resume samples for nurses

The Ultimate Guide to Nursing Resumes in 2024

How to write a nurse resume, nurse resume research, nursing resume readers & robots, choose a nurse resume format, nurse resume format & design, writing your nursing resume, common resume mistakes, nursing resume templates, nurse resume faqs.

Expert Reviewed by: Amanda Guarniere, NP, Founder of the Resume RX

In 2024, a vague, uninspiring nursing resume just won't cut it. Recent years have fostered growing competition for the best nursing jobs , creating a greater need for nurses to learn how to write exceptional nursing resumes. With vast opportunities and diverse requirements from various employers, every nurse must put their best foot forward to market themselves for the best positions. 

However, this ever-changing world of online applications and robotic resume readers makes it more complex for nurses to get to the first rounds of interviews. This article will help you tackle the daunting task of writing a nursing resume that stands out. We'll help you build a better nursing resume by giving you an inside look at how robotic resume readers work and providing tips on how to make your resume, things you should and shouldn't include, and provide examples and templates.

Think of your job search as your own personal marketing campaign. And the product is you! Your resume is an advertisement for your professional nursing brand. A brand is more than a logo - it’s the overall impression you give your audience. In this case, your audience is a potential employer. 

As with any advertisement, the goal of your nursing resume is to pique your audience’s interest in a limited amount of time. It’s commonly said that hiring managers will spend less than ten seconds reading your resume. And in many cases, it has to first be screened by a resume-reading robot before it reaches human hands.

So, you must carefully curate your brand for these employers. Captivate them with your professionalism, unique skillset, experience, and personality using your nursing resume. These tactics may help get your foot in the door for an interview, where you can close the deal by impressing them in person.

The first and most important step in any marketing campaign is the research phase. The more you learn about potential employers, the better you can tailor your registered nurse resume to their requirements.

Initial Employer Research for Nursing Resumes

Before you begin tailoring your resume for specific jobs, take some time to answer the following questions about each company:

• Who are they?
• What is their company culture?
• What do they struggle with as an organization?
• What qualities are they looking for in a potential candidate?
• Which of their desired qualities do you possess?

Researching Company Culture and Values

The internet has made it fairly easy to hop online and start your research right now from your mobile device. Employers' websites and social platforms will give you an inside glimpse at their culture and values.

Instead of simply reading a job posting, take a few extra steps to investigate the employer's online presence:

• Check out the company website - what does their mission statement say?
• See what they tweet about
• Investigate what photos they post on Instagram
• Learn about the articles they share on Facebook
• Check their LinkedIn - do you have any connections at the company?
• Look at their Google ratings

Examine Required vs Preferred Nursing Qualifications

The research phase isn't just about investigating the company - you also need to understand the job description. Specifically, understanding the difference between "required" and "preferred" qualifications will help you build a tailored resume for each job:

Required Qualifications

These are just what they say - requirements. Those who do not possess these qualifications will not be considered. 

Preferred Qualifications

Skills that are desired but are not deal-breakers for the employer. You may still be considered even if you do not possess these. 

As you personalize your nursing resume to different opportunities, these qualifications will, in part, guide what you do and do not include. You should include any and all required qualifications if you want an employer to consider your candidacy. 

If you do not possess some or all of the preferred qualifications, you can apply anyway and still be in the running. However, including the ones you do possess on your tailored nursing resume is always the best practice.

Build a Master Resume

You may want a solid starting point from which you can use your research to build a dedicated resume for each position you apply for. Queue the "master resume," a comprehensive working document that highlights everything you've accomplished and every skill you've fostered as a nurse thus far. 

We recommend starting with a foundational nurse resume so that you can alter it for each role you apply to. This way, you won't be rewriting a new resume for every single position. But you'll also avoid submitting "cookie-cutter" resumes that employers won't bother looking at twice.

Use Research to Personalize Your Nursing Resume

Dale Carnegie once said that “A person’s name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” Personalizing your RN resume matters, with both how you mention and address the future employer and how to include your specific qualifications that match what they are looking for.

Using your research and leveraging your professional brand and personality to target your nurse resume could lead to the interview of your dreams. Not targeting it, however, could lead you on the fast track to nowhere.

The internet revolution transformed the hiring process, impacting the entire labor market in a very short time. 15 years ago, printing your resume on off-white linen paper and hand-delivering it to employers was the status quo. But as little as five years later, doing so might only get you some perplexed looks and urges to apply online.

Technological advances will continue shaping the job market in 2024.  USC Annenberg reports that up to 55% of companies are making investments in AI recruiting measures. But even now, many employers screen online applicants using resume-reading robots. 

This section explores how these bots impact the hiring process and how to get your nursing resume past them and into a real person's hands.

What Is a Resume Reading Robot?

ATS systems are highly technical but can only do what their program says, unable to come close to human discretion. So, knowing how ATS systems work can help you write a resume that passes their screening.

Here's a brief overview of how employers use ATS software to screen nursing applicants:

1. Knockout Questions

Recruiters can use an ATS to scan for keywords or "knockout questions" like "Do you have an active Washington State Nursing License?" These functions help them swiftly eliminate unqualified candidates.

2. Disqualifying Statements

They may also configure the ATS to include “disqualifying statements.” An ATS searching for these statements will automatically reject nursing resumes with certain keywords or phrases. 

For example, an ATS screening for bachelor's-trained nurses might reject resumes that mention an associate's degree. If you have both, consider listing only your BSN.

3. Keyword Screening

Finally, recruiters may use the ATS to find resumes with exact keywords or phrases. These may include qualifications listed in the job description, degrees, or skills. They can program the ATS to reject any application that does not include their specified keywords.

How Does ATS Work?

Not all ATS systems are created equally. They vary greatly in their functionality and behavior. Most ATS systems are programmed to score resumes according to keywords. However, they can be configured to search and score resumes based on various other criteria.

The results are imperfect. Some ATS systems can't differentiate between titles, such as Clinical Nurse II and Registered Nurse, or distinguish between the terms BLS and Basic Life Support. So how do you navigate these intricacies in your nursing resume?

Best Practice:   R ead the job description and use the exact wording for the qualifications listed that you possess.

If you use acronyms and abbreviations, make sure to spell out the entire word, followed by the shortened version. It would be disappointing to have all the requested qualifications but be filtered out by the ATS because you used only the acronyms when the robot was programmed for the full phrases spelled out.

What Are the Shortcomings of ATS?

The problem is that ATS does not ‘read’ a resume as a human would - it simply collects data. It doesn’t care about aesthetics, either. It is programmed by an employer to search for the right keywords, in the right order, on the right part of the resume.  

Also, the system can get confused pretty easily. For example, if the font is too fancy or if it encounters unrecognizable symbols, it may score the resume as ‘unqualified’ and move on to the next resume. It does what it is configured to do, nothing more and nothing less.

While ATS has streamlined the hiring process for employers, it’s also made job search extremely challenging for the job seeker. In fact, 94% of hiring professionals say that ATS has positively influenced their hiring goals, while 80% of job seekers say that their online job search is stressful.

What Other Hiring Technology Might I Encounter?

Recently, some employers have started to use artificial intelligence in a different way - during the interview process. Rather than having strict ATS filters, they offer more candidates the opportunity to interview, but there is a catch.

You don't interview with the employer but with a computer. In these one-way or “on-demand” interviews, you essentially get the opportunity to record your video response to interview questions. After you submit it, hiring managers or recruiters review the video responses before choosing the candidates for formal interviews.

Does Every Employer Use ATS?

While many employers use ATS, there are definitely employers who still rely on human resource professionals to screen resumes. In those instances, a human resources professional usually skims the resumes and invites the most qualified candidates in for an interview.

The problem here is that most employers will receive hundreds of resumes for a single opening. To get through the resumes quickly, the HR professional may resort to a simple scan of the resumes knowing that even qualified applicants may not make it. It’s simply a way to reduce the number of applicants.

In either case, the goal of the modern resume is to ‘sell’ yourself in an organized, targeted manner for a specific role. The best way to design an effective, attention-grabbing resume is by making strong assertions in the beginning followed by supporting evidence.

How to Get Past the ATS

• Target your resume to the specific position. Do this by reading job descriptions and selecting keywords noted in the descriptions - competencies, skills sets, education, and experience.
• Match individual experiences to keywords/key skill sets found within the job posting.  
• Research the employer and target the resume based on the facility's values and culture. 
• Make strong assertions within the top ⅓ of the resume.
• Follow those assertions with supporting evidence.
• Include a “ Professional Summary ” if you are an experienced Nurse.
• Only apply to roles that you match 100% of the “Required Qualifications.” 
• Use simple fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri.
• Never use smaller than 10-point font. See Part 5 for more styling suggestions. 
• Use simple black bullet (dots) points, not special bullet symbols.
• Save your resume as a .doc, .docx, or .pdf format.
• If using an abbreviation, always spell out the words followed by the abbreviation or acronym. You never know how the abbreviation was entered into the ATS. 
• Use standard, simple section headers such as “Work History” or “Education.”
• Settings you’ve worked in 
• Patient demographics
• Policies/procedures
• EMR/EHR used
• Medications administered
• Equipment used
• Don’t use the same title as at your current employer if it is different from the title in the job description. Use the title in the job description. 
• Don’t overload your resume with keywords. Use them appropriately. Overusing keywords will flag a resume and could cause the ATS to lower your score.
• Don't forget to support the keywords you use with evidence throughout your resume.
• Do not put your contact information in the header section because ATS will not see it.
• Do not include tables because most ATS can’t read them. Other ATS can only read them if their operator programmed them to do so. 
• Do not use creative section headers such as “Where I’ve Worked” because the ATS likely doesn’t understand what that means.
• Don’t include a headshot, graphics, special fonts, photos, colored fonts, or unique bullets. 
• Do not state, “References available upon request.” It takes up too much space and is unnecessary. If employers want references, they’ll ask. 
• Don’t place skills at the bottom of the resume. Many ATS systems only scan the top ⅓ of the resume for keywords. If you have important keywords at the bottom, the ATS may not see them and could disqualify your resume. 
• Don’t use “I” statements; resumes should be written in the third person. 
• Do not rely on resume builder software. Stay in control of your registered nurse resume.

How to Spot an ATS

If you’ve ever visited a job posting and seen an “APPLY NOW” button, you’ve encountered the elusive resume-reading bot. ATS requires candidates to enter data on the front end. 

Maybe you’ve gone through the steps to create a login, complete the application and upload your resume. Perhaps you didn’t realize at the time that you were entering your information into an applicant tracking system.  

Raise your hand if you never heard back from an employer after applying online. Raise your other hand if you received an automated response “thanking” you for your interest and never heard back!

Now, keep in mind that it can be difficult to stand out when you are applying for a job online, especially when there is an ATS involved. As you consider your overall job search strategy, try to think of other ways that can increase your chances of getting a job. Don’t be afraid to ask your network connections for referrals and recommendations, or let friends and family know what type of position you are looking for and where. While your resume is absolutely important, it isn’t the only tool that can lead to you getting a job.

Prior to ever typing words onto your resume, it’s important to first decide on a resume format. There are three types of resume layouts. While we highly recommend the reverse-chronological layout for most nursing professionals, we’d encourage you to make the best choice for yourself.

