For a new grad PA, resume building can be tough. Since your only provider-level experience was during clinical rotations, it can be hard to curate the resume in a way that allows you to stand out among other applicants! It can also be challenging for new graduates to decide which information is pertinent, and what is better left out.
If you’re wondering what to put on your resume, we’re here to help. Here’s 12 tips for building a new grad PA resume that’ll help you stand out to recruiters.
1. Keep it to one page long.
Your resume is the first (and sometimes the only thing) that potential employers will look at. Resumes are used to filter through candidates quickly. They should be one-page long, and curated in a concise way that highlights the key attributes and experience you have as a candidate.
2. Format your resume correctly!
- Ensure your name is in large font at the top of your resume.
- Provide your email address and phone number.
- Your resume should also include your relevant experience, skills, certifications and licensures, education, and affiliated organizations. (More on these later!)
- Your education should include both your Master’s of Physician Assistant Studies and your undergraduate degree. It’s not necessary to include high school education, as that is inferred with your continued education.
3. Include your clinical rotations.
One of the biggest questions I get about curating a resume as a new PA grad is which types of work experience to include. The most pertinent experience is your clinical rotations. I always recommend new graduates create a section titled “clinical rotations” where they can list all of their rotations and the locations of each.
It’s important to list all of the rotations you’ve completed, even if you don’t feel it’s relevant to the position you’re applying for. While your general surgery rotation may not seem pertinent when applying for a psychiatric position, I highly recommend including it to enhance your provider level experience and highlight your well-rounded education.
You don’t need any details other than the rotation title, location, and timeline (listed as month and year).
4. Highlight the healthcare experience you used to obtain patient care hours.
When applying for your first PA job, it can be nice to showcase the healthcare position you held to obtain your patient care experience hours. For example, when applying for my first position, I included that I was a phlebotomist for two years before PA school.
Other roles, such as certified nursing assistant, emergency medical technician, or medical assistant, showcase a fundamental knowledge of patient care and can be a great addition to your resume.
5. In most cases, leave nonmedical work experience off your resume.
As for nonmedical work experience, I wouldn’t put most of it on your resume. While it can be helpful in showcasing yourself as a hard worker, it’s not relevant and there’s often not much room remaining on the standard new grad PA resume after adding all the above material.
For example, I held multiple positions prior to PA school as a server, barista, and receptionist. While these definitely helped increase my work ethic and shape the person I am today, I didn’t include them in my resume.
With this being said, if you feel your nonmedical experience does relate, it could be worth including. For example, if you worked as a receptionist at a hospital where you’re applying, the recruiters may be interested in your prior experience with that health system.
6. Include a “skills” section.
Aside from work experience, there should be a section of your resume that includes your skills. While you can include generic skills such as communication, teamwork, or attention to detail, I would gravitate towards skills that’ll help you stand out as a candidate. For example, if you have experience with documentation (progress notes, admissions, or discharge summaries) or any procedures such as arterial line insertion, this would be helpful to highlight.
Other things such as language skills and medical terminology would also be pertinent. Oftentimes, these should be listed on the left or right side of your resume. Tailor these to the position you’re applying for and highlight relevant skills.
7. List your certifications.
Also along the side of your resume, you can include any certifications you hold. This includes your advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), basic life support (BLS), and National Commission on Certification of Physician Associates (NCCPA) certifications and the month/year these were obtained.
If you have yet to take your PANCE and become certified, you should list the NCCPA certification with the date as anticipated. For example, if you’re taking the PANCE in November and applying for jobs early, list this as “anticipated November 2024.”
Approaching your the PANCEand need some extra help with key topics? Download our FREE study sheet with mnemonics that our PA instructors use during our live PANCE/PANRE review course!
8. Shadowing should only go on a new grad PA resume in certain cases.
I don’t recommend including shadowing experiences on your resume unless you spent multiple days shadowing at the same location, or your shadowing was in the specialty you’re applying for.
For example, if you were applying for a dermatology PA position, spending one day shadowing in a women’s health office isn’t relevant. However, if you spent some time shadowing a dermatology provider, that may be worth including.
9. Include your memberships.
You can make a small section to highlight any organizations you’re a part of, such as the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) and your state PA organization.
10. Take advantage of the services your school has to offer.
A lot of schools offer services for resume reviews, which I highly recommend taking advantage of if available to you.
11. Free templates are a great way to build a new grad PA resume.
There are a lot of great free templates available to utilize. I’ve used the templates offered by Google Drive and Microsoft Word for my own resumes over the years.
12. Get someone to proofread your resume!
Make sure to proofread your resume thoroughly multiple times to make sure there aren’t any errors. I also encourage you to have another person proofread it!
Final Thoughts
Curating the perfect new grad PA resume takes time, but if you put in the effort and follow the above recommendations, you’ll definitely end up with a resume that’s sure to catch the recruiter’s attention.
And if you do land that job offer, find out what to consider before signing the dotted line in this other post, Tips for Accepting Your First Job Offer as a PA!
