Drafting a Cover Letter and CV

After you determine the general type and location of your future practice, the next step is to prepare a cover letter and resume or curriculum vitae (CV) before you embark on your search for specific employers. A cover letter should be one page, include your contact info, and introduce your resume or CV without repeating information from your CV. A cover letter can also convey several ideas that might not be apparent from your CV, such as a reason for relocation, a resume gap, or your choice of a certain specialty. NEJM offers excellent cover letter advice, or you can browse examples of medical cover letters.

In general, your CV should include contact information and personal data; education, training, and certifications; followed by practical experience. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers an online CV Builder that can help a resident in any specialty create a CV. You can also check out a sample resident CV and these five CV tips.

The aesthetics of your cover letter and CV are also important. Spelling and grammar errors should be nonexistent. Fonts and headings must be professional and consistent. Use a laser printer and a high quality white or ivory paper.
Finally, both your cover letter and CV need to be tailored to the specific position that you are seeking. Avoid drafting a catch-all cover letter that applies to multiple employers and focus on a custom cover letter for each employer.

Your Degree of Business Involvement

You will encounter business and economic decisions regardless of the type of practice that you choose. The only question is the degree of your financial involvement, which will vary based on your practice type.

For example, physicians who start their own solo practice face many financial hurdles such as insurance, tax, and licensing issues, as outlined in a previous blog. Medical Economics magazine is a helpful resource that can help you plan and prepare to start your own practice. You can also check out The American Academy of Family Physicians website, which provides a detailed 13 point outline.

Generally, if you join a solo or small group practice, most of the business aspects will already be established. A large group or multispecialty group practice is likely to present a new physician with even fewer business decisions because many of these practices have a formal governance structure. Dr. Shaw’s book mentions that even if your practice has a formal governance structure in place, there may be opportunities to be active in the governance of the group if you want business involvement.

You should only use the aforementioned information as a guideline because each individual practice is unique. Some large group practices require more business involvement of their physicians than an average small group practice.
Some physicians truly enjoy the business aspects of their practice while others see finances as an obstacle that interferes with their work. During the job selection process, consider the degree of business involvement that you want to undertake and choose your future practice accordingly.