Here’s a breakdown of the three most popular types of resume layouts: 

1. Reverse Chronological Nursing Resume

This layout focuses on career history and lists jobs in reverse chronological order. We recommend this type of registered nurse resume for the majority of healthcare professionals and will focus the details of this article on the format. It is best suited for:

• New nursing graduates
• Nurses with fewer than 5 roles within the past 5-7 years. 
• Travel Nurses with <10 completed assignments
• Nurses with experience in only 1-2 specialties
• Nurses applying for a similar role
• Nurses wanting to show vertical career progression 

2. Functional Nursing Resume

This nurse resume layout places emphasis on skills and deemphasizes work history. However, it does not pass the ATS test well, and hiring managers overall do not prefer it. We recommend against this layout for the majority of nursing professionals. Typically, people who use this format are: 

• Changing careers
• Have large gaps in employment
• Do have years of experience in the role in which they are applying

3. Combination Nursing Resume

This layout is a mixture of the reverse chronological and the functional resume. While it places emphasis on skill sets, abilities, and accomplishments, it also highlights applicable work history. We recommend combination resumes for nursing professionals with the following background, goals, and barriers: 

• Nurses with experience in multiple specialties and/or medical professions
• Seasoned travel nurses with >10 completed assignments
• Nurses with multiple small gaps in employment
• Nurses looking to change specialties
• Nurses interested in changing careers

Writing a nursing resume can feel overwhelming. It’s no easy task! Nowadays, nursing resumes must be able to pass through resume reading software before it even reaches a recruiter. That’s why we’ve put together THREE nurse resume templates to cater to your unique professional needs and employment situation.

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The first formatting and design consideration you should make when creating your nursing resume is how well an  ATS will read them. We recommend the following comprehensive design and formatting guidelines to appease common ATS systems:

Many experts believe you can achieve the perfect balance of text to white space in your nursing resume using the following margin settings:

• Top Margin: 1"
• Side Margins: .63"

Left alignment is standard since that’s how most people (and robots) read. You may think a justified alignment looks tidier, but it can leave uneven gaps between words and ultimately make text harder to read. 

In the nursing profession, length should not be the focus of the resume. While we recommend 1-2 pages, some nurses may have resumes with 3 (or more) pages.

Don’t stress over length too much. If the resume is slightly over the page amount by a few lines try changing the margin, font style, font size, or shortening statements. The bottom line is it should look visually appealing and should include keywords.

We recommend  Times New Roman or Arial to best utilize the functionality of the ATS. However, this is your personal preference. Take note that Times New Roman can be difficult to read if it is smaller than 11pt.

If you are striving for a resume that looks visually appealing when printed, there are great ways to achieve that without going overboard with design. For example, you could use the “small caps” feature for headings, which keeps the font the same but adds a bit more character and differentiation. Or, you could try a font pairing, using serif fonts for headers and sans serif for body text.

Important Note: Different font styles will take up different amounts of space. See how these identical statements look vastly different despite both being in 11 pt font:

Experienced Travel Nurse with 8 years experience in critical care nursing.

Throughout the resume, there should be different-sized fonts. We recommend the following for each section: 

It’s important to note that 10-point font should be the smallest size on the resume. 

While some ATS systems claim to read colors, we encourage you to simply use black. 

Special Characters

We recommend keeping the resume very simple. Basic bullet points (black dots) may be used when desired. Simple lines are acceptable as well. 

Design Features to Avoid

The following design features are best left off the resume: 

• Multiple font styles
• Special characters

As you’ve learned, ATS systems skim resumes and locate specific information in the correct order. We’d suggest using the following categories and section headers to optimize your nursing resume for ATS scoring.

Contact Information

This is the first section of the resume and does not require a title. Your name should be front and center. Don’t make the recruiter search for it. Make sure it’s the largest font on the page. While there are varying opinions on the exact placement of the name, we recommend a simple classic version in the following format:

Your name should be the first thing a recruiter, hiring manager, or ATS system sees on your nurse resume. It should share a line with your nursing credentials and be in a bold, readable, 18-22 pt font. If you go by a different name, make sure to list both in this section.

Nursing Credentials

Your nursing credentials should directly follow your first and last name on a nursing resume. The preferred order to list these in is Highest degree earned, Licensure, then National Certifications.

We've included a  credential quick reference guide below to help you fill out your resume perfectly.

The days of listing your home address on a resume are over - most employers don't need this information, and we advise against including it on your resume as a security precaution. However, this is a personal decision you can make at your own discretion.

You should never leave your location off completely because many employers have location parameters set in their ATS systems. Ensure you include your city and state in the contact information portion of your nursing resume.

Phone/Texting Number

Oh, technology! Yes, some employers will actually text their candidates. Make sure to indicate if you receive texts and whether the phone number is a cell phone or a home phone. This is a great time to make sure your voicemail message states your full name and is professional.

Email Address

It is in your best interest to ensure that you have a professional email address that does not reveal your age. Age discrimination is real, and listing your birth year or using an antiquated email service like AOL can definitely trigger it.

Your email address should include a variation of your name and some numbers if necessary. You can even make a totally separate email account and use it only for your job search.

LinkedIn Profile

If you have a LinkedIn profile definitely include it. If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, you could be missing out on opportunities. Now is the time to create one!

In your settings, you can easily create a shortened LinkedIn URL that doesn’t have a bunch of random numbers and letters.

How Your Digital Footprint Impacts Your Nursing Job Search

Though you may not list it, you should consider your social media and online presence when you complete the contact information portion of your resume. Potential employers will likely look you up online. Many Recruiters tell us that looking a candidate up on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter is one of the first things they do. So, make sure everything you post online is what you would want an employer to see. 

Additionally, online behavior can benefit you. Do you have a nursing-related website or blog? Are you an Instagram celebrity? Maybe you created a successful YouTube channel when you were a newbie nurse. Include all this on your resume if it relates to nursing. This is all part of your unique brand!

Nursing Resume Credential Quick Reference Guide

According to the American Nurses Credentialing Center (AACN), the preferred order is Highest degree earned, Licensure, and National Certification.

Educational degrees include doctoral degrees (Ph.D., DrPH, DNS, EdD, DNP), master’s degrees (MSN, MS, MA), bachelor’s degrees (BS, BSN, BA), and associate degrees (AD, ADN).

Licensure credentials include RN, LPN, CNA, and APRN.

National certification , which is occasionally voluntary for nurses and obligatory for advanced practice nurses, is awarded through accredited certifying bodies such as the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), includes RNBC (Registered Nurse-Board Certified) and FNP-BC (Family Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified).

You may also choose to include awards and honors:

Outstanding achievements in nursing, such as FAAN (Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing).

Other certifications that recognize additional skills, such as the EMT-Basic/EMT, awarded by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.

Here is an example of contact information on a nursing resume that puts it all together:

Penny Lite, BSN, RN   Los Angeles, CA | Text/Call: (987) 654 - 3210 | [email protected] | www.linkedin.com/pennylitern

Professional Summary

Don’t make an employer (or ATS) search your entire resume for reasons to invite you to an interview. Tell them right off the top exactly why you are the best candidate for the role.

Every position is unique, and this is your first opportunity to optimize the resume for ATS and to also catch the employer’s eye. Spend a little time to target it and let your qualifications and accomplishments shine. 

While there is some debate about how to introduce your resume, we suggest using a professional summary as opposed to a career objective. The professional summary can be formatted in either a short paragraph or a bulleted list asserting qualifications and providing a concise career snapshot.

How to Write a Professional Summary for a Nursing Resume

Think of your resume summary as an “elevator pitch” - a quick, attention-grabbing, loaded statement that entices the reader to want to continue on. Your professional summary is unique to you and should be targeted to a specific role, just like the cover letters career counselors used to tell us about.

However, it could definitely include the following information: 

• Number of years of experience in a specialty 
• Common keywords found in nursing job descriptions e.g., excellent patient care, acute care, family education, compassionate
• Facility designations or info about facilities 
• Supervisory experience and number of subordinates
• Special certifications or awards
• Language abilities
• Soft skills such as patience, compassion, and a cooperative spirit

Nursing professional summary example: 

4+ years nursing experience with strong clinical background in critical care (CCU) and intermediate care nursing (IMCU). Proactively streamlines operations, initiates tasks, and supports the healthcare team while prioritizing excellent patient care. Champions patient and family education by providing compassionate, inclusive care that encourages self-sufficiency. Recipient of the Daisy Award. Bilingual in English and Spanish.

Nursing Skills and Areas of Expertise

List your nursing skills within the top ⅓ of the resume - Don't make the common mistake of adding them last. With the popularity of ATS, this mistake could cost you an interview. This is especially true in nursing, as the profession requires very specific skills. 

Additionally, your hard skills should be directly targeted to the role as expressed in the job description. Is the employer asking for a specific EMR that you are experienced with? List it! Are you an expert at starting IVs because of your five years of experience in the emergency room? List it!

This should not be a generic list of skills but a specific list that is as quantified as possible. It’s possible that if you are a newer nurse or are making a specialty pivot you may not have hard skills to include. In that case, it’s okay to omit this section and highlight your transferable  soft nursing skills within your job history.

While most nurses list their license titles on their resumes, it’s been our experience that they leave off a few very important details - most notably, whether the license is active and the expiration date. 

Why is this important? Including this information lets potential employers know that you are ready to start work ASAP. They don’t have to wait for the licensing process. Including your license number is optional, and you can make this decision based on your privacy comfort. The employer will likely be verifying your license online anyway (this is all public information).

If you are an advanced practice nurse, you may decide to leave off license numbers for privacy purposes, especially your DEA number or controlled substance registration number.

Here’s an example of how to list your licensure:

Registered Nurse - California, #RN00101, expires 4/17/2024.

Certifications and Credentials

This is another key section where some important details are typically missing on the nursing resumes we’ve seen. While most nurses list their credentials, it’s important to list them in a specific manner.

Don’t simply list acronyms, as some ATS systems may not be programmed to read shortened versions. Make sure to list the accrediting body, credential/certification number (where applicable), and expiration date. 

Here’s an example of how to list your certifications and credentials: 

Basic Life Support (BLS), American Heart Association, expires: 12/1/2021

Work History

Employers want to know what you can do for them, period.  Nurse recruiters we’ve talked to will zero in on this section. What are they looking for? Evidence, facts, quantifiable points - proof to support the assertions made in your resume summary.

Vague work histories are particularly frustrating to employers - especially when applicants copy and paste job descriptions. To avoid falling into those pitfalls, try incorporating these tips: 

Use simple section headers such as “Work History” or “Relevant Experience,” these are ATS friendly. “What I’ve Done” is not. 

List your experience in reverse chronological order.  If you have a lengthy employment history, you may consider only including the most recent 10-15 years of experience. This will shorten your resume and also limit the chances that you’ll encounter age discrimination. Looking at the big-picture experience from 25 years ago doesn’t necessarily speak to your recent nursing experience because employers care about what you can do for them now.

Work History Format

Adding your work history in a logical format can help your nursing resume beat the ATS and impress recruiters. We recommend using the following format for each work history segment:

1. Job Title and Specialty

This is a controversial subject, but we believe employers care more about what you’ve done than who you’ve worked for. Use the job title as it is listed in the job posting, or use a more industry-wide job title. Registered Nurse as opposed to Clinical Nurse II. 

2. Facility Name

Add the name of the facility or company you worked for after your job title. You can add this on the same line or a different line, but using the same line will optimize space.

3. Employment Dates  

These are important and can be listed in a number of ways. However, it’s been our experience that specific dates are not necessary for a resume. On an application, yes, on a resume, not so much. You can simply list the months and years (mm/yy - present).

