Expert CV Building Strategies for DO Graduates Seeking Residency Success

Understanding the Role of a CV for the DO Graduate

As a DO graduate entering the residency application cycle, your curriculum vitae (CV) is one of your core tools for telling your professional story. It is not just a list of accomplishments; it is a strategic document that highlights your identity as a physician, your osteopathic training, and your readiness for residency.

For DO graduates, a strong CV serves several critical functions:

• Differentiation in a competitive market: With more DO graduates entering the NRMP Main Match and ACGME-accredited programs, a clear, polished CV helps you stand out.
• Bridge between COMLEX/USMLE scores and interviews: Your board scores may open doors, but your CV often determines whether a program director wants to learn more about you.
• Evidence of osteopathic identity: The osteopathic residency match is fully integrated with the allopathic match, but programs still value applicants who can demonstrate osteopathic principles and a patient-centered mindset.
• Foundation for your ERAS application: While ERAS has its own format, your residency CV is the “master document” from which you’ll pull all entries and descriptions.

This guide focuses on how to build a CV for residency as a DO graduate, weaving in both strategic decisions and practical, step-by-step residency CV tips you can implement immediately.

---

Core Structure: What Your Residency CV Must Include

Before you fine-tune, you need a solid structure. A typical medical student CV or recent graduate CV for residency includes the following sections:

1. Contact Information
2. Education
3. Licensing and Board Examinations
4. Clinical Experience (including rotations and sub-internships)
5. Research and Scholarly Activity
6. Teaching and Leadership
7. Work Experience (non-clinical)
8. Volunteer and Service Activities
9. Honors and Awards
10. Professional Memberships
11. Skills and Certifications
12. Interests (optional but recommended)

You do not need every one of these sections, but most DO graduate residency CVs will include at least 8–10.

1. Contact Information

This should be concise and professional, at the top of the first page:

• Full name (as used on applications)
• Cell phone number
• Professional email (e.g., firstname.lastname@domain.com)
• City and state (full address optional)
• LinkedIn URL (optional but beneficial if well-developed)

DO-specific tip: If your name is printed differently on COMLEX or USMLE score reports, you can add a note under your name:
“Name on COMLEX transcript: [Full Legal Name].”

2. Education

List your education in reverse chronological order:

• Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) – Osteopathic medical school name, city/state
  • Graduation month/year
  • Class rank or percentile (if strong and available)
  • Notable distinctions (e.g., Sigma Sigma Phi, OMT honors track)
• Undergraduate degree – Institution, degree, major/minor, graduation year
• Additional degrees or graduate work (MPH, MBA, etc.)

Example entry:

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), May 2025
Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City, MO
Class Rank: Top 15%; Sigma Sigma Phi Honor Society

Highlighting your DO degree clearly matters for both ACGME and formerly AOA-oriented programs; it signals your training background immediately.

3. Licensing and Board Examinations

For DO graduates, this section is particularly important because it shows:

• COMLEX-USA scores and status
• USMLE scores (if taken)
• State licenses (if applicable, often for prelim/TY or post-graduate roles)

Example:

Licensing and Board Examinations

• COMLEX-USA Level 1: Passed, Score 6XX (June 2023)
• COMLEX-USA Level 2-CE: Passed, Score 6XX (August 2024)
• COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE: [If applicable, historically]
• USMLE Step 1: Passed (June 2023)
• USMLE Step 2 CK: 2XX (September 2024)

If you are a DO graduate applying to traditionally MD-heavy programs, showing both COMLEX and USMLE (when taken) can make your candidacy easier to interpret.

---

Showcasing Clinical and Osteopathic Experience Strategically

For a DO graduate residency CV, the heart of your document is your clinical and osteopathic training. This is where you demonstrate you are ready to function as a PGY-1.

4. Clinical Experience and Rotations

Most DO graduates will list:

• Core clinical clerkships (third year)
• Sub-internships / Acting Internships (AIs)
• Audition rotations / away rotations
• Relevant elective rotations

You do not need to list every single rotation with grades and dates in exhaustive detail, but you should highlight experiences that:

• Align with your target specialty
• Took place at institutions where you are applying
• Included enhanced responsibility (e.g., sub-I roles)

Example layout:

Clinical Experience
Sub-Internship in Internal Medicine
University Hospital, Detroit, MI – August 2024

• Managed 6–8 patients per day under supervision
• Performed daily SOAP notes and presented on rounds
• Participated in multidisciplinary discharge planning

Core Clerkships

• Internal Medicine – Community Medical Center, Springfield, MO (July–September 2023)
• Surgery – St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Kansas City, MO (October–November 2023)
• Family Medicine – Rural Health Clinic, Columbia, MO (December 2023–January 2024)
• Pediatrics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Psychiatry, etc.

