Master Your Medical Teaching CV: Essential Tips for Career Success

Introduction: Positioning Your CV for a Career in Medical Education

For many physicians and trainees, a career in Medical Education is one of the most rewarding paths in medicine. Teaching positions allow you to shape the next generation of Healthcare Professionals, influence curricula, and improve how medicine is taught and practiced. Whether you’re a senior resident, fellow, or practicing clinician, breaking into formal teaching roles requires more than clinical excellence—it requires a Curriculum Vitae (CV) that clearly demonstrates your value as an educator.

A medical teaching CV is not just a list of positions and publications. It is a strategic document that highlights your:

• Teaching experience and philosophy
• Contributions to curriculum and assessment
• Commitment to learner development and mentorship
• Ongoing Career Development in education and scholarship

This guide expands on the essential elements of a strong medical teaching CV, shows you how to tailor it for different academic and clinical teaching roles, and provides practical examples you can adapt immediately.

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Understanding the Medical Teaching Landscape and Roles

Before you craft your CV, you need a clear understanding of the types of Teaching Positions available and what different institutions value.

Common Settings for Medical Teaching Careers

Medical educators work across diverse environments, including:

• Medical schools and universities – Undergraduate medical education (UME), graduate medical education (GME), and continuing medical education (CME).
• Teaching hospitals and academic health centers – Bedside teaching, residency and fellowship training, simulation centers.
• Community hospitals and clinics – Clerkship sites, longitudinal integrated clerkships, community preceptorships.
• Online and hybrid programs – Virtual clerkships, distance-learning programs, MOOC-style medical courses, and tele-education platforms.
• Professional organizations – Workshops, courses, and conferences for ongoing Medical Education and faculty development.

Each setting emphasizes slightly different skill sets, which should be reflected in your CV.

Key Roles in Medical Education and Their Priorities

1. Professor (Assistant, Associate, Full)

   • Focus: Curriculum design, educational leadership, scholarly work, and mentorship.
   • CV emphasis: Educational leadership, teaching portfolio, curriculum innovation, educational research.

2. Lecturer / Course Instructor

   • Focus: Lecture delivery, small-group facilitation, course coordination.
   • CV emphasis: Teaching experience, course development, student evaluations, content expertise.

3. Clinical Instructor / Clinical Preceptor

   • Focus: Bedside teaching, supervision of trainees, assessment of clinical skills.
   • CV emphasis: Clinical experience, supervision of learners, teaching on rounds, feedback and evaluation roles.

4. Skills Trainer / Simulation Faculty

   • Focus: Procedural instruction, simulation-based education, OSCEs, and skills labs.
   • CV emphasis: Simulation training, procedural expertise, assessment tool development, debriefing skills.

5. Course or Clerkship Director / Program Coordinator

   • Focus: Program management, scheduling, curriculum integration, accreditation, quality improvement.
   • CV emphasis: Leadership roles, administrative duties, program outcomes, committee work, quality initiatives.

Understanding which of these roles you’re targeting helps you decide what to foreground in your CV—teaching hours, clerkship leadership, simulation work, or educational scholarship.

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Core Sections of a Strong Medical Teaching CV

While formats vary by country and institution, most medical teaching CVs share a similar structure. The order of sections can be adjusted to emphasize your strengths (for example, putting Teaching Experience before Clinical Experience when applying for education-focused roles).

1. Personal and Contact Information

Keep this concise and professional.

Include:

• Full legal name and degrees (e.g., Jane Smith, MD, MPH)
• Professional address (institutional address if you have one)
• Phone number and professional email (avoid personal “nickname” addresses)
• LinkedIn profile and/or academic profile (e.g., institutional webpage, ORCID, Google Scholar)
• Optional: City/state of residence if relevant to local hiring

Tip: If you maintain an updated professional profile (e.g., institutional bio, teaching portfolio website), list the URL prominently. This supports your identity as a serious medical educator.

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2. Professional Summary or Objective Statement

For academic or education-focused roles, use a Professional Summary rather than a vague objective. This is your chance to briefly position yourself as a medical educator.

Effective example:

Internal medicine physician and clinician-educator with 7 years of experience in bedside teaching, small-group facilitation, and curriculum development. Seeking a medical school faculty position to expand work in reflective practice, feedback skills, and competency-based assessment.