4. Facility-Specific and Unit-Specific Information

This information is helpful and important to employers but is left off the majority of resumes we’ve seen, it includes: 

• Trauma level: level I, II, III
• Facility Designations 
• Total Hospital beds
• Total unit beds

Primary Duties and Accomplishments

This section looks best in a bulleted list of no more than six points and should include duties, noteworthy accomplishments, and achievements. It’s important to emphasize specific duties and not be too vague.

Also, try your best not to simply regurgitate basic nursing duties that would be assumed of your role. This will take up valuable space on your resume and not really tell the reader much about you !

Wondering what specifics to include? Here are a few questions to get those wheels turning:

• What illnesses, injuries, or traumas do you care for? 
• What cases do you work on? 
• What type of medications do you administer and how? 
• What therapies do you perform? 
• What equipment do you use? 
• How have you improved processes? 
• When have I been first or best?
• No. 1 achievement in each position?
• Which achievements have the most impressive numbers?
• When have I been publicly recognized?

Write Strong Nursing Resume Bullets

Wondering how to order your bullets and what to include? Try this: start with a verb leading to quantifiable data or a specific point and include a relevant duty.

Use our comprehensive tables to build compelling nursing resume bullets that make your achievements shine:

Here is a brief work history resume example for nurses that puts it all together:

Registered Nurse, Acute Care - Example Medical Center 09-19 - Present

• Supervised staff of 15 registered nurses, 8 certified nursing assistants, and 7 paramedics while multitasking excellent patient care. 
• Cared for up to 4 patients per shift with acute neurological disorders, including strokes, spinal cord injuries, and head trauma.

Education and Training

In the nursing profession, education and training are of utmost importance. If you have work experience, this section can be fairly brief.  You should list your relevant degrees in chronological order. 

There are varying opinions regarding the specific ordering of education. However, we believe that the degree or certification title should be listed first. Employers care firstly that you have the education requirement they need and secondarily where you obtained the requirement. 

We suggest the following format:  Degree or Certification Title (acronym), Institution Name 

Here’s an example: 

Bachelor's Degree in Nursing (BSN), University of Washington 

Should I Include Graduation Dates on a Nursing Resume?

You are not required to include your college or high school graduation dates on your nursing resume , as it could reveal your age. Age discrimination is the top form of employment discrimination and affects all age groups. If you graduated more than 10-15 years ago, it may be a good idea to omit the date.  But this is a personal decision you should make at your own discretion.

Should I Include My GPA on a Nursing Resume?

Including your GPA in your nursing resume is optional. If you are particularly proud of your GPA, by all means, add it! However, it is not required. If you graduated with honors that you are proud of, you can definitely include that as well. Again the resume is a unique snapshot of you!

Should I Include my Non-Nursing Degrees and Credentials?

If you possess other degrees not related to nursing, it is not necessary to include those on your nursing resume. Some second-career nurses like to list this information, especially if there has been an interesting career pivot or one that brings a lot of value to your role as a nurse. Remember, you are telling your personal, unique story, and you get to decide what to include.

How Do I Add In-Progress Advanced Education Programs?

If you are currently enrolled in higher education to advance your studies within the nursing field, that should be listed on your resume and state that the degree is pending or in progress. However, if you started a graduate degree program, never finished, and do not plan on finishing, it is unnecessary to include it on the resume. 

Should I Include my High School Education?

Nurses do not need to include their high school diplomas on their resumes. The nursing profession requires completion of higher education, and therefore, your higher degree trumps your diploma. 

Awards, Accomplishments, and Affiliations

Though this section is not required, we encourage including awards and accomplishments that are relevant to the nursing profession. These details will provide the potential employer with more proof and evidence of who you are as a nurse. 

In this section, you can include: 

• Awards and recognitions that are specific to the hospital or facility where you work, e.g. the Daisy Award, Employee of the Month, and Nursing Excellence Award
• Professional memberships and affiliations relating to nursing and/or healthcare
• Volunteer work, if it relates to nursing

We suggest the following format: Title, organization, year

Here are a couple of examples:

• Recipient, Nursing Excellence Award, Washington Medical Center
• Volunteer, American Red Cross - Haiti - 2012

Naming Your Nurse Resume Save File

One last thing, saving! Don’t just give your resume any old name! Hiring professionals sometimes receive multiple documents from candidates, and they don’t want to waste time sorting through every document to find the resume. Some prefer to organize resumes by specialty. Tell them exactly which document is your resume. 

We suggest the following format: firstlast_specialty_resume.doc

Here’s an example:

PennyLite_ICU_resume.doc

We’ve seen a lot of resumes over the years, and you might be surprised by the amount of strange information people have included on them. So, here are the top mistakes we’ve seen:

Woot! If you’ve made it this far you should have an excellent understanding of how to write a great nursing resume. We know it’s a lot of information right now, and we hope that you’ll use the information to advance your career.

For a little more help, try using our free resume templates. And when you’ve landed your next interview, check out the next part in this series, The Complete Guide to Nursing Job Interviews .

>> Download free nurse resume templates!

What should be included in a nursing resume?

• A nursing resume should include your education, experience, including clinical, work, and volunteer, any certifications you have, and skills. 

How do I write a nurse resume?

• You can use a template to fill out your nursing resume or fill out your own. 

How do I list my nursing skills on my resume?

• List skills that are in the job description or outline on the facility’s website. For instance, common nursing skills include critical thinking, teamwork, communication, team management, and high ethical standards. 

Do you put RN after your name on a resume?

• You can include "RN" or "RN, BSN"  if you have other credentials. If you haven’t passed your NCLEX yet, you can put G.N. for Graduate Nurse.

How long should a nurse's resume be?

• A nursing resume should be no longer than 1-2 pages. 

What is your greatest skill as a nurse?

• The most valuable skill you have as a nurse may depend on your exact role and specialty, but in general, communication, kindness, empathy, and critical thinking are highly valued traits as a nurse. 

How far back should a resume go?

• If you’re a recent graduate, you don’t need to go to high school, just include your college experience and degree. For experienced nurses, include all relevant experience. 

Amanda is an Ivy-league-educated nurse practitioner and career mentor who helps nurses find and land their dream jobs. She founded The Résumé Rx  in 2018 to help nurses with career and résumé strategy  Learn more about Amanda and her products at  www.theresumerx.com  and follow her on Instagram  @theresumerx.

Angelina has her finger on the pulse of everything nursing. Whether it's a trending news topic, valuable resource or, heartfelt story, Angelina is an expert at producing content that nurses love to read. She specializes in warmly engaging with the nursing community and exponentially growing our social presence.

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9 Registered Nurse (RN) Resume Examples for 2024

Registered Nurse (RN)

Best for senior and mid-level candidates.

There’s plenty of room in our elegant resume template to add your professional experience while impressing recruiters with a sleek design.

Resume Builder

Like this template? Customize this resume and make it your own with the help of our Al-powered suggestions, accent colors, and modern fonts.

• RN Resume by Education
• RN Resumes by Experience
• RN Resumes by Type

Registered nurses (RN) are a profession in very high demand. In addition to a hiring rush during COVID-19, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts a 12 percent growth in demand for RNs through 2028.

Nursing is a tough enough profession in its own right. So, don’t be discouraged if you’re struggling to draft your  nurse cover letter  or  write a resume  that puts your best foot forward.

We’re here to help with nine great RN resume samples that guarantee success in the challenging world in 2024. It doesn’t matter if this is your first job out of nursing school or if you’re a seasoned vet; these resumes are a great starting place when writing or updating your own.

Registered Nurse (RN) Resume

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• You’re undergoing a career change,
• You just finished nursing school and this is your first RN job, or
• You’re going to customize it to the  nursing job description .
• If none of those are relevant to you, skip the objective!
• Two other relatively common requirements for RN positions (though certainly not all positions) are Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) and Basic Life Support (BLS). Explicitly mention those in your resume if you have them.

RN BSN Resume

• Next, delve into outstanding performances like streamlining shifts and reducing scheduling conflicts. Also, adding measurable impact further elevates your suitability.

New Grad RN Resume

• If the activities are related to healthcare or show you in a professional, positive light and you need some help filling out your new grad RN resume , then include one or two.
• Color is one way to show some personality on your resume while still portraying professionalism. Try a strong accent color while keeping the color basic everywhere else, as seen in many of our  resume examples .
• P.S. You can catch this mistake easily when you take advantage of our  resume builder  and its AI-powered tips. 

Experienced RN Resume

• As you gain more and more experience as an RN, try your best to show a progression in responsibility and ownership on your experienced RN resume. 
• Here’s the trick: Keep a master copy of every job and a working list of job description bullet points for each. Then, pull from this master list and customize it according to the specific role for which you’re applying now.
• Two other quick things you can do to fit more content are to reduce vertical spacing and reduce page margins, which is a simple click of a button in our  AI resume maker .
• Hit the highlights in your resume, but you can delve further into these details when creating a cover letter .

PACU RN Resume

• Take inspiration from Sandra’s resume and ensure you highlight your Registered Nurse (RN) certification alongside your degree. Next, demonstrate work experiences like “cutting down postoperative complications by 26%” and “slashing readmission rates by 17%” to underscore your commitment to the role.

ER RN Resume

• Instead of drowning recruiters in a sea of text, cherry-pick the most impactful work experience and hit ‘em with that bold, italics , and underline. It’s going to make your ER RN resume easier to skim through and push your most impressive achievements to the center.

Travel RN Resume

• Mentioning and quantifying outcomes possible through your keen eye and observation (hint: cut documentation errors by 28%) is a great way to make this attribute count.

Med Surg RN Resume

• Pay attention to the skills, qualifications, and responsibilities listed in the job description to gain ideas on what you should include in your skills section.
• RNs can work in a ton of different areas in medicine. If you’re applying to a specific job (like Med/Surg Nurse) and you have experience in that area, be sure to match your job title to that of the job description.
• White space is a commonly overlooked factor in resume design, and if it’s a concern for you, try simplifying the process by picking one of our  free resume templates .

ICU RN Resume

• Check your resume  to ensure you’re using action verbs that propel your bullet points forward and keep hiring personnel engaged.
• Another way to demonstrate impact is by quantifying it, that is, tying the outcome of your work to a number. By linking a number to your claims, proof of impact becomes clear.
• Ultimately, nursing is a profession involving people. So if you can show that you’re comfortable with the human aspects of the job (patient care, plans of care, family interactions, etc.), speak as much as possible concerning that experience in your ICU RN resume .

Related resume guides

• Physician Assistant
• Medical Assistant

Registered Nurse Resume Examples & Writing Guide

Are you seeking a rewarding career as a Registered Nurse in a high-growth field ? Now is a great time to hunt for your dream job. Our first-class Registered Nurse resume samples are the best starting point to make sure that your resume stands out from the crowd. After all, your resume is the first impression you give to the hiring organization.

Do you want to make sure that your resume will get you that interview? We will walk you through it in detail in this How to make a Resume Guide for a Registered Nurse.

What you can read in this article

12 Registered Nurse Resume Examples

Or download these examples in PDF at the bottom of this page for free

Registered Nurse Resume Writing Guide

Resume sections.

• Contact information
• Profile Summary
• Work History
• Achievements
• Skill Section
• Certification & licensing
• Extras: Languages/Awards/Publications/Volunteering/hobbies
• > Professional information

1. Contact Information

• First Name and Last Name
• Physical Address
• LinkedIn Profile / Portfolio Link

What to highlight in a Registered Nurse Resume

No matter how short or long you have been working as a Registered Nurse, there are a few key things that employers need to know to make sure you are a good fit for their team.

