The Ultimate IMG Residency CV Guide for Obstetrics & Gynecology Success

Understanding the Purpose of Your OB GYN Residency CV as an IMG

Your residency CV is not just a list of experiences; it is a strategic marketing document that tells program directors one key message: you are ready to train in Obstetrics & Gynecology in the U.S.

For an international medical graduate, this is even more important because you must:

• Bridge differences between your home-country training and U.S. expectations
• Demonstrate that you understand U.S. clinical systems and culture
• Show clear motivation and sustained interest in OB GYN, not a last‑minute choice

In the obstetrics match, your CV works alongside your ERAS application and personal statement. Programs use it to:

• Quickly screen for clinical readiness (rotations, USCE, procedural exposure)
• Identify OB GYN‑specific interest and commitment
• Assess academic potential (research, presentations, publications)
• Evaluate professionalism and leadership (roles, awards, service)

Think of your CV as a structured narrative. Each section should answer one or more of these questions:

• “Can this IMG handle a busy labor and delivery unit?”
• “Has this applicant shown real, consistent passion for women’s health?”
• “Will this person become a productive resident and colleague?”

Before you start writing, review a few sample OB GYN residency CVs (from your medical school, mentors, or institutional career office). Use them as references—but customize your structure and content to tell your story.

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Core Structure of an Effective OB GYN Residency CV

Most U.S. programs are familiar with a similar CV architecture. For an IMG residency guide, the following structure works very well:

1. Contact Information and Professional Identity
2. Education and Training
3. Examinations and Certifications (USMLE/COMLEX, ECFMG, etc.)
4. Clinical Experience (Home-country & U.S. clinical experience)
5. Obstetrics & Gynecology–Focused Experiences
6. Research, Publications, and Presentations
7. Teaching & Academic Activities
8. Leadership, Volunteer Work, and Professional Service
9. Honors, Awards, and Scholarships
10. Professional Skills (including procedures and languages)
11. Professional Memberships
12. Interests (Optional but helpful)

You don’t need every section, but you should cover most of them. Consider your CV a living document you update every 3–6 months, especially during the residency match and applications phase.

1. Contact Information and Professional Identity

This is your “header.” It should be clean, simple, and professional.

Include:

• Full name (as on ECFMG/USMLE documents)
• Current city, state, and country
• Professional email (avoid nicknames; use Firstname.Lastname format if possible)
• Phone number with country code (if outside U.S.)
• LinkedIn profile (optional but recommended—ensure it’s up to date)

Avoid:

• Date of birth, marital status, religion, photo, or passport details (not standard in the U.S.)
• Casual email addresses (e.g., “doctorgenius123@…”)

You may add a brief professional tagline under your name, such as:

International Medical Graduate focused on Obstetrics & Gynecology and women’s health equity

This reinforces your specialty interest from the first line.

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2. Education and Training: Present Your Background Clearly

For an international medical graduate, the education section needs to be transparent and easy to interpret for U.S. faculty.

Typical structure:

• Medical school (name, city, country)
• Degree (e.g., MBBS, MD)
• Dates attended (month/year)
• Graduation status (expected vs completed)
• Final GPA/class rank if favorable and understandable

Example:

Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS)
XYZ University Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan
2014 – 2019
Graduated with Distinction (Top 10% of class)

If you have prior degrees (e.g., a BSc in Biology, MPH, MSc in Reproductive Health), include them in reverse chronological order. For OB GYN residency, degrees in public health, global health, or women’s health can significantly strengthen your profile.

IMG‑specific tip:
If grading systems differ (e.g., percentage, first division), briefly clarify:

Final Grade: 82% (equivalent to First Division / Honors)

Keep it short; details can go into your MSPE or school transcript.

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Highlighting Clinical Experience: The Core of Your Residency CV

For OB GYN, program directors want evidence that you:

• Are comfortable with inpatient and outpatient women’s health
• Understand the workflow of labor & delivery, triage, and postoperative care
• Have some exposure to U.S. healthcare (ideally)

Organize your clinical experience into two clear subsections:

1. U.S. Clinical Experience (USCE)
2. International Clinical Experience

3. U.S. Clinical Experience (If Applicable)

In the IMG residency guide for OB GYN, USCE is often a decisive factor. This includes:

• Observerships
• Externships
• Elective rotations
• Sub‑internships (Sub‑I)
• Research with integrated clinical exposure

Format each entry like this:

Clinical Extern, Obstetrics & Gynecology
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, ABC University Hospital, New York, NY
07/2024 – 09/2024

• Participated in inpatient rounding on antepartum and postpartum patients (10–15 patients daily)
• Assisted in preoperative and postoperative evaluation for gynecologic surgeries
• Observed vaginal deliveries and cesarean sections, contributing to documentation under supervision
• Presented two case-based discussions on preeclampsia and placenta previa during team teaching rounds

Focus your bullets on:

• Clinical responsibilities
• Patient volume and acuity
• OB GYN–specific procedures/conditions
• Evidence of initiative (presentations, mini-QI projects, etc.)

