A strong LinkedIn profile is a key professional tool for senior doctors. It helps you position yourself as an expert, grow your referral base and connect with peers, researchers and health leaders. Whether you’re looking to build or expand your practice, take up leadership roles or share your insights, LinkedIn offers a dynamic platform to increase your visibility and reputation.

This guide walks you through the basics — setting up your profile, what to focus on, and how to use LinkedIn strategically.

You can update your profile at any time. While it’s worth reflecting on what you want to be known for when you first set it up, remember the platform is flexible. Edits are instant, and only the latest version is visible to others.

Why LinkedIn matters for senior doctors

• Professional visibility: Share your expertise and contribute to clinical conversations.
• Collaboration and networking: Connect with peers, researchers and healthcare leaders.
• Leadership influence: Engage with organisations and policy to shape healthcare practice.
• Practice growth: Build referral networks with GPs and other specialists.
   

Instructions for setting up your LinkedIn profile

1. Sign up or log in: Go to LinkedIn.com.
2. Complete your profile: Follow the prompts. A professional photo builds trust and credibility.
3. Add a headline: Summarise your current role and clinical focus.
4. Write your summary: Outline your areas of expertise, achievements and approach to care and collaboration.
5. Detail your experience: List your roles and key accomplishments.
6. Add education and certifications: Include degrees, fellowships and relevant credentials.
    

Top tips for your LinkedIn profile

1. Crafting a compelling headline

Your headline appears directly under your name and should immediately convey your expertise and career focus.

Why it matters: It helps others understand your professional focus at a glance.

Tips for a strong headline:

- Use keywords relevant to your specialty.
- Highlight current roles, clinical or non-clinical interests, areas of expertise.
- Optional: Reflect leadership or research focus.

Example: "Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon | Private Practice | Researcher in Joint Reconstruction"
 

2. Write a strong summary (‘About’ section)

Your ‘About’ section should tell your professional story briefly and clearly.

Why it matters: This is your opportunity to showcase your expertise, achievements and professional philosophy.

Tips for an engaging summary:

- Start your role / specialisation and focus.
- Outline your key clinical, research, or leadership achievements.
- Highlight career aspirations and your approach to patient care or collaboration.

Example: "I am a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon specializing in joint reconstruction and sports medicine. Over the past decade, I have led surgical advancements in minimally invasive techniques and contributed to international research on osteoarthritis treatments. My focus is on delivering patient-centered care while expanding my referral network to enhance collaborative treatment pathways with GPs and allied health professionals."
 

3. Highlight your experience

Your ‘experience' section should provide a clear overview of your career progression and key accomplishments.

Why it matters: It establishes credibility and expertise, helping referrers, collaborators, and healthcare executives understand your impact.

Tips for showcasing experience:

- List roles in reverse chronological order.
- You may have multiple appointments currently which is fine. Generally, you list current roles by start date.
- Use bullet points to highlight key achievements.
- If building a referral network, emphasise your collaboration with other healthcare professionals.

Example: Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Private Practice

- Developed a new referral pathway with local GPs to streamline patient access.
- Led research studies on joint reconstruction techniques.
- Mentored junior doctors in surgical and clinical leadership.
 

4. Showcase your education and certifications

Ensure your qualifications and professional credentials are clearly visible.

Why it matters: Highlights your expertise, specialty training and continuous professional development.

Tips for showcasing education and certifications:

- Include medical school and specialist training.
- List fellowships, awards and certifications.

Example: Education

- Doctor of Medicine, University of Melbourne
- Fellowship, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (Orthopaedics)

Certifications

- Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
- Australian Orthopaedic Association Accreditation
 

5. Optimise your LinkedIn presence, engage and build your network

A complete profile is just the start — active engagement builds reach.  

Why it matters: Strengthens your reputation and influence. Supports the right career opportunities to find you.

Actionable steps:

- Post valuable content: Share insights on clinical developments, healthcare policy or case studies.
- Engage with professional groups: Participate in specialist forums and medical associations.
- Strengthen referral networks: Connect with relevant specialists and GPs who align with your practice.
- Showcase achievements: Highlight research publications, awards and leadership roles.

LinkedIn is a powerful platform and there is a lot more to explore than just what we have covered here. Look out for articles and resources from AMA Victoria on this topic in the future.