As a Registered Nurse, you’ll play an essential role in promoting health and wellness, and help improve the quality of life of people. Your responsibilities involve caring for all kinds of patients, but it will vary depending on your specialization and the organization. The first thing to highlight in your resume is your experience with a diverse patient population and your specialties such as neonatology, critical care, gerontology, and pediatrics.

Be as specific as possible and use the job description as your guide. Do you have the required responsibilities and qualifications? By mentioning the same words, you speak their language which will lead to recognition. Don’t forget to include this in your summary at the top of your resume, as well as within each position description.

Next, employers are not only looking for skilled Registered Nurses, but they also want to add passion, dedication and commitment to their team. The promise of most healthcare organizations is to provide compassionate care that respects the dignity and rights of the patients. Show your compassion as a Registered Nurse. For instance, mention your role in transforming healthcare and millions of lives as a result and the values you embrace and the passion you bring to achieve this.

Lastly, as a Registered Nurse, you may be required to respond to critical issues on a 24/7 basis. You are frequently required to stand, walk, lift heavy, push, pull, stoop, crouch, twist and reach. You also will be exposed to blood or other body fluids, fumes or airborne particles and toxic or caustic chemicals. Employers need to be sure about your compassion and dedication to help others despite the hard work, long hours and physical parts of the job.

Make sure you include the following details:

• Current Registered Nurse (RN) license, applicable for practice in the requested state
• Where are you registered as a nurse?
• Where did you study? And what is your GPA?
• Medical and nonmedical volunteer work
• The placements you did in school
• How many shifts and how many hours per shift you worked
• Prior experiences as a Registered Nurse including your duties and responsibilities
• Your specialization as a Registered Nurse and the line of patients you worked with
• Proficient in PC software computer skills that include Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook

Career Objectives & Examples

With the little time, hiring managers have to go through all the resumes, you want yours to stand out early on. Write the most critical information first to capture their attention: your value. Keep your career objective concise and to the point. If it catches their attention, they will most likely read the rest of your resume too.

Start your career objective with your years of experience in healthcare, your line of work and your primary responsibilities. Always use the job description as your guide when deciding which responsibilities to add. For instance, if the vacancy emphasizes expertise in making nursing diagnoses and experience with individuals with psychiatric disabilities, mention the same words in your objective. The more you sound like them, the better fit you will seem.

Next, add a line that showcases any outstanding qualities that will help the company, the team and of course the patients. A hiring manager would be interested in your “strong communication skills” and “the ability to use logical reasoning for simple and complex problem-solving.” Include these qualities also in the professional experience section.

Lastly, close with your educational degrees and any certifications you may have that are pertinent to the job.

Two Example Career Objectives:

“A caring and curing Registered Nurse with 5 years of clinical experience in acute care. I have a desire to improve the well-being of patients and my focus is caring for every patient the way we would care for our family members. I strive to provide patients with services designed to achieve quality care and quality of life by combining care and cure treatments.”

“ A loving, flexible and hardworking Registered Nurse with 5 years experience in planning, coordinating and managing the clinical services in various nursing units. Responsible for the coordination and of nursing care and services provided to patients in the various units while facilitating the interdisciplinary team. Experienced in care and treatment involved individuals with a variety of physical, emotional, mental and psychiatric disabilities.”

Nurse Job Descriptions & Responsibilities

Depending on your career stage and educational level, the following proven foundational duties and skill sets would be expected within an applicant’s resume.

• Provide direct patient care
• Monitor the health of the patient
• Maintain and update health records via the electronic system
• Phone triage
• Test results
• Medication refills
• Conveying plans of care
• Provide care under the prescribed treatment plan
• Assess the patient consistent with the Public Health Practice Reference, Nursing Scope, and Standards of Practice
• Observe and report on the well-being of patients
• Keep a record of each patient about their medical history and their symptoms
• Perform diagnostic tests and analyze the results
• Operate medical equipment
• Administer medicines to patients
• Administer treatments to patients
• Teach your patients about managing their injuries or illness
• Develop nursing care treatment plans
• Treat patients for their injuries or illness
• Perform routine lab work
• Educate patients about their health
• Provide leadership by delegating, supervising, and participating in safe nursing care activities
• Supervise other staff, including other nurses
• Administer medications and injections
• Assist doctors
• Assess the condition of patients
• Develop treatment plans for patients
• Discuss treatment plans and explain their conditions to the patient
• Oversee patient records
• Write publications about your research
• Evaluate patient care and identify opportunities for improvement
• Collaborate with the healthcare team
• Utilize all available resources to provide quality cost-effective patient care
• Serve as a role model/preceptor to new graduate nurses and less experienced personnel

Highlight your Nurse Accomplishments

Your experience is more than a list of duties you performed that match the job description. If you want to set yourself apart from other applicants with similar experience, you need a different approach.

Try this different approach by mentioning action-packed statements on what sets you apart, what you are most proud of or what you have accomplished in your previous roles.

Flat, simple duty:

• The number of patients you took care of
• The hours you worked per shift
• How many shifts you worked per week
• The number of colleagues you worked with

Accomplishment statement:

• Delivered responsive, compassionate, patient-centered care to a caseload of up to 50 patients per shift
• While assessing patients consistent with the Public Health Practice Reference, Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice, my main focus is to comfort the patient in a gentle and caring way

Quantifying Your Resume

Can you include specific numbers in your CV? Try to be as accurate as possible:

• The number of patients you took care of?
• The hours you worked per shift?
• How many shifts you worked per week?
• The number of colleagues you worked with?
• Maintained all necessary documentation and clinical records of up to 100 patients per day, following office procedures while focusing on patient confidentiality.
• Performed blood draws and completed necessary lab work of up to 20 patients per day while supporting the patients regarding medications and medical concerns.

Education Section

1989 -1993 Ridgefield High School, High School Diploma Ridgefield, NJ Maintained an 85 average over five years and I achieved a B or better in Biology, Chemistry, and Algebra

1993 – 1997 Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Long Island University, NJ Gained knowledge about meeting the health needs of individuals, families, communities, and populations. College GPA of 3.0

1997 – 1999 Master of Science in Nursing, University of San Francisco Advanced within the field by gaining experience to develop and manage patient care plans.

Nurse Resume Skills Section

Although the Registered Nursing field requires specific educational and technical skills, employers also look for other skills. These so-called soft skills are the type of skills that make you a good employee and colleague. Incorporate these into your career objective and your accomplishment statements.

Qualifications for your skills section:

• Strong Interpersonal Skills
• Professionalism
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Self-Starter
• Compassionate
• Prioritize and productively manage time to ensure compliance with deadlines
• Work independently and within diverse teams

Additional Nurse Soft skill Examples

• Strong problem-solving skills
• Analytical skills
• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written skills
• Ability to communicate productively with individuals
• Ability to interact productively with multidisciplinary teams
• Possess planning
• Conflict resolution
• Negotiation
• Interpersonal skills
• Interact with individuals at all level of the organization
• Organize, prioritize and manage multiple priorities
• Professional

Download Registered Nurse Resume Examples

All these downloads are free and in PDF. Do you wish to make all these designs yourself? Then use the resume build tool. Its easy, fast en creates stunning resumes for you:

Registered Nurse Resume 3.PDF

Registered Nurse Resume 4.PDF

Registered Nurse Resume 5.PDF

Registered Nurse Resume 6.PDF

Registered Nurse Resume 7.PDF

Registered Nurse Resume 8.PDF

Registered Nurse Resume 9.PDF

Registered Nurse Resume 10.PDF

Registered Nurse Resume 11.PDF

Mental Health Nurse Resume

Certificates associated with Registered Nurses

Action Verbs for your Nurse Resume

Specialization and types of nurses

• Registered Nurse
• Registered Nurse I
• Registered Nurse II
• New Grad Registered Nurse

Professional information of Nurses

Sector : Healthcare Person type : Carer, friendly, steady, professional Education levels : Associate Degree in Nursing or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), optional a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree Salary indication : From $ 40.000 to $ 110.000 per year Labor market : Great perspective Organizations : Hospitals, outpatient facilities, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, dialysis centers, home healthcare agencies and physicians’ offices.

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Nurse resume examples & templates

• What's the best resume format for a nurse?

The job market for healthcare professionals has changed. Decades ago, it was seen as an exclusive field with limited "space under the sun." But today's unprecedented pressures on the healthcare workforce are creating new opportunities and challenges alike for members of the nursing profession. The need for an exceptional nurse resume, customized to your background and goals, has never been more critical. There is no turning back from milestones like this one reached in 2018: healthcare positions in the U.S. surpassed manufacturing and retail, becoming the largest source of jobs in America . 

Simply put, nurses are in high demand. But this doesn't mean you should settle for the first nurse job listing you see, regardless of its quality. More than ever, it means you can aim for a dream job. And Resume.io is here to help.

We're here to provide our HR research-based guidance, our resume samples , and builder tool so you can get a nursing job opportunity that changes your life for the better. We hope it jumpstarts a career that is stable and fulfilling.

This nurse resume example and writing guide will cover:

• The role and job outlook for nurses
• How to write a nurse resume that shines through hundreds of applicants, first passing through the Applicant Tracking software filter
• Choosing the best format to structure your nurse resume
• How to showcase your most important skills
• Ways to impress by custom-tailoring the content and tone of your nurse resume
• Optimizing each section of your nurse resume
• Professional resume layout and design hints.

How to write a nurse resume

First, you need to know what sections comprise your nurse resume. Your resume should contain the following elements:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

Next, you need to know the technology you are up against.

The job market has become so saturated with candidates that instead of hiring more recruiters, employers rely on electronic screening solutions. Hospital Applicant Tracking System (ATS)  software analyzes your nurse resume for keywords and ranks it against other resumes on the same basis. Only the highest-ranking nurse resumes will get passed on to a human recruiter. 

Keyword matches are the most basic aspect of ATS .  In specific sections of this nurse resume example and guide, we'll offer tips for choosing the correct keywords so your resume doesn't get filtered out by an ATS. 

Be open to alternative interview and resume-submission methods. Video interviews, automated chats and other recruitment tools are used more and more in healthcare. Understanding them rather than avoiding them will give you a competitive edge. 

Need more inspiration? View our other related resumes from the same medical industry

• Healthcare resume sample
• CNA resume sample
• Lactation Consultant resume sample
• Epidemiologist resume sample
• Health Care Administration resume sample
• Dental Receptionist resume sample
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• Nursing Home resume sample
• Audiologist resume sample
• Respiratory Therapist resume sample
• Physician Assistant resume sample
• Clinic Coordinator resume sample
• Medical Receptionist resume sample
• Optometrist resume sample
• Physical Therapist resume sample
• Pharmacist resume sample
• Sonographer resume sample
• Psychotherapist resume sample
• Medical Science Liaison resume sample
• Dental Assistant resume sample
• Paramedic resume sample
• Doctor resume sample

Choosing the best resume format for nurses

In most instances, the most suitable format for structuring a nurse resume will be reverse chronological . This generally works well for job seekers in any occupation whose work history follows a linear path in a series of employee positions.In that resume section, progressive job experience and accomplishments are organized by employer/workplace in reverse order from most recent to earliest dates. 

An alternative resume format may be appropriate for nurses who are new to the workforce or changing careers. Those with a more varied occupational background or especially impressive education might also look at the alternative “functional” resume format. It‘s also an option for some self-employed professionals with an assignment or contract-based background. 

Nurse resume summary example: Professionalism and empathy

The summary of your nurse resume should highlight your strongest professional qualifications. But nursing is also one of the most people-focused jobs in the world, so be sure to give your resume summary a touch of warmth and emotion.