What to include (2–4 sentences total):

• Your specialty and current level (e.g., PGY-3, fellow, attending)
• Your primary teaching context (medical students, residents, fellows, interprofessional learners)
• Key strengths: simulation, curriculum design, assessment, mentorship, educational scholarship
• Your career goals in Medical Education and how they align with the institution

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3. Education and Academic Background

Present this in reverse chronological order, emphasizing parts that support your educator identity.

Include:

• Medical degree(s) (MD, DO, MBBS, etc.)
• Residency and fellowship training (with specialties and institutions)
• Relevant additional degrees (e.g., MPH, MEd, MHPE, PhD)
• Certificate or diploma programs in Medical Education or healthcare leadership
• Honors, distinctions, and scholarships

Example:

• Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE)
  University of XYZ, 2024

• Doctor of Medicine (MD) – Graduated with Honors
  ABC University School of Medicine, 2016

• Internal Medicine Residency
  DEF Medical Center, 2016–2019

Tip: If you have formal education training (e.g., “Resident-as-Teacher” curriculum, Teaching Scholars Program), consider listing it under a dedicated subsection such as “Formal Training in Medical Education” so it stands out.

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4. Teaching Experience (Centerpiece of a Teaching CV)

For a medical teaching position, this is often the most important section and should come early in your CV.

Organize by category when possible:

• Undergraduate medical education (UME)
• Graduate medical education (residents/fellows)
• Interprofessional education
• Allied health or community teaching

For each role, include:

• Title (e.g., Clinical Teaching Fellow, Small-Group Tutor, Simulation Faculty)
• Institution and department
• Dates (month/year – month/year)
• Nature of learners (e.g., M3, PGY-1, nurses, PAs)
• Teaching formats (lectures, small groups, clinical supervision, simulation)
• Quantifiable accomplishments where possible

Example:

Clinical Instructor, Department of Pediatrics
GHI Children’s Hospital, City, State | 2020–Present

• Supervise and teach 3–5 residents and 2–4 medical students daily during inpatient rounds.
• Co-developed a case-based learning series for third-year clerks; average student satisfaction scores improved from 3.8 to 4.5/5 over two years.
• Led monthly workshops on communication with families; 85% of participants reported increased confidence in disclosing difficult news.

Actionable tips:

• Use strong action verbs: “developed,” “implemented,” “facilitated,” “designed,” “evaluated.”
• Highlight assessment and feedback: Did you design OSCEs, write exam questions, or implement new evaluation tools?
• Include scale and frequency: How many sessions? How many learners? Over how many years?
• If you have teaching evaluations, summarize the most meaningful metrics or quotes rather than attaching raw data.

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5. Clinical Experience: Demonstrating Credibility and Role Modeling

Even in education-heavy roles, your credibility as a clinician is crucial. Many medical students and residents judge teaching quality partly by the clinical competence and bedside manner of their supervisors.

List your roles in reverse chronological order:

Include:

• Position title (Attending Physician, Hospitalist, Fellow, Resident, etc.)
• Institution and department
• Dates of employment/training
• Patient population and clinical focus
• Teaching-related responsibilities embedded in clinical care

Example:

Attending Physician, Hospital Medicine
JKL University Hospital, City, State | 2019–Present

• Lead multidisciplinary ward rounds with responsibility for supervising up to 6 residents and medical students daily.
• Implemented a structured “teaching on the fly” model for ward rounds, resulting in higher learner ratings for clarity of teaching goals.
• Mentor residents in quality improvement projects, four of which have been presented at regional conferences.

Tip: In descriptions, intentionally link clinical work to teaching—supervision, bedside instruction, feedback, and role modeling all count as educational activities.

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6. Educational Scholarship, Research, and Publications

Academic teaching roles increasingly expect evidence of engagement with scholarly work, especially related to Medical Education.

Break this section into clear subsections where relevant:

• Educational Research – grants, projects, studies on teaching methods, assessment, curriculum.
• Clinical Research – especially if it involves trainees or educational components.
• Peer-Reviewed Publications – in standard citation format (e.g., AMA or Vancouver).
• Non–peer-reviewed outputs – blog posts, educational modules, institutional guidelines.
• Presentations and Posters – with emphasis on education topics.

Example of an education-related publication:

• Smith J, Lee A. Integrating bedside ultrasound into internal medicine clerkships: A mixed-methods evaluation. J Gen Intern Med. 2023;38(4):555–562.

