Examples & writing guide
Physician assistant CV example and writing guide
Updated 8 July 2026
A strong physician assistant CV makes your clinical contribution clear without overstating your scope. This guide explains how to organise the document, write a focused personal statement and turn routine patient care into credible evidence.
Examples by experience level
Junior Physician Assistant
TemplateAshford1 / 5
Why this works
This example pairs supervised clinical experience with measurable patient-care contributions, relevant training and clear evidence of readiness for a first physician assistant post.
Continue writing your CVMid-level Physician Assistant
TemplateGrey Frame5 / 5
Why this works
Shows supervised clinical practice, a clear progression from secondary to primary care, and defensible evidence of patient workload, procedures and service improvements.
Continue writing your CVSenior Physician Assistant
TemplateBlue Horizon3 / 5
Why this works
Shows sustained clinical leadership, supervised practice, service scale and defensible improvements in patient flow, documentation and team development.
Continue writing your CVJunior vs senior: what changes
| Aspect | Junior | Senior |
|---|---|---|
| Personal statement | Lead with recent clinical preparation, placements and transferable patient-facing experience. State the setting sought without suggesting independent practice beyond your experience. | Open with years and breadth of practice, then identify leadership, service scope and measured patient-care outcomes. Keep doctor supervision and team contribution accurately framed. |
| Clinical experience | Use placements and early posts to evidence patient examination, history taking, data collection and work within clear clinical pathways. Give modest, defensible figures. | Show responsibility across larger caseloads or services, more complex coordination and sustained results. Separate personal clinical contribution from wider team performance. |
| Procedural evidence | List procedures completed during training or supervised practice and state the context. Prioritise capabilities named in the vacancy rather than presenting an unchecked catalogue. | Demonstrate depth, frequency and safe application of relevant procedures. Add teaching, audit or pathway-development evidence only where it genuinely formed part of the role. |
| Team contribution | Show reliable communication with doctors and the wider medical team, including escalation, referrals and accurate handover of patient information. | Show how you improved team processes, supported colleagues or coordinated care across services. Quantify reach or improvement without implying authority you did not hold. |
| Impact and metrics | Use placement hours, patient contacts, audit samples or documented feedback where these are available and defensible. Small, specific evidence is stronger than inflated impact. | Use service-level measures such as caseload, pathway turnaround or audit improvement, while identifying your exact contribution and the period measured. |
| Skills emphasis | Balance practical capabilities with communication, careful data collection, infection-control practice and willingness to work within supervision. | Prioritise advanced evidence of clinical judgement within scope, workload management, team support and improvement work, backed by examples rather than skill labels alone. |
How to write a physician assistant CV
Use a clean, reverse-chronological CV of about two pages unless you have enough relevant experience to justify a third. Choose plain headings, readable type and consistent dates. Leave out your photo and date of birth. Save the final version as a PDF if the advert accepts that format, then open the file and check that headings, dates and bullets have not moved.
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Contact details | Name, UK location, mobile, professional email and optional profile link |
| Personal statement | Current level, clinical setting, strongest evidence and target role |
| Clinical experience | Posts and placements in reverse order, supported by concise achievement bullets |
| Skills | Abilities that match the advert and that you can demonstrate |
| Education | Exact qualification titles, institutions and completion dates |
| Additional evidence | Relevant awards, training or certifications that support the application |
Build each section around evidence
Keep the personal statement to three or four purposeful lines. State your level, the settings in which you have worked and two or three strengths supported elsewhere in the CV. Avoid broad claims such as "hard-working" or "caring" unless the next sentence gives the reader a reason to believe them.
Give most space to recent clinical experience. For each post, show the organisation, setting, title and dates, followed by short bullets covering your contribution, workload and result. Relevant work may include examining patients, taking medical histories, contributing to diagnosis and referrals, developing healthcare management plans, collecting and analysing patient data, performing procedures, promoting wellbeing and supporting the medical team under a doctor's supervision. Describe only work that reflects your actual responsibilities and local arrangements. For primary-care applications, the GP CV guide shows how to distinguish a physician assistant's supervised contribution from a GP's medical responsibility.
Tailor the skills section to the vacancy rather than pasting in a generic list. The experience section should prove the most important skills through specific examples. In education, reproduce the exact wording on your award documents and give completion dates. Place a recent role-specific qualification prominently when the advert asks for it.
Extras have to earn their space. Relevant awards and certifications can strengthen a physician assistant CV, but a long collection of unrelated courses makes the clinical evidence harder to find. Remove anything that does not help the reader assess your suitability for this particular post.
Personal statement examples
Physician assistant with experience supporting supervised assessment and care in busy clinical settings. Confident taking structured medical histories, examining patients, organising clinical information and contributing to management plans with the medical team. Brings clear handovers, calm patient communication and careful documentation, supported by evidence from recent practice.
Friendly and hard-working physician assistant looking for a new challenge. I work well alone or in a team and have excellent medical knowledge. I can do all clinical tasks, learn quickly and would be an asset to any employer.
Writing your experience
Treat every bullet as a small piece of evidence. Begin with a precise verb, identify the activity and its scope, then add a result or measure you can defend. A practical pattern is action + setting or volume + outcome. The measure need not be a percentage. A weekly caseload, documentation turnaround, audit sample, teaching attendance or follow-up completion rate may tell the story more honestly.
Avoid copying a job description. "Responsible for taking histories" merely repeats a duty. A better version is: "Took structured histories for 14–18 supervised clinic patients each week and prepared concise case presentations for clinician review." Those numbers demonstrate the structure of a good bullet; replace them with your own verified figures.