There are two equally important factors in writing an effective nurse resume summary. The first relates to perception: the resume summary is your first personal introduction to a human reader, not an automated filter. This is where you present yourself as a caring and warm nurse, not one who comes across as cold and detached.

The second factor comes back to the ATS algorithm for scoring your resume based on keywords. Not every hospital will use scoring filters, but it's better to be on the safe side and not risk having your resume be overlooked on purely technical grounds.

So, how do you know which keywords and professional details are the most important ones? Analyze the nurse job description with care. You'll often find certain qualities, ideas, or technical requirements mentioned more than once, sometimes with different phrasing. This should be your signal that the employer values them more than others.

A recent study from TalentNeutron shows that the second most requested keyword for nurses is "bilingual." In the U.S., the most requested second language is Spanish.   If you speak a second language, even imperfectly, make sure to include this in your summary and/or skills section. If either is too cluttered, put it in the one that has more space. 

Last, but definitely not least, is the human element of your resume summary. Nurses are the heart and soul of many hospitals. Many health facilities rely on nurses to not only perform medical duties but also support patients emotionally and create a warm, caring environment. So, that's exactly the image to project on your nursing resume, alongside your impressive formal qualifications. 

Strive for language that’s energetic and positive, using action verbs that describe your professional outlook and history. 

A passionate and dedicated nurse with over six years of healthcare experience in a variety of medical settings, including private family practices, emergency units, ICU, neonatal units, geriatric units, and rehabilitation centers. Vast experience dealing with a very broad range of medical conditions. Bringing forth the ability to thoroughly and accurately assess the health of patients and prescribe the proper treatment programs for optimal health moving forward. Adept in working as a collaborative team member to ensure that patients receive the highest level of care possible. 

Employment history sample: Diverse experience

Nurses comprise one of the most diverse professions in terms of background and age. While past nursing positions always take priority in the employment history section of your nurse resume, you can also highlight your varied life and job experience.

There's plenty of good news to go around for anyone seeking to work as a nurse. For starters, top hospitals are happy to hire certified nurses even if they're not graduates in their 20s. In fact, nursing applicants 40 years and older who are transitioning from other careers and have rich life experience are becoming more common. 

Medical-administrative terms may vary from country to country, and even from state to state in the U.S. So look carefully at the job listing vocabulary, or even visit the employer's website, to make sure your resume wording is matches.

Also, remember there are differences between healthcare facilities in different locations. Include helpful details in your nurse resume about your previous workplaces to clarify. Here are some examples:

• Facility type: rehabilitation hospital, acute care, long-term care, teaching hospital, etc. If applicable, specify trauma center level (1 to 5).
• Type of hospital unit (ICU, MS, ER, and so on) and any specifics such as dealing with patient overflows.
• Bed count (both facility and unit) and other indications of the scope of your responsibilities.

Refer to initiatives you were responsible for, milestones, team efforts, and measurable results. For example, did you help develop new policies or procedures? Did you receive favorable patient review scores?

Newly graduated nurses with little or no work experience should include their clinical rotations. Relevant past employment in other professions also belongs here.

Nursing Assistant, St. Joseph's Medical Center, Dallas  October 2019 - July 2021 

• Worked to the best of my ability with an interdisciplinary team to provide optimum care to patients.
• Assisted patients with admittance and release.
• Assisted nurses and physicians in carrying out all treatments and day-to-day protocols.

Float Nurse, University of Iowa Medical Center, Iowa City  September 2017 - September 2019 

• Provided high level patient care during heavy patient load periods needing additional personnel.
• Assisted hospital staff and other RNs in day-to-day tasks in accordance with patient care plans and physician's orders.
• Assisted with duties in the ER, Rehab, and Med-Surg units.
• Provided a level of care in accordance with the medical center's stellar reputation.

Nurse Extern, Mayo Clinic of Austin, Austin  August 2016 - August 2017 

• Assisted with obtaining personal information of patients and prepared paperwork in a timely and efficient manner.
• Worked to maintain a neat and functional admitting department, conducive to high-quality care.
• Provided quick assessments and helped to determine the treatment needed for patients requiring critical care.

Nurse resume education example

Some occupations don't put too much emphasis on formal credentials but the medical and other healthcare professions absolutely do. Not only is high-caliber training a vital requirement for nurses, but it could have a bearing on your resume. If you're applying for a nurse job in the U.S., the education section has a HIGHER-than-usual priority in your nurse resume. 

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) has developed recommendations regarding the order of your formal credentials and where they are placed in relation to other sections.

• If you're an experienced nursing professional, the education section can go either above or below your employment history . This can be at your discretion, or according to local standards or employer preference.   
• If you're a new nursing graduate with no work experience, place your education section first, right below the summary.

Are you using the resume.io builder to create your nurse resume? It's easy to list your licenses or similar credentials in the "school" field of the education section. Just as you would normally identify the college or other learning institutions, indicate the jurisdiction/organization that issued your nursing licenses or designations. 

Where does the information go, and in what order? The ANCC recommends the following priority for listing credentials in nurse resumes:

• Highest earned degree —  in your education section .
• Licensure — in your summary and/or education section. For a considerable number of licenses, you can create a custom "Licenses" section below the section you use.
• State designations or requirements (such as APRN, NP, etc.) — once again, in your summary and/or education section.
• National certifications — in your education section or create a separate section for these.
• Awards and honors  (from schools, professional organizations, past jobs, etc.) — placement as above.
• Other certifications (optional, ONLY if space allows) —  in your education section or create a custom section.

Our resume builder tool really simplifies this whole process. It is very flexible for easily adjusting or adding to the template sample categories. You can rearrange sections up and down, easily fill in sample fields as you choose or create custom "Licenses" and "Certifications" sections. 

• Master of Nursing, Iowa State University, Iowa City  January 2015 - August 2018  - Graduated with a 3.8 GPA.    
• Bachelor of Biology, University of Arizona, Phoenix  August 2011 - May 2015  - Member of Student Nursing Association.

Skills section example: Necessary and valued

Nurses work at the intersection of practical knowledge, technology, and softer human interaction. The nurse job is about versatility, and so is your skills section. It's important to show equal love to both your hard and soft skills categories.

Hard skills enable your day-to-day productivity as a nurse, and your ability to solve most clinical and administrative problems. Specifically, they will vary depending on your past nurse education and experience. 

Pay close attention to the nurse skills listed in the job description and descriptive wording. Using the same terminology not only ensures you pass the ATS but also shows the recruiter that you're an attentive, detail-oriented nurse.

Remember we mentioned an additional language as being the second-most requested nurse skill? Well, TalentNeutron studies reveal the MOST commonly requested are computer skills — especially electronic medical/hospital records software. Common program packages are Meditech and Epic software.

In the U.S., knowing your way around billing codes (ICD10 and ICD9) is also a common advantage. 

Soft skills are the more abstract, people-oriented attributes you have as a nurse. They reflect your ability to interact positively with patients, understand the people around you, feel subtle emotional shifts or just generally be a kind, warm individual. 

• Patient advocacy
• Strong interpersonal communication skills
• Teamwork skills
• Trauma and ER experience
• Knowledgeable in medical terminology and  procedures

Resume layout and formatting: First impressions

The visual appearance of your nurse resume is what employers will notice first about your job application. That makes it the first impression they will have about you. A messy, cluttered resume format or a poorly organized resume layout that lacks clearly defined sections may hurt your chances of being considered for an amazing professional nurse opportunity.

What's the best resume format for a nurse?

Visual structure conveys character on your resume. Consider how your resume layout, design, and formatting could project attentiveness, a focus on details, and a certain measure of discipline.  A template can help you achieve this without looking too cold or rigidly formal (like the resume of a lawyer or auditor, for example). The Resume.io collection has a wide variety of resume styles to choose from, including those with the perfect balance of "disciplined" and "emotional." We suggest the Paris, New York, Stockholm, and Santiago templates as a great fit for a nurse resume. 

These templates can also protect you from being unwittingly sabotaged by formatting that may not translate well to electronic systems, or is not readable at all. 

Use field-tested templates backed by metrics. These samples are beautifully designed and attention-grabbing. These templates will also help you avoid hidden technical pitfalls. 

The nurse job market 

So, what is the nurse job market like nowadays? The simple answer: it's wide open for candidates. 

Developed countries have a high demand for nurses. In 2017, the American Nurses Association (ANA) projected that the U.S. will need one million more registered nurses by 2022 to fulfill the nation's needs. By 2022, when RN retirements will have opened up more than a half-million replacement positions, there will be far more registered nurse jobs available than any other profession , at more than 100,000 per year.  That nursing shortage has taken an added toll on the health and well-being of nurses during the pandemic crisis. According to a March 2021 survey report by the American Nurses Foundation , the ANA’s charitable and philanthropic arm, 41% of nurses stating they plan to leave the profession cited insufficient staffing as a reason. The number was higher — 48% — among nurses who treat COVID-19 patients directly.

The BLS projects a 9% growth in the job market for nurses between 2020 and 2030, as fast as the average occupation. 

Key takeaways for a nurse resume

• To get an amazing job instead of a mediocre one, your resume needs all the advantages available.
• Start the resume writing process armed with knowledge and the appropriate technological tools.
• Each resume section should be tailored to the job listing wherever appropriate.
• Whenever possible, provide details on your past work experience.
• Pay special attention to the way your nursing credentials are organized in the education section.
• Write out your skills based on research and the job listing.
• Your resume layout is incredibly important. Make sure your format is visually pleasing and conforms to the ATS. Resume templates can help.

If you want the perfect tool to save yourself time and win your dream nurse position, use our helpful resume builder with field-tested resume templates!

Beautiful ready-to-use resume templates

Nurse Resume Examples and Templates for 2024

Nurse Resume Templates and Examples (Downloadable)

Most popular nurse resumes.

• Critical Care Nurse
• School Nurse
• Nurse Manager
• Medical Surgical Nurse
• New Grad Nurse
• Emergency Room Nurse
• Registered Nurse
• Resume Text Examples

How To Write a Nurse Resume

• Entry-Level
• Senior-Level

ICU Nurse Resume Example

Critical Care Nurse Resume Example

School Nurse Resume Example

Nurse Manager Resume Example

Medical Surgical Nurse Resume Example

New Grad Nurse Resume Example

Emergency Room Nurse Resume Example

Registered Nurse Resume Example

Nurse Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

Jessica Lang (123) 456-7890 [email protected] LinkedIn | Portfolio 123 Carpenter St., Philadelphia, PA 12345

An RN with three years of experience delivering quality health care services to diverse patient populations. Adept at coordinating with nursing teams and medical personnel to drive positive patient outcomes in high-volume hospital environments.

Professional Experience

Registered Nurse, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA June 2023 – present

• Deliver nursing care to newborns, infants, and children with acute and ambulatory conditions in a 40-bed unit
• Perform health exams for illnesses, injuries, and life-threatening conditions, develop treatment plans, and provide emotional support to patients
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of over 15 health care professionals to improve patient outcomes, resulting in a 3% reduction in mortality rates

Student Nurse Practicum, TUV Clinic, Philadelphia, PA March 2023 – June 2023

• Completed a 150-hour practicum in the surgical ICU under the supervision of an RN and ensured compliance with hospital protocols
• Prepared surgical tools and operating theaters, replenished medical inventory and equipment, and ensured compliance with sanitation and hygiene regulations
• Oversaw the preparation of over 12 patients for surgery per day and supported post-surgical care before transfer to the recovery unit

Certifications

• Registered Nurse, State of Pennsylvania, License #123456, 2023
• Basic Life Support Certification, American Heart Association 2023
• Case management
• Communication
• Patient-centered care
• Surgical care

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Nursing  Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, September 2019 – June 2023

Amar Singh (123) 456-7890 [email protected] LinkedIn | Portfolio 123 Bedford Ave., New York, NY 12345

An RN with seven years of experience providing high-quality, compassionate care to diverse patient populations. A proven track record of collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to enhance clinical workflows and drive positive patient outcomes.