Avoid vague bullets like “learned about U.S. healthcare system.” Instead, be specific and outcome‑oriented.

4. International Clinical Experience

Home-country clinical rotations matter, especially if you’ve had solid exposure to obstetrics and gynecology.

For each rotation include:

• Role (Intern, House Officer, Resident, Medical Student)
• Institution and location
• Dates
• Average patient load and types of cases
• Your responsibilities

Example:

House Officer, Obstetrics & Gynecology
DEF Teaching Hospital, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
03/2022 – 02/2023

• Rotated through labor and delivery, antenatal clinics, and gynecologic oncology service
• Managed 15–20 laboring patients per shift under supervision, including admission assessments and postpartum care
• Performed and documented normal vaginal deliveries (approx. 40) under supervision
• Assisted in cesarean sections, D&C procedures, and tubal ligations

Documenting approximate numbers (deliveries assisted, C‑sections assisted) is powerful in OB GYN residency applications: it indicates real procedural exposure.

IMG‑specific challenge:

Sometimes job titles are misunderstood (e.g., “house officer,” “registrar”). You can clarify with a short phrase:

House Officer (equivalent to first-year post-graduate intern)

This helps program directors understand your level of responsibility.

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Showcasing OB GYN–Focused Commitment

In a competitive obstetrics match, your CV must clearly show OB GYN is not a backup specialty. You can build this signal through multiple sections.

5. OB GYN–Specific Experiences and Activities

Create a dedicated section to group all woman’s health–focused work:

• OB GYN electives and sub‑internships
• Family planning or reproductive health clinics
• Maternal-fetal medicine exposure
• Gynecologic oncology clinics
• Ultrasound experience (if any)
• Student interest group leadership in OB GYN
• Women’s health outreach or community projects

Example entry:

Coordinator, Maternal Health Education Program
Community Health Center, Mumbai, India
2019 – 2020

• Organized monthly prenatal education sessions for ~40 pregnant women in low-resource communities
• Developed culturally appropriate materials on nutrition, warning signs in pregnancy, and postpartum care
• Collaborated with local OB GYN consultants to provide referral pathways for high-risk pregnancies

Even if your work was unpaid or informal, if it clearly relates to obstetrics and gynecology, it belongs in this section.

Actionable tip:
If your CV currently lacks OB GYN–focused entries, seek opportunities now:

• Join or start a women’s health interest group
• Volunteer with organizations focusing on maternal mortality or reproductive health
• Participate in relevant quality improvement or audit projects in your home hospital

Within 3–6 months, you can meaningfully strengthen your CV with even 1–2 well-executed OB GYN projects.

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Research and Scholarly Work: Standing Out as an Academic Resident

Programs appreciate residents who will contribute to research and quality improvement. For an IMG in OB GYN, research can:

• Compensate partially for older graduation year or modest scores
• Demonstrate long-term engagement with women’s health
• Make you competitive for academic programs or fellowships later (MFM, Gyn Onc, REI)

6. Organizing Your Research and Publications

Break this into clear subcategories:

• Peer-reviewed publications
• Abstracts and conference presentations
• Posters
• Ongoing projects

List items in standard citation format (e.g., Vancouver or AMA). Bold your name to make your contribution obvious.

Example:

Peer-Reviewed Publications

1. Khan A, Gupta R, Smith L. Prevalence of anemia in pregnant women in rural India: a cross-sectional study. Int J Obstet Gynecol Res. 2023;12(3):145–152.

Conference Presentations

1. Khan A, Lopez M. Cesarean delivery outcomes in gestational diabetes: A retrospective review. Oral presentation at the XYZ International Congress of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2022.

If you lack OB GYN research, you can still include work from other fields (internal medicine, surgery, public health) but emphasize any women’s health angle where possible.

7. Ongoing and Unpublished Work

Many IMGs ask how to build a CV for residency when most of their research is still in progress. It is acceptable—and often advisable—to add:

Ongoing Projects

• Co-investigator, “Barriers to prenatal care in undocumented immigrant populations,” data collection phase, expected completion 2025.

Be honest. Do not label an abstract as “published” if it is only submitted.

