Lead with PA credentials, specialty and practice setting
Place your PA title, program degree, NCCPA or equivalent certification, state licensure and specialty near the top—for example emergency medicine, primary care, orthopedics, surgery, urgent care or hospital medicine. Include DEA registration, controlled-substance authority or supervising-physician notes only when the employer or jurisdiction expects them, and list BLS, ACLS, PALS or specialty certifications with dates.
State the setting clearly: clinic, emergency department, operating room, hospital service, urgent care or telehealth, and the nature of the physician-PA team. Recent PA roles belong above older technician, scribe, EMT or nursing-assistant work, though those roles can stay as concise context if they explain your clinical foundation. Students and new graduates should label supervised rotations and precepted hours honestly so they are not confused with licensed PA practice.
Write bullets that show assessments, procedures and team-based outcomes
Describe the population, typical acuity and what you owned: histories and exams, assessments and plans discussed with the supervising physician, privileged procedures, first-assist work, patient education and follow-up. Where you can share non-confidential measures, note visit or procedure volume, access improvements, documentation completion, protocol participation or education visits.
Never invent numbers or disclose protected patient details. Prefer accurate scope language—what you assessed or performed under your PA privileges versus decisions reserved for the supervising physician or the broader team. The fictional examples below illustrate wording only. They are not Make.CV performance claims and should not be copied as your own. Replace every figure with results you can support from clinic or department reports, and strip any information that could identify a patient.
Show clinical skills and credentials without blurring RN or NP scope
Group skills into readable categories such as clinical focus, procedures you are privileged to perform, documentation systems, and certifications. Prioritize items named in the posting when you have genuine experience. A short accurate list of a specialty, a named EHR, and procedures you actually perform (for example laceration repair, joint injections or first-assist tasks) beats a long inventory of every rotation from school.
Tie important skills back to experience bullets. Saying you manage orthopedic follow-up visits is more convincing when a bullet explains the visit type, the supervising arrangement and a non-confidential access or documentation result. Bedside staffing ratios and unit nursing tasks belong on the nurse CV. Independent panel ownership, autonomous diagnosis framing and APRN board certification belong on the nurse practitioner CV, unless you are actually applying for those roles.
Choose a clean layout and review the export
Use a readable template with standard headings so licenses, certification, setting, procedures and outcomes stay easy to find. Keep dates consistent and leave room for quantified, non-confidential bullets. Browse Make.CV templates if you want to compare layouts before writing.
Build your CV in the free maker with live preview, then download a PDF with no watermark. Proofread license jurisdictions, certification initials and dates, and confirm the exported text remains selectable before you submit. Follow any employer-specific privileging or application instructions in addition to the CV.
Frequently asked questions
How is a physician assistant CV different from a nurse or nurse practitioner CV?
A physician assistant CV emphasizes PA certification, assessments, privileged procedures and practice on a physician-PA team. A nurse CV emphasizes bedside or unit-based RN care. A nurse practitioner CV emphasizes advanced-practice nursing, including diagnosis, prescribing and panel or clinic ownership within an APRN license. Use the guide that matches the job you want.
Where should PA-C certification and state licensure go?
Put current NCCPA or equivalent certification, state PA licensure, and required certifications such as BLS or ACLS high on the page or in a dedicated Credentials section so hiring and credentialing teams do not have to hunt for them.
Should I include rotations or earlier clinical work after I am a practicing PA?
Yes, in concise form when it supports your specialty or explains your training. Lead with licensed PA roles and shrink older rotations, scribe, EMT or assistant entries so current practice stays easy to find.
Can I quantify physician assistant achievements?
Yes, when figures are accurate and non-confidential—such as visit or procedure volume, documentation completion, access times or education visits. Never invent metrics or share identifiable patient information, and do not overstate independence beyond your supervised scope.