Registered Nurse, St. Andrew’s Hospital, New York, NY October 2019 – present

• Achieve patient satisfaction ratings of over 93% year-over-year, communicate empathetically with diverse patients, and drive the delivery of patient-centered care
• Coordinate events to provide long-term patients with entertainment options and activities to raise morale of patients suffering from debilitating illnesses
• Collaborate with local nonprofits on fundraisers to expand the hospital children’s library and incorporate tablet computers and game consoles

Registered Nurse, Brooklyn Medical Center, New York, NY May 2016 – October 2019

• Delivered high-quality care to a diverse range of patients at a trauma center with over 300 beds and a 1-to-5 patient ratio
• Coordinated with multidisciplinary teams to improve care delivery, resulting in a 15% increase in patient satisfaction
• Served as the voice of the Trauma Center on committees such as the JCAHO Readiness Taskforce and the Readmission Reduction Planning Committee
• Registered Nurse, State of New York, License #123456, 2016
• Basic Life Support Certification, American Heart Association 2016
• Clinical operations
• Pediatric care

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Nursing  Columbia University, New York, NY September 2012 – May 2016

Skyler Thompson (123) 456-7890 [email protected] LinkedIn | Portfolio 123 Bridge St., Boston, MA 12345

A patient-focused RN with over 12 years of experience in post-operative care and rehabilitation. Administered patient-centered care using individual care plans. Achieved consistently high levels of patient satisfaction by delivering compassionate care and emotional support.

Registered Nurse, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA November 2016 – present

• Communicate empathetically with diverse patients, build rapport, and drive the delivery of patient-centered care to achieve a 94% patient satisfaction rating
• Support an interdisciplinary team with direct nursing care for patients and assist with developing care plans to improve patient outcomes
• Lead, mentor, and coach a team of more than 15 LPNs and identify opportunities to enhance clinical workflows, resulting in a 10% reduction in average wait times

Registered Nurse, St. Luke’s Hospital, Boston, MA May 2011 – November 2016

• Coordinated with nursing teams and physicians to improve clinical operations, patient intake, and discharge, which increased the number of patients seen in 30 minutes or less from 72% to 80%
• Conducted comprehensive assessments for new patients and prepared individualized care plans with physicians for a 175-bed unit
• Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), 2016
• Registered Nurse, State of Massachusetts, License #123456, 2011
• Advanced Pediatric Life Support, American Heart Association 2011
• Nurse management
• Process improvement
• Trauma care

Master of Science (B.S.) Nursing  Harvard University, Cambridge, MA September 2014 – May 2016

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Nursing  Boston College, Boston, MA September 2007 – May 2011

An attention-grabbing nursing resume will showcase your relevant certifications, experience, and accomplishments. To advance your career, use specific information about the type of nursing work you’ve done before, including data such as patient load, efficiency and satisfaction rates, and number of team members you supervised, if applicable. Focus on your skills and tangible examples from your career to illustrate your unique background within the health care industry.

1. Write a brief summary of your nurse qualifications

Your profile, also known as the summary of qualifications, is one of the most important aspects of a resume. It’s the first thing the hiring managers see when they review your document, so provide an impactful snapshot of your professional career.

One way to approach the summary is to incorporate three to four specializations related to the job you’re applying for in the first sentence, such as patient-centered care, patient education, acute care, and health care management. Leading with your specializations will show hiring managers that you have some of the key qualifications the organization seeks within seconds of reviewing your resume. Below are examples to guide you in creating your professional profile:

Senior-Level Profile Example

A registered nurse (RN) with over 10 years of experience providing high-quality, compassionate care to pediatric patients. A proven track record of collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to enhance clinical workflows and drive positive patient outcomes.

Entry-Level Profile Example

A RN with three years of experience delivering quality health care services to diverse patient populations. Adept at coordinating with nursing teams and medical personnel to drive positive patient outcomes in high-volume hospital environments.

2. Outline your nurse experience in a compelling list

The key to crafting a compelling professional experience section is to create bullet points that draw attention to your strongest career achievements within the health care sector. As you translate your experience into bullet points, establish a sense of scope for your achievements. For instance, if you worked in a high-volume hospital, display the nurse-to-patient ratio or the number of beds. These details will help hiring managers better understand how your background can benefit their team and organization.

Senior-Level Professional Experience Example

• Communicated empathetically with diverse patients, built rapport, and drove the delivery of patient-centered care to achieve a 94% patient satisfaction rating
• Supported an interdisciplinary team with direct nursing care for patients and assisted with developing care plans to improve patient outcomes
• Led, mentor, and coached a team of more than 15 LPNs and identified opportunities to enhance clinical workflows, resulting in a 10% reduction in average wait times

Entry-Level Professional Experience Example

3. add nurse education and certifications.

Along with your education and nursing licensure, consider including any additional certifications or training courses you completed throughout your nursing career. This information is essential if you plan on pursuing a position in a specialized unit, such as oncology or pediatrics. Obtaining additional certifications will also show hiring managers your array of knowledge of various areas of health care, which may differentiate you from the competition.

• [Degree Name]
• [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] [Dates Enrolled]
• Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Nursing
• College of Notre Dame, Baltimore, MD, September 2014 – June 2018
• [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]
• Registered Nurse, State of Maryland, License #12345, 2010
• Advanced Cardiac Life Support Certified, American Heart Association, 2010

4. Make a list of your nurse-related skills and proficiencies

Applying to jobs doesn’t just mean impressing the hiring manager. It means getting past the applicant tracking systems (ATS). An ATS automatically sorts resumes into categories and highlights candidates with the right keywords, instantly identifying the best matches for each job posting. The more keywords you use in your resume, the more likely you can make it to the hiring manager’s desk and land an interview. Here are some of the phrases you might use to demonstrate your skills as a nursing applicant:

How To Pick the Best Nurse Resume Template

As a nursing professional, you must select a well-organized and straightforward template. If your template has bulky graphics or distracting colors, you may draw the hiring manager’s eye away from your accomplishments. When in doubt, choose a well-structured template that keeps the reader’s focus on why you’re qualified for the position rather than only on visual appeal.

Frequently Asked Questions: Nurse Resume Examples and Advice

What are common action verbs for nurse resumes -.

It’s easy to run short on action verbs during the resume-building process. Often a limited number of verbs accurately convey your work experience and career achievements, especially as a health care professional. Incorporating a mix of action verbs can enhance the impact of your bullet points and improve the reading experience. To keep your content fresh and engaging, we’ve compiled a list of action verbs to craft your nurse resume:

How do you align your resume with a job posting? -

Although nursing positions are expected to increase by 6% over the next decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , you’ll still need to tailor your resume to the job description to maximize your chances of landing the interview. One of the most important aspects of creating a strong nurse resume is highlighting the nuances of your experiences within the health care industry.

For instance, if you’re applying to an organization with a strong reputation for patient-centered care standards, you may want to include insights showcasing your patient advocacy history. If you’re pursuing a position in an oncology unit, you might emphasize your background in interfacing with cancer patients or supporting physicians during surgeries. Tailoring your resume to individual job postings is the best way to differentiate yourself from the competition during the job search process.

What is the best nurse resume format? -

Always use a reverse chronological format when crafting your nurse resume. This will ensure that your most recent achievements are featured at the top of your document. It’s best to avoid using a functional resume format in most instances, as this approach highlights skill sets without providing context or specific accomplishments for the hiring manager.

Although not every job posting will require a cover letter, many organizations still ask for them during the hiring process. To maximize the impact of your cover letter, mention something unique about the hospital’s reputation or work culture. Including this information will show hiring managers that you’ve researched beforehand and are genuinely interested in the position. For more guidance, you can visit our nurse cover letter guide.

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Frank Hackett

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Frank Hackett is a professional resume writer and career consultant with over eight years of experience. As the lead editor at a boutique career consulting firm, Frank developed an innovative approach to resume writing that empowers job seekers to tell their professional stories. His approach involves creating accomplishment-driven documents that balance keyword optimization with personal branding. Frank is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PAWRCC).

Check Out Related Examples

Medical Surgical Nurse Resume Examples and Templates

Nurse Manager Nurse Resume Examples and Templates

New Grad Nursing Resume Examples and Templates

Build a Resume to Enhance Your Career

• The Nursing Career Ladder: CNA to LPN/LVN to RN Learn More
• Common Healthcare Interview Questions and Answers Learn More
• Nurse Cover Letter Examples and Templates Learn More
• Entry-Level Nurse Cover Letter Examples and Templates Learn More

Essential Guides for Your Job Search

• How to Write a Resume Learn More
• How to Write a Cover Letter Learn More
• Thank You Note Examples Learn More
• Resignation Letter Examples Learn More

• • Managed 3 RNs and 5 CNAs for an 18-bed unit on an acute care unit
• • Performed infection control in 5 different patient care units
• • Provided education and emotional support for trauma to 50+ patients
• • Created meal plans for 100+ patients
• • Managed the medical records and personal care for 600+ patients
• • Completed and recorded vital signs and led the activities of daily living for 200+ patients weekly
• • Formulated medical assessments, diagnoses and plan-of-care for 100+ patients
• • Assisted patients with limited mobility in all necessary movement
• • Maintained 96% positive patient scores for compassion and empathy
• • Performed CPR, BLS and ACLS to 20+ patients combined
• • Provided direct patient care to 100+ adult and geriatric patients in various telemetry settings
• • Completed 6 weeks of clinical simulation training
• • Helped 100+ patients by giving health education
• • Created a safe and warm environment for a group of 200+ young patients
• • Oversaw a 33-bed acute care unit and administered medications

30 Nurse Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

Ensure your nurse resume highlights your clinical experience and areas of specialization. Demonstrate your proficiency with the latest medical technologies and patient care protocols. Showcase your soft skills, like communication and empathy, which are crucial in the nursing field. Don't forget to include your licenses, certifications, and continuing education achievements.

All resume examples in this guide

New Grad Nurse

Nurse Assistant

Aesthetic Nurse

Agency Nurse

Clinical Nurse

Clinical Research Nurse

Company Nurse

Critical Care Nurse

Dental Nurse

Hemodialysis Nurse

Infection Control Nurse

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)

Medical Surgical Nurse

Nurse Anesthetist

Nurse Practitioner

Occupational Health Nurse

Pediatric Nurse

Perioperative Nurse

Practice Nurse

School Nurse

Staff Nurse

Surgical Nurse

Telemetry Nurse

Travel Nurse

Veterinary Nurse

Registered Nurse

Nurse Manager

Nurse Educator

Charge Nurse

Resume guide.

Nurse Resume Example

Resume Format

Resume Experience

Hard & Soft Skills

Certifications & Education

Resume Summary & Objective

Additional Resume Sections

Key Takeaways

By Experience

Nursing is a noble and fulfilling profession that most enter for the love of providing high-quality, compassionate patient care, rather than to build an impressive resume.

Highlighting professional skills, qualifications, and achievements can be difficult for humble , patient -care focused nurses . However, it’s a crucial first step to secure a position where you can make a meaningful impact on patient’s lives in the competitive healthcare field.

