Pathologists often ask a simple question that has a not-so-simple answer:
“Should I send a CV or a resume?”
The right choice depends less on your credentials (you’re a pathologist — you have plenty) and more on the setting you’re targeting and what the decision-maker actually cares about.
The quick rule of thumb
- If you’re pursuing academic medicine: lead with a CV
- If you’re pursuing private practice, a health system employed role, or a commercial laboratory: lead with a resume
Why? Because the reader’s priorities change.
Academic leaders often want to see your publications, research focus, teaching, grants, and committee involvement. Non-academic hiring leaders are usually scanning for clinical fit: what you sign out, what volume you’ve handled, what systems you know, and whether your experience matches their case mix.
What’s the difference between a CV and a resume (in plain English)?
CV (Curriculum Vitae)
A CV is a full record of your professional history. It’s often longer and includes:
- Publications, abstracts, posters, presentations
- Teaching roles, faculty appointments
- Research interests, grants
- Professional committees and leadership
- Awards, honors, memberships
Length: commonly 4–15+ pages (and that’s normal in academia)
Resume
A resume is a targeted marketing document for a specific job. It highlights what’s most relevant and trims the rest. It focuses on:
- Clinical experience and scope of practice
- Case types and subspecialty coverage
- Volume, complexity, and workflow
- Leadership, operational impact, and outcomes
- Technology (LIS, digital pathology, QA programs)
Length: usually 1–2 pages for most professions, but for pathologists 2 pages (sometimes 3) is common when you have substantial experience.
When a CV is the best choice
Use a CV when the position is clearly academic or research-driven, such as:
- University faculty roles
- Academic medical centers with protected research time
- Roles where promotion/tenure is in play
- Research institutes, grant-funded programs
- Fellowship applications
- Speaking/committee nominations that require publication history
In these environments, publications aren’t “extra.” They’re part of your identity and often part of how you’ll be evaluated.
When a resume is the best choice (private practice + commercial labs)
Use a resume when applying to:
- Private practice groups
- Community hospital systems
- Employed physician groups (non-academic)
- Commercial labs and industry-facing clinical roles
- High-volume subspecialty sign-out roles (GI, dermpath, hemepath, cytology-heavy, etc.)
In these settings, the hiring manager is typically trying to answer questions like:
- What do you sign out day-to-day?
- How much volume can you handle?
- What’s your comfort level with frozen sections, cytology, call, tumor boards?
- Do you match our case mix (and can you cover gaps)?
- Are you efficient and dependable in a production environment?
- Do you have leadership experience that helps operations?
Publications aren’t irrelevant — they’re just rarely the deciding factor.
The biggest mistake pathologists make when applying outside academia
They send a 10-page CV where the first 2 pages are publications, posters, and committees… and the hiring leader never gets a clear picture of:
- What cases you read
- What percent of your workload is your subspecialty
- What your real signing responsibilities are
- Whether you can cover what they need covered
If the reader can’t quickly see fit, the document doesn’t do its job.
How to convert a CV into a strong pathology resume (without deleting your accomplishments)
Here’s the goal:
Keep your CV for academic opportunities.
Create a resume version for non-academic roles.
You can still include research — just compress it.
What to keep (and move up)
Prioritize:
- Clinical roles and training (with clear case mix)
- Subspecialty focus and breadth
- Leadership that impacts workflow, quality, or service
- Key operational strengths (turnaround time initiatives, QA, LIS projects, lab build-outs)
- Board certification, licensure, fellowship training
What to compress
- Publications: list selected (or “Representative Publications”) instead of everything
- Presentations: highlight only the most relevant
- Committees: keep the ones showing leadership or quality improvement
- Teaching: include if it helps (mentorship, leadership, program building)
What to add (that many CVs don’t include)
For private practice / commercial roles, consider adding a short “Clinical Snapshot” section, such as:
- Case mix: GI 40% / GU 25% / Cytology 15% / General 20%
- Volume: ~X surgical cases/day, ~X cytology cases/week (whatever is true for you)
- Coverage: frozens, ROSE, tumor boards, call schedule
- Systems: Beaker, CoPath, PowerPath, SoftPath, Cerner (etc.)
These details help a hiring group decide quickly if you match what they need.
Example: CV excerpt vs. converted resume excerpt
Example CV excerpt (academic style)
Assistant Professor of Pathology, University Medical Center
- Teaching: Lectures to MS1/MS2 students; resident didactics; pathology electives
- Research: Focus on molecular markers in thyroid neoplasms
- Publications: 22 peer-reviewed articles; 8 abstracts; 14 poster presentations
- Committees: Residency education committee; quality committee; DEI working group
Converted resume version (private practice / commercial style)
Pathologist | Anatomic & Clinical Pathology | Fellowship Trained (Thyroid / Head & Neck focus)
University Medical Center — Attending Pathologist
- Clinical sign-out across general surgical pathology with concentration in thyroid/head & neck; participates in tumor board and multidisciplinary conferences
- Covers intraoperative consultation/frozen sections and provides consult support to clinicians and surgeons
- Contributes to quality and workflow initiatives supporting service reliability and turnaround expectations
- Selected Academic Work: 22 peer-reviewed publications (representative list available upon request)
Notice what happened:
We didn’t “delete” accomplishments — we re-ordered and right-sized them for the audience.
Practical formatting tips (that actually matter)
- Lead with a tight summary that matches the job (subspecialty + setting)
- Use bullets, not paragraphs
- Keep it easy to skim: clear headings, consistent formatting
- For non-academic roles, put publications near the end as Selected Publications (or “Available upon request”)
- If you’re applying through online portals, use a simple layout that plays well with applicant tracking systems (ATS)
One last thought: You can have both — and you probably should
Most pathologists benefit from having:
- A full CV (academic-ready), and
- A resume version tailored to private practice / commercial labs
Same person. Same accomplishments. Different audience. Different priorities.
If you want, we can also turn your existing CV into a resume format in a way that keeps your academic credibility while making your clinical value jump off the page.