Example of an education-related presentation:

• Lee A. “Teaching Clinical Reasoning in Busy Wards: Micro-teaching Strategies for Hospitalists.” Workshop, Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting, 2022.

Tip: If scholarship is an area of growth for you, focus on:

• Abstracts or posters at education conferences
• Co-authored articles with education mentors
• Local quality improvement projects with a strong educational component

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7. Skills, Certifications, and Educational Tools

This section is where you highlight specific competencies that differentiate you as a medical educator.

Teaching-Related Skills

• Curriculum design and mapping
• Small-group facilitation and problem-based learning (PBL)
• Simulation-based education and debriefing
• OSCE and station development
• Competency-based assessment and milestone evaluation
• Giving effective feedback and coaching
• Mentoring and career advising

Educational Technology Skills

• Learning management systems (e.g., Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard)
• Virtual teaching platforms (Zoom, MS Teams, Webex)
• Audience-response systems (Poll Everywhere, Mentimeter)
• Simulation software and high-fidelity manikins
• Video capture/editing for teaching modules

Certifications

• Certificates in Medical Education or health professions education
• Resident-as-Teacher program completion
• Simulation instructor courses
• Faculty development workshops (e.g., AAMC, specialty societies)

Example:

• Certificate in Medical Education, University of XYZ (40-hour program, 2023)
• Completed “Train-the-Trainer” simulation instructor course, Society for Simulation in Healthcare, 2022
• Proficient in Canvas LMS and Zoom-based flipped classroom design

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8. Professional Memberships and Academic Service

Active engagement with professional organizations signals long-term commitment to Medical Education and Career Development.

List memberships such as:

• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
• Your specialty-specific educator society (e.g., APDIM, STFM, ASE)
• National or regional medical education associations
• Simulation societies or assessment organizations

Also include committee work and leadership roles:

• Curriculum committees
• Residency program evaluation committees
• Assessment or OSCE committees
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in education

Example:

• Member, Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM), 2020–Present
• Member, Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine (CDIM), 2022–Present
• Member, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, MNO School of Medicine, 2023–Present

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9. Community Service, Outreach, and Extracurricular Roles

Many institutions value educators who are engaged with their communities and who model professionalism, advocacy, and service.

Relevant experiences include:

• Health education programs for the public (e.g., diabetes education workshops)
• Student interest group advising (e.g., EM interest group faculty advisor)
• Free clinics and health fairs, especially if you supervise learners
• Global health teaching and supervision of students/residents abroad
• Leadership in wellness, inclusivity, or mentoring initiatives

Example:

Faculty Advisor, Internal Medicine Interest Group
PQR Medical School | 2021–Present

• Guide student-led case conferences and journal clubs.
• Provide career counseling and residency application workshops for 20–30 students annually.

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Formatting and Presentation: Making Your CV Easy to Read

Content and substance matter most, but presentation strongly influences first impressions—especially when hiring committees review dozens of applications.

Length and Structure

• Length: For early-career applicants, 2–3 pages is typical. More senior faculty may reasonably have longer CVs.
• Consistency: Use consistent fonts, font sizes (11–12 pt), and formatting (bolding, italics) throughout.
• Headings: Make section headings clear and scannable: “TEACHING EXPERIENCE,” “EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP,” etc.
• Order of Sections: Put the most relevant content for teaching roles (Teaching Experience, Educational Training, Scholarship) earlier in the document.

Style Guidelines

• Use bullet points rather than large paragraphs.
• Start each bullet with a strong action verb.
• Avoid dense jargon; assume committee members are educators but may be in different specialties.
• Maintain reverse chronological order within each section.

Tailoring to Institutional Requirements

Many institutions have their own CV templates or expectations. Always:

• Check the job posting or institutional HR site for a preferred format.
• Mirror language from the job description in your CV (e.g., “competency-based assessment,” “small-group facilitation”) where it genuinely applies.
• Remove or condense less relevant material when space is limited.

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Tailoring Your CV for Specific Medical Teaching Positions

A generic CV is rarely as effective as a tailored one. Customization signals that you understand the role and took time to align your experience with their needs.

Step 1: Analyze the Job Description

Look for key phrases like:

• “Curriculum development”
• “Clerkship leadership”
• “Simulation-based education”
• “Educational research”
• “Mentorship of residents/fellows”

Highlight those you can honestly claim, then ensure they appear prominently in your CV.