This  guide, including examples and protips, aims to simplify the process of transforming your nursing resume from merely a document to a powerful narrative showcasing your expertise and telling the story of your passion for healing that resonates with recruiters.

While this resume guide will provide best practices for the nursing field in general, check out these additional resumes for particular nursing specializations.

• ER nurse resume  
• Dental nurse resume
• Charge nurse resume
• ICU nurse resume
• Head nurse resume
• Nurse manager resume  
• Pediatric nurse resume
• Registered nurse cover letter

Nurse  resume example

Here’s what this applicant does well in their resume:

• Clinical experience and leadership: Highlights 8 years of experience as a Registered Nurse, showcasing leadership by managing a team of RNs and CNAs, which is crucial for the role.
• Specific skills and certifications: Emphasizes key nursing skills and certifications like CPR, BLS, and ACLS, which are essential for patient care and safety.
• Diverse patient care and education: Demonstrates versatility in nursing by providing details of working in different patient care units, offering emotional support and health education to a diverse patient population.

How to format a nurse  resume

The nursing job market can be quite competitive. That’s why utilizing every aspect of your resume for optimal impact, including formatting, is crucial.

Formatting is your first opportunity to draw attention and make an impression on employers. To ensure your resume is well-organized, professional, and memorable, consider the following formatting best practices:

• Creative Elements -   Include creative elements  like colors and decorative patterns to make your resume unique and memorable.
• Header Content - A prominent header  featuring your name, desired job title, and contact information  lets employers know who you are at a glance.  
• Ordering -  Listing all section examples in reverse chronological order  ensures your most recent and, therefore, relevant certifications and experiences appear first.

Understanding the role of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) is critical, especially in nursing, where job demands may vary considerably from position to position.

ATS analyzes text on resumes, looking for precise keywords or phrases corresponding to skills and qualifications needed for a particular job. Employers use these systems to quickly sort and prioritize resumes to view the most qualified candidates. ATS-optimized formatting enables ATS to recognize and parse the information on your resume accurately, improving the likelihood it reaches the employer.

Here’s what’s considered “best practices” for ATS-optimized formatting on your resume:

• Fonts - Select ATS-friendly fonts matching the overall style of your resume. Some ATS-friendly fonts are Calibri, Arial, and Times New Roman. However, by employing these overused fonts, you may miss a chance to make your resume stand out. For interesting, modern font options with great readability, try Rubik, Lato, Montserrat, Raleway, Exo 2, or Volkhov, all available on the Enhancv Resume Builder.
• Document Type - Doc or PDF files  are typical for resumes and most easily analyzed by ATS.
• Creative Elements in Text - Avoid using nonessential stylistic features within text. Elements such as emojis and non-standard date formats can impede ATS’ ability to recognize information in these sections.
• Headings and Subheadings - Ensure resume sections are logically organized and include simple, precise headings. Standard section titles ensure ATS accurately recognizes and extracts information from these sections.

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Drop your resume here or choose a file . PDF & DOCX only. Max 2MB file size.

To improve the organization and ATS optimization of your resume, include the following top-recommended sections,

The top sections on a nurse's resume:

• Professional Experience: Demonstrates the nurse's clinical skills and healthcare knowledge.
• Education: Highlights relevant nursing education and certifications.
• Licenses and Certifications: Showcases the nurse's qualifications and legal ability to practice.
• Clinical Skills: Details specific medical nursing skills, demonstrating job suitability.
• Awards and Recognitions: Reflects the nurse's excellence and dedication in nursing.

While all nurses have unique backgrounds and qualifications, recruiters specifically seek out candidates that mention particular skills and abilities. Include the following qualifications within your resume sections to ensure your resume gets noticed:

What recruiters want to see on your resume:

• Medical Skills: Recruiters prioritize these skills because they demonstrate a nurse's capacity to effectively handle the health needs of patients and respond appropriately in emergencies.
• Interpersonal Skills: Soft skills like empathy, communication, and patient advocacy are sought after as they are vital in providing quality patient care.
• Certification and Licensure: These are important to hiring managers as they confirm the individual has met the required nursing standards to practice in the state, ensuring patient safety.
• Specific Training or Specialization: Recruiters value these as they demonstrate a nurse's expertise in specific areas of patient care necessary in particular departments or units.
• Clinical Experience: This is prioritized as it provides evidence of a nurse's ability to effectively apply learned skills and knowledge in a practical setting.

How to write your nurse resume experience

The experience section  of your nurse resume isn’t just an opportunity to share your previous employment. It’s also an opportunity to share practical clinical experiences and internships. In describing these experiences, you will also share the nursing skills and abilities you developed and your achievements in these positions.

The high demand for nurses and the broad range of required tasks in nursing positions means applicants will come from diverse backgrounds with varying qualifications.

Determining which employment experiences are most relevant to the available position can be challenging.

The best way to demonstrate your experiences align with an available position is to create a targeted experience section .

To quickly and easily create a targeted nurse resume for individual applications, follow these steps:  

• Create a resume template including a complete list of your experiences, certifications, education, and skills.
• Make a copy of the template for each new application.
• Review the job description for each new job you apply to, paying close attention to ideal candidate descriptions.
• In the copy of the template, delete all examples that don't align with the job description.
• Edit remaining examples to ensure they include keywords  copied directly from the job description for increased ATS optimization.

A common mistake in the experience section of nurse resumes is detailing duties instead of highlighting skills development and achievements accomplished. Writing detailed descriptions incorporating keywords demonstrates not only what you did but how successfully you did it.

Take a look at the following experience examples to better understand how quality descriptions can boost your resume's experience section.

• • Received recognition for maintaining a high standard of care, with positive patient feedback and acknowledgment from hospital leadership.
• • Acted as a charge nurse.
• • Attended professional development workshops and training sessions.
• • Participated in hospital-wide initiatives, including quality improvement projects.

This example fails to use action verbs  and details to describe how their achievements in this position resulted from their efforts. The resulting example comes across as a list of assigned tasks and passive results. And the applicant has missed opportunities to incorporate keywords and accomplishments.

• • Earned 'Nurse of the Month' recognition in Sept. 2022 for maintaining a high standard of care, with positive patient feedback and input from hospital leadership.
• • Acted as a charge nurse, overseeing the coordination of patient care activities, maintaining a positive team environment, and effectively delegating tasks to ensure optimal patient care delivery.
• • Collaborated with a multidisciplinary team to develop and implement hospital-wide initiatives, including quality improvement projects that led to a 15% reduction in patient readmission rates.
• • Engaged in monthly professional development, attending workshops and training sessions to enhance skills and stay current with industry advancements.

Describing what the applicant did and achieved using active verbs significantly improves this experience example. For example, instead of “receiving recognition,” they “earned” a specific award. Additionally, by including the criteria for the award, they incorporated keywords recruiters look for on nursing resumes, such as “high standard of care” and “leadership.” This experience description indicates the applicant achieved a great deal and was highly successful in this position.

How to quantify the impact on your resume

An effective way to boost the impact of your nurse resume  is to include quantifiable evidence of your skills in experience descriptions. These are tangible, measurable, or verifiable details that highlight your accomplishments  in past jobs.

Sharing a percentage representing significant increases in efficiency or patient satisfaction or a reduction in wait times or adverse outcomes such as medical errors or readmission rates, like the example from the prior section, is an excellent way to quantify the impact.

However, you can quantify your impact in many other ways besides statistics or percentages. Here are a few additional options for using numbers and data  to quantify your skills in your experience descriptions:

• Specify how many years of experience you have in similar healthcare settings to quantify your expertise and illustrate suitability for the available position.
• If available, Including high patient satisfaction scores is a practical way to highlight patient care skills and a commitment to providing exceptional care.
• Note the number of medical procedures you have completed to showcase your vast repertoire of practical skills, such as injections or wound dressings.
• The number of emergencies you have handled establishes your capacity to perform under pressure.
• Citing how many medical software or equipment you’re proficient in emphasizes your technical acumen.
• The number of patients typically seen in an office or patient censuses in an average shift demonstrates productivity and efficiency in managing large caseloads.
• If you’ve held a leadership role such as charge nurse, mention the size of the team you coordinated to highlight leadership skills and the ability to manage large teams.
• Stating how many medical training sessions, workshops, and certifications you’ve completed indicates your commitment to professional development and continuing education.

When selecting quantitative data on your resume, remember to be selective by including only the most relevant for the available job. For example, a recruiter hiring for an emergency care facility would be more impressed with your year of experience in emergency care than your knowledge of medical software in a small, private psychiatry office.

How do I write a nurse resume with no experience

… shortages have plagued the nursing profession since 1998.

Projections indicate the need to hire up to a million new nursing professionals by 2024 to meet the growing demand. This is good news for anyone considering becoming a nurse, as they are almost guaranteed placement.

incrediblehealth.com

Ongoing demand for nurses has created numerous opportunities for nursing students and those entering the field. Some employers even offer certification assistance and graduation contingent employment for nursing students. However, competition for these positions may be competitive.

To write a nurse resume that establishes your potential to succeed in a nursing career without experience , follow these steps:

• Compile a list of keywords from the job description.
• Brainstorm previous related experiences showcasing the same keyword skills and knowledge from your list.

Relevant Non-Nursing Employment To Include on your Resume

Non-nursing employment experience in one of these healthcare settings can provide evidence of a background using medical terminology, medical software, patient communication, empathy, and compassion.

• Clinics and Physician's Offices
• Long-Term Care Facilities
• Home Healthcare
• Community Health Centers
• Public Health Organizations
• Research and Clinical Trials
• Telehealth and Telemedicine
• Rehabilitation Centers
• Ambulatory Surgery Centers
• Health Insurance Companies
• Include practical clinical experiences, internships, and volunteer experiences . These can be listed with employment experiences, if closely related to nursing, or incorporated as separate sections.
• Avoid including irrelevant work experiences  or outdated experiences .
• To add credibility, include tangible evidence of transferable skills, such as certifications and quantifiable data.
• List experiences in reverse chronological order to ensure your most recent and relevant examples appear first.

For those without nursing experience , your cover letter is an excellent opportunity to offer further detail about past jobs and describe how skills and knowledge acquired outside the field are transferable to the open job.

Without experience, this section aims to share transferable skills and background knowledge, especially in the medical field. Therefore, your experience section should still be targeted to highlight your potential to succeed in a particular nurse position.

How to list your hard skills and soft skills on your resume

Highly valued skills in nursing may vary greatly depending on factors like the specialty, size and specialty of the medical facility, patient demographics, and number of employees. The skills section  of your nurse resume is an opportunity to highlight how your hard and soft skills demonstrate your suitability for a particular job.

For example, an urgent care facility treating high volumes of patients daily will value skills like an expansive repertoire of medical knowledge and procedures and an ability to thrive in fast-paced environments. On the other hand, a small oncology office treating the same patients regularly will appreciate specialized knowledge of oncology terminology and treatments and skills related to compassionate patient care and education.

Hard Skills

The skills necessary to perform a particular job are known as hard skills . These typically require study, training, and practice. In the medical field, they may even require certification.

In nursing, these skills often relate to technical abilities , like using office software and equipment and performing medical procedures, such as taking vitals.

When considering which skills to include on your resume, consult this list of the top hard skills sought by recruiters:

Best hard skills for your nurse resume

• Patient Assessment
• Medical Software (EHR systems)
• Medication Administration
• Vital signs monitoring
• CPR Certified
• Patient Care Planning
• Infection Control
• Emergency Care
• Documentation Skills
• Knowledge of Medical Equipment
• Surgical Assistance
• Clinical Decision Making
• HIPAA Compliance
• Patient Education
• Diabetes Management
• Cardiac Care
• Dialysis Procedures

Soft Skills

Some of the most highly valued skills in nursing are soft skills . The intrinsic, personal skills that demonstrate your ability to provide excellent patient care and satisfaction.

