Board-certified general surgeon with 10 years in practice, now at a community teaching hospital performing about 450 cases a year with a focus on minimally invasive and robotic surgery. Launched the hospital's robotic hernia program, cutting length of stay for complex ventral hernias from 3.4 to 1.6 days. Teaches residents and chairs the surgical quality committee.
Experience
Attending General Surgeon, Oak Prairie Regional Medical Center (Des Moines, IA)
Aug 2019 – Present
Perform about 450 cases a year, including laparoscopic cholecystectomy, colectomy, hernia repair and emergency laparotomy, and take 1 in 5 acute care surgery call
Launched the robotic hernia program on the da Vinci Xi, cutting length of stay for complex ventral hernias from 3.4 to 1.6 days
Chair the surgical quality committee, using ACS NSQIP data and an ERAS bundle to lower colorectal surgical site infections from 11% to 6%
Teach and evaluate 8 general surgery residents a year in the OR and at M&M conference
General Surgeon, Lakeland Surgical Associates (Omaha, NE)
Aug 2016 – Jul 2019
Built a practice of about 300 cases a year in breast, endocrine and foregut surgery
Served on the trauma panel at a Level II trauma center
Education
Doctor of Medicine (MD), University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine (Aug 2007 – May 2011)
Residency, General Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center (Jul 2011 – Jun 2016)
Skills
Surgical: laparoscopic and robotic surgery, hernia repair, colorectal surgery, acute care surgery
Quality: ACS NSQIP, ERAS protocols, M&M review
Systems: Epic OpTime, da Vinci Xi
Credentials: American Board of Surgery certified, FACS, Iowa medical license, ATLS
How to write a Surgeon resume
A strong Surgeon resume shows patient outcomes, safety and the clinical or operational standards you upheld. Put your most relevant recent role first and make every bullet show a result, not a duty.
Sections, in order
Summary
Licenses and certifications
Experience
Education
Skills
Length: One page for most candidates; move to two only if every line is relevant.
Summary: Write two or three lines: your role, your strongest skills, and one result that proves them.
Skills to feature
Patient care
Clinical documentation
EHR systems (Epic, Cerner)
Infection control
Care coordination
Patient education
Regulatory compliance (HIPAA)
Triage
Interdisciplinary collaboration
Quality improvement
Example bullet points
Cared for 5 to 6 patients per shift on a 32-bed cardiac unit with a 98% documentation audit score
Led a falls-prevention initiative that reduced unit falls by 40% over 12 months
Trained 14 new nurses on Epic workflows, shortening their orientation by two weeks
Tips from recruiters
Put licences and certifications (RN, BLS, ACLS) with their state or body near the top.
Name the setting and specialty for each role: unit type, patient population and bed count.
Use a clean single-column layout; hospital applicant systems parse them most reliably.
Recommended templates
Vital (ATS-friendly): Clean clinical layout with a credentials block
Classic (ATS-friendly): Jake's-style LaTeX classic: small caps and hairline rules
Modern (ATS-friendly): Clean single column with accent headings and rules
Surgeon resume FAQ
What should a Surgeon resume include?
A Surgeon resume should show patient outcomes, safety and the clinical or operational standards you upheld. Use these sections in this order: Summary, Licenses and certifications, Experience, Education and Skills. Put your most relevant recent role first and make every bullet show a result, not a duty.
What is the best resume template for a Surgeon?
Vital, Classic and Modern work well for Surgeon roles. They are single-column with standard headings, so applicant tracking systems (ATS) parse them reliably.
How long should a Surgeon resume be?
One page for most candidates; move to two only if every line is relevant.
Which skills should a Surgeon put on a resume?
Prioritize the skills named in the job posting. Common ones for Surgeon roles are Patient care, Clinical documentation, EHR systems (Epic, Cerner), Infection control, Care coordination and Patient education.
How do I write strong Surgeon resume bullet points?
Start with an action verb, say what you did, and end with a measurable result such as patients per shift, readmission rate and patient satisfaction. For example: "Cared for 5 to 6 patients per shift on a 32-bed cardiac unit with a 98% documentation audit score."