Structuring your CV for a specialist or GP registration application

Writing a CV

As part of your application, you must submit an up-to-date CV. Your CV must detail each of the roles you have held from present day, back to your Primary Medical Qualification (PMQ).

Your CV should include everything detailed below. All information must match your employment letters and the professional experience section of your application form. If it does not meet these requirements, then it will not be accepted.

You should include the following sections in your CV, ideally in the order we’ve listed below. We suggest that you use this as a template.

Personal details and contact information

Your name on your CV must match your name on your proof of identity. Your contact information should match the details we hold, which can be updated using GMC Online.

Registrations

Give your GMC reference number and details of any other medical regulators you are registered with.

Memberships

List your memberships of professional bodies.

Qualifications

List your qualifications.

Employment history

Posts held

Start with the most recent and work backwards to the date of being awarded your PMQ.

Please show:

  • post title (please give the title you were employed under)
  • dates you worked in the post, from and to. Dates must be in the format DD/MM/YYYY
  • if the post is part-time, what percentage of whole time equivalent
  • institution name and location
  • the name of your supervisor (especially required for training posts)
  • give a brief job description of the duties needed for that post and include the level of supervision.

Gaps in employment

Start with the most recent and work backwards.

List any gaps that span over 28 days and include a brief explanation.

Awards

List any awards you have received.

Research experience

Give a brief explanation of any research you have undertaken, or have participated in.

Publications

List your publications.

Presentations

Give details of any presentations you have given. You may find it helpful to divide them up into international, national, regional and departmental to show their importance.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

List your CPD activity in the last five years.

You should include any mandatory training or courses as required by your specialty curriculum in this section.

Conferences attended

Give details of any conferences you have attended. You may find it helpful to divide them up into international, national, regional and departmental to show their importance.

Courses attended

Give details of any courses you have attended. You may find it helpful to divide them up into international, national, regional and departmental to show their importance.

Audit

List and give a brief description of your audit activities.

Teaching and training experience

List and give a brief description of your teaching and training activities.

Management experience

List and give a brief description of your management activities.

Procedures

List the procedures you have performed.

Extra activities

If there is anything else relevant to this application, you can list it here.

Formatting your CV   

You should:

  • number each page
  • use bullet points
  • include a short description for each item

Online application Professional Experience

In your online application, you’ll need to give full details of all the posts you’ve held since your primary medical qualification, starting with the most recent and working backwards. It is a requirement that the dates match exactly those on your CV.

If you’ve worked overseas, please don’t change your overseas post title to match a UK title – instead, tell us the actual title you held. Examples of post titles include:

  • Senior House Officer (SHO)
  • Registrar
  • Staff Grade
  • District Medical Officer
  • Clinical Tutor
  • Assistant Professor and Resident

Please also give details of any periods longer than one month when you weren’t practising medicine. This could include:

  • alternative employment
  • clinical attachments
  • vacation
  • study leave
  • maternity leave
  • career breaks
  • unemployment

You must also give a brief explanation for each period.

To see how this should be set out, you can use our GMC Online application screenshot user guide.