Residency CV tip: For auditions in your intended specialty (e.g., EM, Ortho, IM), include 2–4 bullet points that highlight concrete responsibilities, procedures, and volume. This reassures programs you can integrate smoothly into their workflow.

5. Highlighting Osteopathic Training and OMT

In an era of a single accreditation system, program directors still notice when an applicant actively embraces osteopathic principles. On your DO graduate residency CV, you can:

• Create a subsection titled “Osteopathic Experience” or “Osteopathic Training”
• Mention OMT-focused clinics, tracks, or electives
• List OMT workshops you led or attended as an instructor
• Include osteopathic-related research or presentations

Example:

Osteopathic Experience

• Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) Teaching Fellow, 2023–2024
  • Led weekly small-group sessions for OMS-I students
  • Demonstrated HVLA, counterstrain, and myofascial release techniques
• OMM Clinic Elective, Community Care Clinic (Spring 2024)
  • Provided OMT for patients with chronic low back pain and headaches
  • Emphasized holistic and patient-centered care plans

For programs that historically participated in the osteopathic residency match, this type of content signals that you bring added value: manual skills and a holistic care framework.

6. Research and Scholarly Activity

Even if you are not applying to an intensely academic specialty, some degree of scholarly activity strengthens your residency application. It shows curiosity, discipline, and the ability to contribute to quality improvement.

Include:

• Peer-reviewed publications
• Manuscripts in progress (labeled appropriately)
• Posters and oral presentations
• QI or patient safety projects
• Case reports
• Book chapters or educational materials

Format consistently:

Research and Scholarly Activity

• Smith J, YourLastName D, et al. “Outcomes of OMT in Chronic Low Back Pain: A Community Clinic Study.” Journal of Osteopathic Medicine. 2024;124(3):123–130.
• YourLastName D, Chen L. “Integrating OMT into Hospitalist Practice.” Poster presented at ACOI Annual Meeting; October 2023; Phoenix, AZ.
• Quality Improvement Project: “Reducing Unnecessary Laboratory Testing on a Family Medicine Inpatient Service,” University Hospital, 2023.

If your research is limited, emphasize QI projects, case presentations, and regional conferences. These are all valuable on a medical student CV.

---

Building Out the “Differentiators”: Leadership, Service, and Work Experience

Program directors often use CVs to quickly identify what makes you unique compared to another DO graduate with similar scores and clinical experiences. This is where non-clinical content can significantly influence their impression.

7. Leadership and Teaching

DO programs often emphasize service, community engagement, and mentorship. Translate that emphasis into concrete leadership roles:

• Class officer roles
• SIG (student interest group) leadership (e.g., SOMA, specialty interest groups)
• Peer tutoring or TA positions
• OMM lab assistant
• Committee memberships (curriculum, wellness, diversity committees)

Example:

Leadership and Teaching

• Co-President, Family Medicine Interest Group, 2022–2023
  • Organized 6 specialty panels and 4 procedural workshops
  • Coordinated faculty-student mentorship program with 30 pairs
• OMM Lab Teaching Assistant, 2023–2024
  • Instructed first-year students in musculoskeletal exam and foundational OMT
  • Provided individualized feedback on technique and safety

This section reassures programs that you will contribute to their resident culture, teaching, and committees.

8. Volunteer and Service Activities

One of the hallmarks of osteopathic training is service. Programs notice when DO graduate residency CVs show consistent commitment to underserved populations or community health.

Examples of strong entries:

• Volunteer Physician Assistant, Student-Run Free Clinic, 2022–2024
  • Conducted H&Ps, developed care plans, and provided OMT when appropriate
  • Collaborated with social work and pharmacy students
• Community Health Fair Organizer, 2023
  • Coordinated BP screenings for 150+ participants
  • Developed bilingual hypertension education materials

Aim to show longitudinal involvement rather than a long list of short-term events. A 2-year commitment at one clinic is more compelling than 10 unrelated one-day activities.