Step 2: Reorder and Reweight Sections

Examples:

• For a course director role – Move “Curriculum Development,” “Program Leadership,” or “Educational Administration” higher. Expand bullet points that show management and coordination.
• For a simulation faculty position – Highlight skills trainer roles, OSCE design, debriefing skills, and simulation certifications.
• For an early-career clinician-educator job – Emphasize hands-on teaching activities, teaching awards, and participation in faculty development.

Step 3: Align with Institutional Mission and Culture

Many schools emphasize:

• Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)
• Community engagement
• Interprofessional education
• Wellness and professionalism

If your experience overlaps with these areas, make it explicit in your descriptions.

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Advanced Tips to Strengthen Your Teaching CV

Build a Parallel Teaching Portfolio

Many institutions now ask for a teaching portfolio in addition to your CV. While separate, they should be aligned.

Consider:

• Listing “Teaching Portfolio available upon request” in your CV.
• Ensuring your CV and portfolio use consistent dates, titles, and descriptions.
• Cross-referencing key elements (e.g., major curriculum projects, teaching awards).

Quantify and Qualify Your Impact

Whenever possible, use data:

• Number of learners taught annually
• Improvement in course or clerkship evaluations
• Number of sessions or curriculum components you developed
• Outcomes like exam performance, OSCE scores, or milestone progression (use caution with confidentiality)

Also include qualitative outcomes:

• Representative quotes from learner feedback
• Recognition from peers or leadership

Show Career Development as an Educator

Demonstrate that you are intentionally growing in Medical Education:

• Ongoing faculty development programs
• Participation in education-focused conferences (AAMC, specialty education meetings)
• Mentor relationships and education-related career planning

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How is a medical teaching CV different from a standard clinical CV?

A medical teaching CV places teaching and educational activities at the center, rather than solely emphasizing clinical duties and research. Key differences include:

• Teaching Experience and Educational Training sections are more detailed and appear earlier.
• Educational scholarship (e.g., curriculum research, assessment innovation) is highlighted.
• Skills and certifications related to teaching, simulation, and educational technology are emphasized.
• Community and institutional service with an educational component is brought forward.

2. I’m a resident/fellow with limited formal teaching experience. What should I include?

Even as a trainee, you likely have more teaching experience than you think:

• Bedside teaching of junior residents and medical students
• Leading noon conferences, journal clubs, or case discussions
• Participation in “Resident-as-Teacher” or similar programs
• Peer teaching in simulation labs or skills workshops
• Tutoring preclinical students or TA roles during medical school

Present these in a dedicated Teaching Experience section and be specific about your role, audience, and frequency.

3. Should I include non-medical teaching experience?

Yes—selectively. If your non-medical teaching roles demonstrate transferable skills (communication, curriculum design, educational leadership), they can strengthen your profile, especially early in your career. For example:

• Teaching undergraduate courses in biology or public health
• Running community education workshops
• Training staff in a non-profit or other professional setting

Place them under a subsection such as “Additional Teaching Experience” and make the relevance to Medical Education clear.

4. How often should I update my medical teaching CV?

Update your CV at least twice a year, or whenever you:

• Begin or complete a significant teaching role
• Develop or revise a course or curriculum
• Present at a conference or publish an article
• Receive a teaching award or complete an education certificate program

Keeping a simple log (spreadsheet or document) of your teaching activities makes later CV updates much easier.

5. What are common mistakes to avoid on a medical teaching CV?

Common pitfalls include:

• Burying teaching experience under generic headings like “Other Activities”
• Using vague descriptions (“helped with teaching”) instead of specific contributions
• Omitting dates or institutions for major roles
• Overloading the CV with minor or irrelevant details (e.g., very old non-related jobs)
• Inconsistent formatting and typos, which can suggest lack of attention to detail

Focus on clarity, relevance, and accuracy. Ask a mentor in Medical Education to review your CV and give feedback from an educator’s perspective.

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By thoughtfully organizing your accomplishments and explicitly showcasing your strengths as an educator, your Curriculum Vitae becomes more than a record of experiences—it becomes a compelling narrative of your growth and commitment to Medical Education. Use the strategies and examples above to refine your document, align it with your target Teaching Positions, and move confidently toward the next stage of your academic Career Development.