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Updated 2026-07-03

How to write an NHS CV

An NHS CV — and the NHS Jobs application most posts actually use — is scored against the person specification. Here is what each section needs, and how to make a scoring panel’s job easy.

A strong NHS CV mirrors the person specification: for every “essential” and “desirable” criterion in the advert, it gives concrete evidence you meet it. Remember that most NHS roles are applied for through an online form on NHS Jobs, where the highest-weighted section is a free-text “supporting information” statement — the same content as a CV’s personal statement. UK CVs also leave out a photo, date of birth and marital status. Build the sections below in order, and keep to two pages unless it is a medical CV for a senior post.

The sections of an NHS CV / application

  1. 1. Personal & registration details

    Lets the panel confirm you are eligible to practise before anything else.

    • Name, city, professional email and phone — no photo, no date of birth, no marital status (UK CVs omit these).
    • Your regulator and registration number if you hold one (e.g. GMC, NMC, HCPC, GPhC) and your registration status.
    • Right-to-work status stated plainly (e.g. “eligible to work in the UK”), without oversharing immigration detail.

  2. 2. Personal / supporting statement

    The single highest-weighted section — on NHS Jobs it is the “supporting information” box.

    • Map it point-by-point to the person specification: take each “essential” and “desirable” criterion and give evidence you meet it.
    • Lead with why this role and this trust, then evidence of skills, then values — kept concrete, not adjectives.
    • Mirror the language of the advert and person spec so a scoring panel can tick criteria off quickly.

  3. 3. Employment history

    Shows your trajectory and that your experience matches the grade advertised.

    • Reverse-chronological: role, employer, dates (month/year), and 2–4 bullet points of what you did and delivered.
    • Quantify where you honestly can (caseload, rota tier, number of sites, teaching sessions) — never invent figures.
    • Explain gaps briefly and factually; unexplained gaps are a common reason strong applicants are queried.

  4. 4. Education & qualifications

    Evidences the academic and professional threshold for the role.

    • Primary qualification, institution, country and year; then postgraduate exams and memberships (e.g. MRCP, MRCS, MSc).
    • For internationally-qualified applicants, state any UK-recognition step you have completed or are in progress with.
    • List English-language evidence (IELTS/OET) if relevant to the role and your background.

  5. 5. Mandatory training & clinical skills

    Reassures the panel you can start safely with minimal onboarding.

    • Life support (BLS/ILS/ALS) with dates, safeguarding levels, information-governance / mandatory training status.
    • Core clinical competencies and procedures relevant to the post, grouped so they are quick to scan.
    • Systems experience (e.g. electronic patient records) where the advert asks for it.

  6. 6. Audit, quality improvement, teaching & CPD

    Directly evidences the NHS values “commitment to quality of care” and “improving lives”.

    • One or two audit/QI cycles you closed the loop on, with the change made and the result.
    • Teaching and supervision you have delivered, and any formal teaching qualification.
    • Recent CPD and, for doctors, your revalidation/appraisal status.

  7. 7. References

    NHS pre-employment checks require a continuous reference history.

    • Name a current/most-recent clinical supervisor; NHS employers typically seek references covering the last three years.
    • Confirm referees know they may be contacted; give their professional (not personal) contact details.
    • “References available on request” is fine on a CV — the application form will ask for them directly.

Get the copy-pasteable NHS CV template

An NHS values-based interview panel scores you against the six values of the NHS Constitution for England — not just your clinical competence. Prepare a real, STAR-structured example for each.

6NHS Constitution values every values-based interview is scored against
Compassion
respond to individual needs
Respect and dignity
value each person as an individual
Commitment to quality of care
safe, effective, open to learning

+ 3 more not shown here. As of NHS Constitution for England, updated 1 January 2021. Source: NHS Constitution for England (DHSC).

Get the NHS CV template + values-based interview guide

A copy-pasteable NHS CV / application skeleton and a full interview guide — the STAR structure, all six NHS values with an evidence prompt for each, and 12 common questions with model-answer structures. Emailed to you, free. Information only — you apply to NHS employers directly; we do not place you.

Sources

Every fact on this page is taken from the official sources below, verified 2026-07-03. Confirm the current guidance before you rely on it.

Continue preparing

NHS CV & interview hub

Start here: the whole guide in one place, plus the free template + interview pack.

Values-based interview prep

The six NHS values, the 6 Cs and STAR — how panels score you.

Common NHS interview questions

Real question types with a model-answer structure for each.

NHS take-home pay calculator

See your real net pay by band or grade before you apply.

UK registration checklist

The GMC / NMC / HCPC / GPhC pathway for internationally-qualified staff.

For doctors

The UK doctor pathway and remote work with GeraClinic.

For nurses (NMC)

The full NMC Test of Competence pathway.

Important — please read

This is free, general guidance on preparing your own NHS job application — not careers, immigration or employment advice, and not a guarantee of any outcome. Gera Services Ltd is not a recruitment agency, does not place health workers, does not match you to specific NHS vacancies and never charges an applicant a fee. You apply to NHS employers directly, on your own account, through NHS Jobs.