Orthopedic Interest Group outreach initiative)
• Leadership in volunteer clinics, especially those with musculoskeletal focus

For each leadership role:

• Give your title
• Organization and institution
• Dates
• 2–3 bullets describing:
  • Scope of responsibility
  • People or processes you oversaw
  • Concrete outcomes (attendance growth, new initiatives, budgets managed)

Example:

Co‑President, Orthopedic Surgery Interest Group
XYZ University School of Medicine | 2023–2024
– Organized 6 hands‑on skills workshops (casting, suturing, external fixation demo) attended by 50+ students each.
– Coordinated faculty‑student mentorship pairings for 40 pre‑clinical students, increasing group membership by 35%.
– Co‑developed a “Path to Ortho” curriculum with residency program leadership, including mock interview nights and CV review sessions.

3. Teaching and Mentoring

Teaching experience demonstrates communication skills and an interest in academic medicine—attributes that resonate in many ortho programs.

Include:

• Peer tutoring (anatomy, MSK, surgery)
• Clinical skills teaching assistant roles
• Small group facilitations
• Anatomy lab TA/instructor roles (particularly relevant for orthopedics)
• Mentoring junior medical students or pre‑meds

As with other sections, provide:

• Title
• Institution/organization
• Dates
• 2–3 bullet points with concrete details

4. Volunteer Work and Service

Programs look for evidence that you contribute beyond your own advancement. For an orthopedic surgery residency CV, particularly relevant service may include:

• Free clinics (especially those providing MSK care, sports injury counseling)
• Adaptive sports programs, Special Olympics medical volunteer
• Community education on bone health, fall prevention, youth sports safety

Highlight:

• Population served
• Your specific role
• Any measurable outcomes (e.g., number of patients seen, events organized)

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Tailoring Your CV Specifically for the Ortho Match

Even a well‑organized CV can fall flat if it doesn’t emphasize what ortho programs care about most. Here’s how to strategically adapt your MD graduate residency CV for the orthopedic surgery residency context.

1. Emphasize Ortho‑Relevant Experiences at Every Stage

As you consider how to build a CV for residency, especially in such a competitive field, think: “How can I make the orthopedic thread unmistakable?”

Where to highlight ortho:

• Education: Mention if your senior thesis or capstone was in musculoskeletal science or biomechanics.
• Clinical: Put orthopedic sub‑internships and electives near the top of the experience section, with rich detail.
• Research: Clearly label orthopedic or musculoskeletal research even if conducted in non‑ortho departments (radiology, PM&R, sports medicine).
• Leadership: Emphasize leadership roles in ortho or surgery‑related groups.
• Service: Include sports medicine outreach, MSK community education, adaptive sports volunteering.

This creates a coherent picture: your interests and actions over years point toward orthopedics.

2. Quantify Wherever Possible

Concrete numbers make experiences more credible and impressive.

Compare:

• “Assisted in surgeries”
  vs.
• “Assisted in >50 orthopedic procedures (ORIF, arthroscopy, total hip/knee arthroplasty) during third‑year clerkship and sub‑internship.”

Other quantifiable metrics:

• “Coordinated weekly skills workshops attended by 20–30 students each.”
• “Reviewed 300+ charts for retrospective study.”
• “Helped manage 10–12 inpatients daily on orthopedic service.”

3. Address Gaps or Weaknesses Strategically

If there are areas of concern (e.g., limited research, lower Step scores), your CV can help reframe your strengths:

• Emphasize longitudinal clinical engagement (ongoing ortho clinic involvement, consistent sub‑internship performance).
• Highlight ongoing or late‑start research to show momentum, even if publications are pending.
• Draw attention to leadership and teamwork, demonstrating qualities that matter deeply in a demanding surgical residency.

Use the CV to showcase where you shine, then address any concerns briefly and honestly in your personal statement or interviews.

4. Align Wording With ERAS but Don’t Copy‑Paste

Your ERAS application and CV will overlap, but they serve slightly different purposes:

• ERAS: Structured, database format for programs, used for filtering.
• CV: A more flexible, presentable document you can send to mentors, upload for away rotations, or bring to interviews.