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Teaching, Leadership, and Service: Demonstrating Resident‑Level Maturity

Residency programs value applicants who can teach, lead teams, and contribute to the community.

8. Teaching and Academic Roles

Examples include:

• Teaching assistant for anatomy, physiology, or OB GYN modules
• Bedside teaching for junior students or interns
• Simulation lab facilitator
• OSCE examiner or peer tutor

Format them as you would work experience:

Clinical Tutor, Obstetrics & Gynecology
Medical Education Unit, GHI Medical College, Manila, Philippines
2021 – 2022

• Conducted weekly bedside teaching for 6–8 third-year medical students on antepartum and postpartum assessment
• Led simulation sessions on normal vaginal delivery and postpartum hemorrhage management

Highlight any formal training in teaching (e.g., “Certificate in Medical Education Workshop”).

9. Leadership and Volunteer Work

These entries can distinguish you from other applicants with similar academic metrics.

• Student representative to OB GYN department
• Leadership in a maternal health NGO
• Organizer of awareness campaigns (HPV vaccination, cervical cancer screening)
• Participation in global health or humanitarian missions with a women’s health focus

Emphasize outcomes and skills learned (teamwork, communication, advocacy).

Example:

President, Women’s Health Student Interest Group
JKL Medical School, São Paulo, Brazil
2018 – 2019

• Led a 12-member executive board to organize 5 symposia on contraception, safe childbirth, and gender-based violence
• Established a collaboration with a local OB GYN residency for shadowing opportunities, benefiting 25+ students annually

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Skills, Procedures, and Certifications: Making Your Capabilities Clear

For OB GYN residency, concrete skills can strengthen your narrative of readiness.

10. Clinical and Procedural Skills

Include a concise bullet list focused on OB GYN and general hospital skills relevant to U.S. training.

Examples:

• Normal vaginal deliveries (approx. 40 under supervision)
• Assisting in cesarean sections (approx. 30)
• Basic cervical cytology sampling (Pap smears)
• Pelvic examinations and speculum exams
• Fetal heart rate monitoring interpretation (basic)
• First-assist in laparotomy/laparoscopy (describe number/scope where possible)

You can group them with a short explanation:

Obstetric and Gynecologic Skills (under supervision):

• Performed ~40 normal vaginal deliveries, including second-degree perineal repair
• Assisted in ~30 cesarean sections and 10 gynecologic laparotomies
• Performed pelvic examinations, Pap smears, and IUD insertions in outpatient clinics

Be honest. Overselling your procedural independence can be dangerous and easily spotted in interviews.

11. Other Professional Skills

Include:

• Languages (especially if relevant to patient populations)
• Basic life support (BLS), ACLS, NRP (Neonatal Resuscitation), ALSO (Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics)
• EMR systems you’ve used (e.g., Epic, Cerner)
• Data analysis or research tools (SPSS, R, STATA)

Example:

Certifications:

• ECFMG Certified (Month Year)
• Basic Life Support (BLS), American Heart Association, valid through 2026
• Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), valid through 2025

These details show that you are already aligning with U.S. training standards.

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Residency CV Tips Specific to International Medical Graduates

This section focuses on advanced residency CV tips, tailored to the obstacles IMGs face in the obstetrics match.

12. Addressing Gaps and Non‑Linear Paths

If you have gaps after graduation, use your CV—and more fully, your personal statement—to show that the time was productive and related to your goals.

Examples of constructive gap fillers:

• Clinical work in OB GYN or primary care
• Research positions
• Public health work focused on maternal/child health
• Structured exam preparation combined with part-time clinical or academic involvement

In the CV, you can present this as:

Clinical and Research Fellow (Non‑Training Position), Obstetrics & Gynecology
XYZ Women’s Hospital, Amman, Jordan
01/2021 – 12/2022

• Assisted faculty in ongoing research on postpartum hemorrhage
• Provided supervised clinical care in antenatal clinics and labor ward

Avoid leaving unexplained time periods between entries; long, empty gaps raise red flags.

13. Tailoring Your CV for OB GYN vs Generic CV

A common IMG mistake is using a generic “medical student CV” that doesn’t showcase OB GYN focus. To convert a general CV into a strong OB GYN residency CV:

• Move OB GYN entries higher within sections
• Highlight women’s health–related aspects of general experiences
• Rephrase generic bullets to emphasize perinatal or reproductive dimensions

For example, instead of:

“Volunteered in rural clinics providing primary care.”

Use:

“Volunteered in rural clinics providing primary care, including prenatal counseling, contraception counseling, and screening for anemia in pregnancy.”

