McMaster MSc ehealth Admissions Resume

Of all the documents required for your ehealth application, the resume is the single piece fully in your control. It is an opportunity to present unique content about you to the admissions committee. Transcripts, test scores, and references are either fixed or written by others, but your resume is your opportunity to actively shape your story and stand out among other applicants.

You need to use the resume template provided on the MSc ehealth admissions website. Limit your resume to 2 pages.

Guide to preparing your resume

While the MSc ehealth program does not reveal how they evaluate your resume, it is fair to assume they are looking for traits and skills of a (future) ehealth professional described by the program's admission requirements. Do not simply copy and paste a resume you used for co-op, because it’s likely prepared in a different context and for a different goal.

So then the question is, what does the admissions committee look for?

The main requirements are a passion for the study of eHealth, a background in computing and a strong interest in the use of computing support in health care applications.
-- McMaster MSc ehealth admissions website

Below, I will break down what this means and give you a comprehensive guide to preparing your resume.

Requirement 1: Passion

The complexity of integrating technology into clinical workflows, navigating regulations, and addressing the human side of ehealth can make ehealth challenging and, at times, easy to give up on. For this reason, the MSc ehealth admissions committee value applicants who bring not only academic and technical skills but also passion. Passion is what drives an ehealth professional to persevere through setbacks, stay motivated when projects become complex, and remain committed to advancing healthcare through technology.

Here are some ways you can demonstrate passion in your resume:

• Show perseverance in projects - ie. note challenges overcome when developing or testing a health app or dataset model in bullet points.
• Show long-term interest - ie. you've consistently volunteered in a healthcare setting for a long period of time.
• Show self-driven learning - ie. membership and readership to this blog, or participating in health-related hackathons, or self-studying online courses in the activities/interests section.

By incorporating passion into your resume, you can present yourself as resilient and motivated - qualities essential for future success as an ehealth professional.

Requirement 2: A background in computing

While this seems a little contradictory as on the same page on the admissions website they say "A background in computer science is not required". So what does this mean?