Another flat bullet is: "Helped with patient management plans." A stronger alternative would be: "Collated examination findings and test results for 10–12 patients per shift, supporting prompt review and updates to supervised management plans." Replace "Good at health promotion" with evidence such as: "Delivered tailored wellbeing advice during 30 follow-up contacts and recorded agreed actions in every consultation note."
Your bullets may cover patient examinations, medical histories, patient-data analysis, contributions to diagnosis or referrals, support for healthcare management plans, procedures and work with the wider medical team. Keep each verb faithful to your contribution and supervision. If you gathered evidence and discussed a possible diagnosis with a supervising doctor, say that; do not claim sole responsibility for diagnosing the patient.
Useful opening verbs include assessed, examined, gathered, analysed, documented, coordinated, escalated, referred, supported, delivered, reviewed and improved. Pick the simplest accurate verb. Inflated language is particularly risky in clinical work because it can blur who made a decision.
Numbers also need context. "Improved completion by 20%" leaves too much unexplained. "Revised the follow-up checklist, increasing complete records from 70% to 90% across a 60-note audit" identifies the action, baseline, result and sample. If confidentiality limits the detail you can provide, describe the service, scale and outcome without identifying patients.
Read the finished section as a recruiter would. Each bullet should answer at least one useful question: what did you do, what volume or complexity did you handle, how did you work with the supervising team, or what improved because of your contribution?
Key skills & ATS keywords
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords
Education & certifications
List education in reverse-chronological order. Give the exact awarded title, university and completion year. Add selected placements, projects or assessed clinical work only when they support the vacancy. A recent graduate can devote more space to education; an experienced applicant should normally let recent clinical posts carry more weight.
For the postgraduate UK physician assistant entry route covered by the supplied guidance, candidates complete either a postgraduate diploma in physician associate studies or a master's qualification in physician associate studies. Entry to postgraduate physician associate studies usually requires a first undergraduate degree in a health or life sciences subject. Some universities offer a separate, optional four-year undergraduate route incorporating an integrated Master of Physician Associate Studies (MPAS). State only the route and award you completed, using the wording on your documents.
Applicants for General Medical Council registration as a physician associate in the UK must have completed the Physician Associate Registration Assessment (PARA). They must apply within 24 months of completing the PARA. On the CV, separate the academic award, assessment result and registration information so each can be checked quickly. Give exact dates and describe a pending application or result as pending.
One supplied example of a new physician assistant post in secondary care treats a postgraduate Masters or Diploma (PGDip) in Physician Associate Studies, or an integrated undergraduate Masters in Physician Associate Studies (MPAS), as essential and assessed from the CV. That same example treats a PARA pass and inclusion on the GMC list of registered PAs as essential. These are criteria for that stated setting, not permission to assume identical wording across every vacancy. Read each advert closely and reproduce only criteria that apply to the post.
Relevant awards and certifications may help the reader assess your fit. Put the most pertinent first, include the issuer where known and provide the completion date. Leave out unrelated short courses if they crowd out stronger clinical evidence.
Common mistakes to avoid
AvoidListing clinical duties without showing the setting, workload or result. "Took medical histories" gives the reader little sense of capability.
InsteadAdd defensible context: the patient group, approximate caseload and what the work enabled. Use only figures you can verify, and make clear that diagnostic and care work took place under appropriate doctor supervision.
AvoidWriting as though the physician assistant worked independently of the medical team.
InsteadDescribe your contribution precisely. Show how you examined patients, gathered histories, prepared referrals or supported management plans while working under doctor supervision.
AvoidUsing one broad "clinical skills" line for every practical capability.
InsteadName the procedures you can genuinely evidence, such as 12-lead ECG work, respiratory function testing, urinary catheterisation or urine dipstick testing. Match the wording to the post and avoid claiming competence you cannot defend.
AvoidFocusing only on procedures and leaving out communication with patients and colleagues.
InsteadInclude evidence of explaining care, gathering information, promoting wellbeing and passing clear findings to the medical team. Add a credible outcome or scale where one is available.
AvoidBurying infection-control evidence inside a generic responsibilities paragraph.
InsteadGive infection-control practice its own concise bullet when it matters to the vacancy. State the setting, the protocol followed and any verifiable audit or compliance result.
AvoidStuffing the physician assistant CV with unsupported numbers or vague claims such as "excellent clinician" and "outstanding results".
InsteadReplace adjectives with specific evidence. Use measured outcomes, documented feedback or confirmed caseload figures, and include only numbers you could explain at interview.
Frequently asked questions
Two pages is usually a sensible target when it gives enough room for relevant clinical evidence. A recent entrant may need less space, while an experienced applicant can use two full pages; cut repeated duties before shrinking the type or margins.
Use relevant placements, patient-facing work, education and transferable evidence. Describe patient examination, history taking, data collection, teamwork and communication in their real context, making the level of supervision clear and using only figures you can defend.
No. Under British CV conventions, leave out both a photo and date of birth. Use the space for contact details, a focused personal statement and evidence that matches the vacancy.
No. Include procedures you can genuinely evidence and prioritise those relevant to the post, such as ECG work, respiratory testing or basic ward procedures when applicable. Distinguish observation, supervised practice and established competence accurately.
Connect earlier experience to the clinical post through specific evidence, not broad claims. Patient communication, careful information gathering, teamwork, prioritisation and work in controlled environments can be useful, but the CV should make clear where each skill was gained.
Keep the structure stable, then adjust the personal statement, skills order and experience bullets. Mirror relevant role language such as patient examination, medical histories, referrals, management planning and infection control only when it truthfully describes your experience.
From example to application
Turn this physician assistant example into a CV that sounds like you.
Keep the structure that works. Tailor the details around your experience, strengths, and the role you want.