This subtle change recalibrates your entire narrative towards obstetrics and gynecology.

14. Formatting and Length: Professional, Not Overwhelming

For a graduating international medical graduate:

• Target length: 2–3 pages.
• Use standard, easy-to-read fonts (e.g., Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial, 10–12 pt).
• Maintain consistent formatting of dates, headings, and bullet points.

Avoid:

• Dense paragraphs—use bullets.
• Excessive color or graphics—keep it professional.
• Very small font to “fit everything”—prioritize clarity over volume.

Your CV should be scannable in 30–60 seconds. Program directors often skim quickly to decide whether to explore further.

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Examples of Strong vs Weak CV Bullets for OB GYN IMGs

Improving the quality of your bullets often matters more than adding more items.

Weak bullet:

• “Observed deliveries and learned management of labor.”

Stronger bullet:

• “Observed and documented the course of labor in 30+ patients, presenting management plans for 10 cases daily during morning rounds under supervision.”

Weak bullet:

• “Assisted in surgeries and gained experience in gynecology.”

Stronger bullet:

• “First-assist in 15 abdominal hysterectomies and 10 myomectomies, responsible for retraction, suction, and closure of subcutaneous tissues under supervision.”

Weak bullet:

• “Helped in women’s health camp.”

Stronger bullet:

• “Participated in a one-day cervical cancer screening camp, counseling 80+ women on Pap smear screening and HPV vaccination and coordinating referrals for abnormal results.”

Use action verbs (managed, organized, performed, assisted, coordinated, analyzed, taught), and quantify your impact whenever possible.

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Putting It All Together: A Step-by-Step Plan to Build Your OB GYN CV as an IMG

If you are still in medical school or early after graduation, here is a practical roadmap:

1. Months 1–3: Foundation

   • Draft a baseline CV with all current experiences.
   • Identify gaps: USCE? OB GYN exposure? Research? Leadership?
   • Meet with a mentor or advisor familiar with U.S. residency.

2. Months 4–9: Targeted Experience

   • Secure at least one OB GYN–related clinical experience (home-country or U.S.).
   • Join or lead a women’s health interest group or community project.
   • Start or join a small-scale research or quality improvement project in OB GYN.

3. Months 10–18: Strengthening and Polishing

   • Present a poster or abstract at a local or national conference if possible.
   • Obtain teaching or tutoring roles, especially in OB GYN topics.
   • Acquire key certifications (BLS, NRP; ALSO if available).
   • Revise your CV every 3 months as experiences accumulate.

4. Months 18–24 (Pre‑Application)

   • Final CV review with mentors; adjust for clarity and OB GYN emphasis.
   • Ensure your CV and ERAS application tell a consistent story.
   • Convert your CV entries into strong talking points for interviews.

Following this plan transforms your CV from a document of “things you have done” into strategic evidence that you are prepared for an OB GYN residency in the U.S.

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FAQs: CV Building for IMGs in OB GYN

1. How is my CV different from the ERAS application? Do I need both?
Yes. ERAS uses structured fields and standardized categories, while your CV is a free-form document you can send to mentors, upload to networking platforms, and use when applying for observerships, research positions, or scholarships. Many elements overlap, but your CV lets you organize information to highlight OB GYN more strategically.

2. What if I don’t have any OB GYN research—will that hurt my chances?
Lack of research does not automatically prevent a match, especially in community-based programs. However, having any scholarly activity (case reports, quality improvement, small audits) in OB GYN or women’s health strengthens your application. If you have time before applying, prioritize at least one small, feasible project that can be presented or written up.

3. How should I list my deliveries and procedures without official logs?
Use reasonable estimates based on your rotation records or typical caseload, and clearly label them as approximate. For example: “Performed approximately 35 supervised vaginal deliveries.” Avoid exaggeration; program faculty can often intuit realistic numbers for your training environment.

4. Is it acceptable to include non-medical jobs or experiences on my residency CV?
Yes, especially if they demonstrate transferable skills (leadership, communication, resilience, teamwork). For example, experience as a teacher, translator, or community organizer can be valuable. Keep this section brief and professional, and whenever possible, draw a link to skills useful in OB GYN practice (e.g., working with vulnerable populations, conflict resolution, advocacy).

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By intentionally structuring your CV and aligning it with the expectations of U.S. OB GYN programs, you move from being “just another international medical graduate” to a clearly focused, prepared, and compelling candidate for the obstetrics match. Use your CV as both a reflection of your journey so far and a roadmap for what you still need to build—then act on that roadmap long before you click “submit” on your applications.