Neurosurgeon Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Neurosurgeon resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Neurosurgeons are highly trained medical professionals who perform surgeries on the brain, spinal cord, and other nervous system tissues. They’re involved in diagnosing and treating conditions like tumors, head trauma, and strokes, as well as performing routine surgeries like an endoscopic spinal surgery or a craniotomy.
Neurosurgeons combine the skills of a surgeon with the knowledge of a neurologist. They have a deep understanding of the human body and how it works, as well as its strengths and limitations. They’re also skilled at taking complex information and breaking it down into digestible pieces for patients and their families.
Because of the high level of trust and responsibility that comes with this job, it’s important that you only hire a top-notch candidate when you’re looking to hire a new neurosurgeon for your team. Here are some tips to help you write a compelling job description plus an example to look at when writing your own.
How to Write a Neurosurgeon Resume
Here’s how to write a neurosurgeon resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are a great way to showcase your experience and qualifications. But they can get boring quickly if you simply list your duties and responsibilities. Instead, use your bullet points to tell a story about your work. For example, rather than saying you “operated on patient with brain tumor,” you could say you “operated on patient with brain tumor to remove malignant tumor and prevent further neurological damage.”
The second bullet point is much more interesting and descriptive. It provides more detail about what you did and the results of your work. And it even includes a quantifiable result (preventing further neurological damage).
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a neurosurgeon role, your resume is likely to be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. ATS programs rank resumes against other applicants by looking for certain terms related to the position, like “brain surgery” or “neurology.” If your resume doesn’t have enough of the right words, the ATS might not forward it to a recruiter.
That’s why it’s important to include relevant keywords throughout all sections of your resume. You can start by reading through the job posting and highlighting words or phrases that are repeated. Then, use those same words when you write your resume. Here are some of the most commonly used neurosurgeon keywords:
- Neurosurgery
- Spine Surgery
- Brain Surgery
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Surgery
- Thoracic Surgery
- Skull Base Surgery
- Neurophysiology
- Spinal Surgery
- Cardiac Surgery
- Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Head & Neck Surgery
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Brain
- Cochlear Implant
- Hospitals
- Epidural Steroid Injections
- Medical Education
- Interventional Pain Management
- Anesthesiology
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery
- Skull
- Neuropathology
- Skull Base
- Neuroendoscopy
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Epilepsy
- Cranial Neurosurgery
- Brain Tumors
- Endovascular Neurosurgery
Showcase Your Technical Skills
Neurosurgeons are expected to be proficient in a variety of software programs and systems in order to effectively treat their patients. For instance, they should be familiar with medical imaging software, such as MRI and CT scan, in order to diagnose their patients. Additionally, neurosurgeons should be comfortable using surgical planning software, such as Neuronavigation, in order to plan and execute complex surgeries.
Other relevant technical skills for neurosurgeons include experience with electronic health records (EHR) systems and knowledge of medical coding systems, such as ICD-10.