9. Work Experience (Non-Clinical)

Non-clinical work can strongly differentiate you, especially if it showcases transferable skills:

• Prior careers (e.g., EMT, RN, physical therapist, scribe)
• Teaching roles (e.g., high school teacher, tutor)
• Business or tech work (e.g., data analyst, programmer)

Example:

Work Experience
Medical Scribe, Emergency Department
Mercy Hospital, Tulsa, OK – 2019–2020

• Documented patient encounters in real time for attending physicians
• Improved understanding of ED workflow, triage, and documentation standards

Connect the dots for the reader: work that demonstrates teamwork, time management, communication, or leadership belongs on a residency CV.

---

Formatting, Style, and Common Pitfalls for DO Graduate Residency CVs

The content of your CV matters most, but how you present that content significantly affects readability and first impressions.

10. Formatting Essentials

• Length: 2–4 pages is typical for a DO graduate residency CV. Quality over quantity.
• Font: Use a professional, readable font (e.g., Calibri, Arial, Times New Roman) in 10–12 pt size.
• Margins & spacing: 1-inch margins; consistent spacing between entries.
• Headings: Use clear, bolded section headings and consistent subheading formatting.
• Reverse chronological order: Most recent experiences first in each section.

A clean, consistent layout signals attention to detail—an attribute every residency values.

11. Writing Strong Descriptions

When thinking about residency CV tips, one of the most overlooked skills is writing effective bullet points. Use action + context + impact:

• Weak: “Worked in free clinic.”
• Strong: “Conducted focused physical exams and developed care plans for 8–10 underserved patients per shift in a student-run free clinic.”

Try to:

• Start bullets with strong verbs (managed, led, developed, implemented, coordinated, analyzed).
• Avoid vague terms like “helped” or “assisted” unless followed by a specific description.
• Quantify when possible (patient volume, events organized, number of participants).

12. Avoiding Common CV Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Overcrowding and clutter
Listing every shadowing experience, club membership, or single-day event can dilute your key strengths. Focus on impactful and longitudinal experiences.

Pitfall 2: Inconsistent dates and formatting
PDs quickly lose trust in a CV that has inconsistent date formats or section structures. Pick one format (e.g., “July 2023–September 2023”) and stick with it everywhere.

Pitfall 3: Typos and grammatical errors
These errors can imply carelessness. Use multiple reviews: spellcheck, read aloud, and ask a mentor or advisor to proofread.

Pitfall 4: Misrepresenting roles or outcomes
Never exaggerate. Residency programs may verify your roles. If your title was “volunteer,” do not list “coordinator” unless you actually held that role.

Pitfall 5: Redundancy with ERAS
While your ERAS application may contain similar information, your CV should still exist as a separate, polished document. It can be used for:

• Handouts at away rotations
• Networking with faculty or mentors
• Emailing to program coordinators who request an updated CV

---

Tailoring Your CV to Specialty and Program Type

Not all residency programs view a DO graduate CV through the same lens. Tailoring is subtle but powerful.

13. Adapting to Your Target Specialty

Primary Care (FM, IM, Pediatrics):

• Highlight continuity clinics, rural or underserved experiences, and community outreach.
• Emphasize osteopathic principles, holistic care, and long-term patient relationships.
• Showcase OMT when relevant, especially for family medicine and IM with osteopathic-friendly programs.

Hospital-Based Specialties (EM, Anesthesia, Neurology):

• Highlight ED shifts, rapid decision-making, and acute care rotations.
• Show comfort with procedures and fast-paced environments.
• Include any EMS, scribe, or ICU-related experience.

Surgical Specialties (General Surgery, Ortho, ENT, etc.):

• Emphasize sub-internships in surgery, OR involvement, and procedural skills.
• Highlight resilience, teamwork, and early mornings/long hours.
• If available, emphasize surgical research, anatomy teaching, and technical skills.

Competitive Specialties (Derm, Ortho, ENT, Plastics, etc.):

• Prioritize research, especially peer-reviewed publications and specialty-specific projects.
• Highlight audition rotations and strong letters of recommendation.
• Ensure your CV is impeccably formatted with no errors; competition magnifies scrutiny.

14. Adapting to Program Type (Community vs. University vs. Osteopathic-Friendly)

University Programs:

• Place research and scholarly work more prominently (earlier in the CV).
• Highlight teaching roles and interest in academic medicine.
• Emphasize both COMLEX and USMLE (if taken) to aid comparison.

