Home Cardiothoracic Surgeon Resume template
Cardiothoracic Surgeon resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what cardiothoracic surgeons actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most cardiothoracic surgeons should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Cardiothoracic surgeon with FRACS and extensive experience in coronary artery bypass, valve repair, and thoracic oncology. Committed to patient-centred care and leading multidisciplinary teams in high-pressure public and private hospital settings.
Key skills
- Clinical assessment and treatment
- Patient care and support
- Coronary artery bypass grafting
- Heart valve repair and replacement
- Thoracic and oesophageal surgery
- Intensive care management
- Epic
- Cerner
- Sectra PACS
- da Vinci Surgical System
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
- Written communication
- People leadership
- Time and deadline management
Experience: example bullet points
- Performed over 150 coronary artery bypass and valve procedures annually as part of a high-volume tertiary centre.
- Led a multidisciplinary team of registrars, nurses and perfusionists during complex cardiac surgery, maintaining a low complication rate.
- Reduced average postoperative length of stay for elective bypass patients from seven days to five by implementing an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol.
- Managed a thoracic oncology clinic, assessing and operating on patients with lung and oesophageal cancer.
- Supervised and mentored surgical registrars and fellows, supporting their progression through RACS training.
- Coordinated postoperative care in intensive care, including ventilator management and haemodynamic support.
Education
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) or Doctor of Medicine (MD), followed by internship and residency, then specialist training in cardiothoracic surgery through the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), leading to Fellowship (FRACS).
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- FRACS
- AHPRA
- RACS
- Medicare
- Cardiothoracic surgery
- Coronary artery bypass grafting
- Heart valve repair
- Thoracic oncology
- Heart transplant
- Lung cancer resection
- Oesophageal surgery
- Intensive care
- Epic
- Cerner
- Sectra PACS
- da Vinci Surgical System
- Multidisciplinary team
- Clinical governance
- Audit
- Morbidity and mortality
- On-call
- Public hospital
- Private hospital
- DVA
- Informed consent
- Patient safety
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.