Use consistent titles and dates, but tailor bullet points on your CV to be:

• Slightly more polished and narrative
• Focused on breadth and impact
• Organized in a visually coherent way

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Formatting, Length, and Practical Residency CV Tips

1. Ideal Length for an Orthopedic Applicant

For an MD graduate with typical ortho‑bound experience, a 2–4 page CV is common:

• 2 pages: If you have limited research and extracurriculars.
• 3–4 pages: If you have multiple publications, presentations, substantial leadership roles.

Avoid artificially padding your CV; program directors appreciate concise yet complete documents.

2. Formatting Essentials

• Font: A clean, readable font (e.g., Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman) at 10–12 pt.
• Margins: 0.5–1.0 inch margins.
• Headings: Bold section headings with consistent hierarchy.
• Bullets: Use simple bullets; avoid complex or decorative ones.
• Dates: Right‑align or place consistently (e.g., “2022–2024” on the right edge of the page).
• File name: “LastName_FirstName_CV_OrthoResidency.pdf”

Keep your style consistent: same tense (usually past tense for completed roles), same date format (e.g., “Aug 2022–May 2024”), and same bullet indentation.

3. Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Overinflating roles (e.g., “Co‑PI” when you were a student assistant).
• Listing every minor shadowing hour—combine or summarize.
• Using vague language (“involved in research,” “helped with surgeries”) instead of specific actions.
• Including personal statements or photos on the CV itself in the US context.
• Typos and inconsistent formatting, which can subtly undermine perceived attention to detail.

4. Updating and Using Your CV Strategically

Think of your CV as a living document:

• Update every 3–6 months, especially as new publications or rotations occur.
• Use it as a foundation when filling ERAS entries—copy from your polished CV rather than writing from scratch.
• Bring a few printed copies to interviews; occasionally attendings or faculty will ask for them.
• Share with mentors well ahead of letter requests; a strong CV helps them write more personalized and detailed letters.

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FAQs: CV Building for MD Graduates in Orthopedic Surgery

1. How important is research on my orthopedic surgery residency CV?

Research is highly valued in orthopedic surgery. While not absolutely mandatory, it’s one of the strongest ways to stand out in the allopathic medical school match for ortho, particularly at academic programs. Quality matters more than sheer number of projects:

• Aim for at least one meaningful ortho or MSK‑related project.
• Try to have at least one abstract, poster, or publication by the time you apply.
• If you’re late to research, emphasize ongoing projects and your active role.

2. Should I list non‑orthopedic experiences on my CV?

Yes, but strategically. Include:

• Major leadership roles (even if non‑medical)
• Significant clinical experiences in other specialties, especially surgery or trauma
• Volunteer work that demonstrates dedication, empathy, or teamwork

However, keep the focus clearly on orthopedic or surgically relevant content. If space is tight, prioritize ortho‑adjacent experiences and major achievements.

3. What’s the difference between a medical student CV and a residency CV?

They overlap heavily, but a residency CV is:

• More targeted to a specialty (here, orthopedic surgery)
• More polished and formatted for professional audiences beyond your school
• Often used externally—for away rotations, conferences, and mentors writing letters

When people ask about how to build a CV for residency, the main shift from a generic medical student CV is the specialty focus and clearer emphasis on research, leadership, and clinical experiences that support your residency goals.

4. Should I tailor different versions of my CV for different programs?

You typically do not need separate CVs for each program in the ortho match, since ERAS is standardized. However, you might:

• Create a general orthopedic surgery CV for most uses.
• Prepare alternate versions highlighting specific themes (e.g., more research‑heavy vs. more clinically focused) if you’re applying to a research‑intense academic program versus a more community‑focused one, or for specific scholarship or fellowship applications.

For the standard residency application cycle, one well‑crafted, ortho‑focused CV is usually sufficient.

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A strong, focused CV won’t guarantee an orthopedic surgery residency position—but it will significantly improve your chances of being taken seriously as a candidate. Start early, revise often, and use mentors’ feedback to shape a document that accurately reflects your journey and readiness for this demanding specialty.