Community Programs:

• Highlight clinical experience, work ethic, and patient volume.
• Emphasize teamwork, continuity, and service.
• Showcase leadership and community outreach.

Osteopathic-Friendly or Historically Osteopathic Programs:

• Make osteopathic training and OMT clearly visible.
• Highlight Sigma Sigma Phi, OMM fellowships, or OMT clinic work.
• Reinforce holistic, patient-centered values through descriptions.

You do not need to rewrite your entire CV for each program, but you can maintain a standard master CV and adjust emphasis (e.g., order of sections) for certain contexts.

---

Action Plan: How to Build Your CV for Residency Step-by-Step

To make this practical, here is a structured approach you can follow as a DO graduate.

Step 1: Gather All Raw Data

Collect:

• Transcripts or rotation schedules
• List of research projects, presentations, and posters
• Dates and details of volunteer work and leadership roles
• Past versions of your medical student CV or pre-med CV

Dump all the information into one document without worrying about formatting yet.

Step 2: Define Your Target Specialty and Story

Ask yourself:

• What specialty am I targeting (or top 1–2 options)?
• What are my 3–4 core strengths (e.g., leadership, underserved care, research, team player)?
• How does my DO background and osteopathic philosophy enhance my candidacy in this specialty?

This narrative will guide what you emphasize most in your residency CV.

Step 3: Build the Structure

Create your section headings in this order (customize as needed):

1. Contact Information
2. Education
3. Licensing and Board Examinations
4. Clinical Experience
5. Research and Scholarly Activity
6. Leadership and Teaching
7. Volunteer and Service Activities
8. Work Experience
9. Honors and Awards
10. Professional Memberships
11. Skills and Certifications
12. Interests

Step 4: Fill in Each Section with Clean Entries

For each experience:

• Use consistent formatting (title, organization, location, dates).
• Add 2–4 bullets for major roles (sub-Is, leadership, research).
• Use 0–1 bullets for minor roles or older experiences.

Step 5: Edit for Clarity, Impact, and Length

• Remove redundant or weak entries.
• Prioritize depth over breadth.
• Aim for 2–3 pages for most DO graduate residency CVs.

Step 6: Seek Feedback from Multiple Perspectives

Ask:

• A faculty advisor or program director (for content/prioritization).
• A peer or recent resident (for readability and specialty fit).
• A career advisor or dean’s office staff (for formatting and completeness).

Encourage them to answer: “If you were a PD skimming this in 60 seconds, what would you remember about me?”

Step 7: Keep an Updated Master Version

Your CV is a living document. Even after matching, you’ll continue to use and expand it for:

• Fellowship applications
• Academic promotions
• Committee work and leadership positions

Keeping an updated version saves considerable time later.

---

FAQs: CV Building Strategies for DO Graduates

1. How is a residency CV different from my ERAS application?

ERAS has structured fields and character limits, while your residency CV is a flexible, narrative document. The CV is useful for:

• Sharing with mentors and letter writers
• Handing to program directors or faculty during away rotations
• Uploading to program-specific portals when requested

Think of the residency CV as your master reference, from which you extract information for ERAS.

---

2. Should I list COMLEX and USMLE scores directly on my CV?

Most DO graduates do list their COMLEX-USA exams in the Licensing and Board Examinations section. If you took USMLE, include those as well. If you are concerned about a score, you can list “Passed” without the numerical value, but be aware that ERAS will still transmit the official score report to programs.

---

3. How far back should I go with experiences (e.g., pre-med or high school)?

As a DO graduate applying to residency, prioritize medical school and recent experiences. Include undergraduate activities only if they are:

• Highly significant (e.g., Division I athletics, military service, major leadership roles), or
• Directly relevant to your specialty (e.g., engineering research for radiology).

High school activities usually do not belong on a residency CV unless they represent something extraordinary and ongoing (e.g., founding a nonprofit that you have led into medical school).

---

4. Is it acceptable to customize my CV for different specialties or programs?

Yes, within reason. Maintain a master CV and then adjust:

• The order of sections (e.g., move Research up for academic programs).
• Emphasis in bullet points (e.g., highlight procedural skills for surgical fields).

Do not change core facts or dates. Customization should be about emphasis, not reinvention.

---

By combining a clear structure, strong content, and strategic emphasis on your osteopathic training, you can create a residency CV that positions you as a capable, distinctive DO graduate ready to excel in residency.