Employers may be willing to train applicants in hard skills. However, the intrinsic nature of soft skills makes them difficult to teach. Therefore, including as many relevant and transferable soft skills as possible on your nurse resume is essential.

These are some of the top soft skills employers look for in nuses:

Best soft skills for your nurse resume

• Empathy  
• Communication  
• Patience  
• Resilience  
• Critical Thinking
• Adaptability  
• Teamwork  
• Time Management  
• Leadership  
• Attention to Detail
• Stress Management  
• Problem-Solving
• Cultural Competency
• Composure under pressure
• Prioritization Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Conflict Resolution

Follow these steps to write your nursing resume's skills sections:

• Format your skills section as a simple list without elaboration or examples.
• Differentiate between hard and soft skills by listing them in separate subsections.
• Target your skills section using keyword skills from the job description.
• Write these keyword skills precisely as they appear in the job description to enhance ATS analysis.
• Never lie about or exaggerate your skills on your resume.
• Ensure consistency between your experience and skills sections by listing the skills mentioned in the experience section in the skills section and vice versa.

Nursing Terminology on Your Resume

Including medical terminologies demonstrates experience in and familiarity with the field, however, excessive jargon or abbreviations can confuse hiring managers who might not have a nursing background. Therefore, you must balance nursing lingo and generally understood terms on your resume.

How to list your certifications and education on your resume

Certifications and Continuing Education are essential for nurses. Though nursing roles and industries have differing requirements.

For example, an RN must complete a nursing education program such as an ADN or BSN, pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), and acquire state licensure.

An LPN doesn't need a degree but must complete a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Program, pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Practical Nurses (NCLEX-PN), and acquire state licensure.

Detailing all your training and certifications can bog down your resume, making it tough for recruiters to recognize your most valuable qualifications. To prevent this, tailor these sections to each application by sharing only examples aligned to the employer's requirements and reinforcing your targeted skills.

• Follow these steps to write ATS-optimized certification and education sections:
• Create separate sections titled "Education" and "Certifications" to allow ATS to parse information from your resume accurately.
• List all degrees and certifications chronologically, putting your most recent and relevant at the top.

To craft a powerful education section ,  follow these guidelines:

• For each degree, include the name of the institution, its’ location, the dates attended, and the title of your degree.
• Continuing education courses required for maintaining nurse licensing can be listed in the education section, however, if the section is excessively long, you can separate them into a separate “CE Courses” section as well.
• Including your GPA is optional unless the job description specifies a minimum requirement.
• You can include brief statements about relevant exceptional  coursework achievements  in the example description.

Here’s an example of how an excellent education example:

• • Online bridge program from RN to MSN

Best practices for listing examples on your resume's certification section :

• Include the name of the certification, the certifying institution, and the year obtained.
• Limit your certifications to those specifically named or directly related to the required skills mentioned in the job description. For example, if you held an LPN certification before becoming an RN, which is no longer valid, you shouldn't list this. The background will be relevant in your experience section, and the certification is implied.
• Limit certifications to current, unexpired credentials.
• If a certification requires renewal to remain valid, include the date first acquired as well as the most recent renewal date or a "valid through" date. For certifications you have held long-term, this demonstrates soft skills such as organization and responsibility.

The following are some of the most highly sought-after certifications for nurses and should be included on your resume whenever relevant.

How to write your nurse resume summary or objective

A summary or objective section, sometimes called “ Resume Profiles ” or “ Personal Statements ,” is a powerful tool for contextualizing the data and facts on your resume and how it corresponds to your career progression and goals.

The goal of either a summary or an objective is to briefly clarify how your experiences and qualifications make you a suitable candidate for an available job.

Follow these best practices to write either a summary or an objective:

• Customize the statement to match the specific job you're applying for, emphasizing relevant skills and experiences.
• Start sentences with action verbs to make your summary dynamic and impactful.
• Be brief. A summary should only be 3-5 sentences.

The primary difference between a summary and an objective is that a summary statement  focuses on how your employment experience aligns with an available job. In contrast, an objective statement  concentrates on your future career goals to illustrate how they correspond with the position.

A summary is preferable for nurses with extensive experience well aligned to the available job, for example, in the same nursing specialty. It highlights how your past successes indicate your potential to succeed in that particular role.

To write a summary for your nurse resume, follow these best practices:  

• Highlight your most relevant skills or experiences that directly overlap with the job description.
• Briefly mention your years of experience to provide context for your level of expertise.
• Write an impactful summary using keywords  directly from the job description, highlighting your well-aligned keyword experiences and skills.
• Use details such as naming specific software, medical equipment, procedures, and certifications to reinforce the relevance of your experiences.  
• Convey your enthusiasm for the opportunity to continue providing high-quality patient care in the medical field in this position.

A common mistake on nurse resumes is to write a personal statement that is too general for a specialty nursing role. Check out how the following summary is improved by targeting it to critical care nursing.

This well-written summary provides quality information. However, the highlighted skills and experience are too general. If the term "critical care" were removed from the first sentence, this statement could apply to almost any nursing position, failing to target skills valued in critical care. As a result, the applicant misses many opportunities to incorporate key terms and demonstrate that their experiences are valuable in a critical care setting.  

This summary does a much better job of focusing on highly valued skills in a critical care environment, such as speed, accuracy, reacting in high-pressure situations, and providing compassionate care.

An objective section is better suited for nurses with limited experience in similar positions or applying for their first job. It allows you to focus on how you plan to use your background to achieve career goals while contributing to the success of the medical team.

To write your nurse resume objective, follow these best practices:

• Describe the type of position you are seeking.
• Share relevant or transferable skills that will help you succeed in the position using keywords  directly from the job description.
• Clearly state your career goals and enthusiasm to work towards them in the role.
• Highlight valuable contributions you can make while learning and gaining experience.
• Avoid generic phrases. Instead, focus on specific skills and goals that set you apart.

Rephrasing specifics from the “Qualifications” or “Ideal Candidate” sections of a job description is a great way to guarantee you mention the skills and qualifications most valued by the employer.

Additional sections for a nurse resume

In addition to the top-resume sections , including one or more of these additional resume sections  highlights qualifications or accomplishments and helps you stand out among the other applicants.

• Languages: Excellent patient communication is a cornerstone of the healthcare industry. Therefore, being multilingual is a valuable asset in nursing. Including a language section  is an effective way to set yourself apart from other applicants.
• Volunteer Experience: Include healthcare-related volunteer work or community service to demonstrate a commitment to giving back and supporting the community.
• Leadership Experience: To demonstrate extensive experience leading teams and initiatives, share your past leadership roles, such as charge nurse, preceptor, or committee member.
• Achievements and Awards: If you’ve received recognition in your nursing education or work in the past, consider including an awards and achievements section  to support your stated skills. In addition to individual awards, you can include awards your office or team received, such as being voted the top healthcare facility in your community.
• Passion:  If you have a personal experience that drives and motivates you as a nurse, sharing it establishes your passion for and dedication to nursing excellence. For example, a childhood battle with cancer that led you to oncology or losing a loved one in an accident that motivated you to specialize in emergency medicine.  
• Professional Associations: A professional Associations section highlights your dedication to ongoing improvement and staying current in nursing. If you’d like to include a professional association membership to your resume, consider joining one of the leading professional associations for nurses below.

How to write a nurse specialization section:

Nursing is a broad field with many specializations, such as pediatric, surgical, and psychiatric nursing. If you have extensive experience or certification in a particular medical specialty that directly corresponds to the position you're applying for, consider including a specialization section to highlight your qualifications.

Include the following in your nurse specialization section should include the following:

• The title of your nurse specialization
• Specialty-specific employment experience
• Specialty-specific education or certifications
• Valuable Hard skills in the specialization, including technical skills  such as using emergency equipment and technologies, including defibrillators, cardiac monitors, and infusion pumps as an ER nurse
• Knowledge and experience of typical medical procedures and equipment used in the specialty
• Relevant soft skills. For instance, child-friendly communication and patience in pediatric nursing.

Here is an example of how your specialization section should appear on your nurse resume:

While a specialization section demonstrates knowledge, skills, and qualifications, it should only be included as a unique section if applying to a nurse job in a particular specialty. For instance, the above example would be relevant only for employment in a cardiac care position. Otherwise, this information may be incorporated into other resume sections , such as the experience section, to demonstrate your capacity to master specialized skills.

Key takeaways

Organizing the extensive skills and qualifications necessary in nursing is one of the most challenging aspects of writing a nurse resume. Review these key takeaways to ensure your most valuable, unique skills, experiences, and qualifications are accurately reflected on your resume:

• Targeted resumes include only experiences and skills relevant to an available position as found in the job description.
• ATS-optimized formatting helps ensure your nurse resume reaches employers for review.
• Providing quantifiable evidence of achievements in your nursing experience demonstrates your impact in past jobs.
• Include education and certifications required for nursing jobs in reverse chronological order to ensure your most recent and relevant appear first.
• Give context to the information on your resume by including either a summary or an objective section, depending on your experience in similar nursing positions.
• Include a specialization section to highlight your background and expertise in the available nursing position in the same specialty.

Nurse resume examples

Explore additional nurse resume samples and guides and see what works for your level of experience or role.

As a new graduate nurse entering the healthcare field, you are expected to apply the knowledge and skills acquired during your nursing education to provide safe and effective patient care. Your resume should showcase your clinical rotations, hands-on experiences in various healthcare settings, and any specialized training, such as Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) certification. Emphasize your ability to work with interdisciplinary teams, adapt to different clinical environments, and contribute to a positive patient experience.

A nurse assistant plays a vital role in the healthcare setting, providing basic care and support to patients under the supervision of a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse. They are responsible for tasks such as bathing, dressing, feeding, and monitoring vital signs. On a nurse assistant resume, it's essential to demonstrate hands-on experience in these areas and showcase any specialized training, such as completion of a state-approved nurse assistant training program or obtaining a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) credential.

Registered nurses (RNs) play a crucial role in the healthcare system, providing comprehensive care to patients in various clinical settings, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and outpatient clinics. Your RN resume should demonstrate your expertise in assessing patient needs, developing and implementing care plans, and collaborating with interdisciplinary healthcare teams to optimize patient outcomes. Emphasize your ability to administer medications, monitor patient progress, and provide education and support to patients and their families.

Nurse managers are experienced nursing professionals who assume leadership roles in healthcare settings, overseeing nursing staff and managing patient care services. Your nurse manager resume should demonstrate your expertise in nursing practice, as well as your ability to lead, motivate, and support a team of nursing professionals. Emphasize your experience in managing clinical operations, developing and implementing policies and procedures, and ensuring compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards.

Nurse educators are experienced nursing professionals who play a vital role in preparing the next generation of nurses by teaching, mentoring, and guiding them in academic and clinical settings. Your nurse educator resume should demonstrate your expertise in nursing practice, curriculum development, and instructional design. Emphasize your experience in teaching and evaluating nursing students, developing lesson plans, and coordinating clinical experiences in various healthcare settings.

Staff nurses are registered nurses who provide direct patient care across a variety of healthcare settings, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, and home health agencies. Your staff nurse resume should demonstrate your expertise in assessing patient needs, implementing individualized care plans, and collaborating with interdisciplinary healthcare teams to optimize patient outcomes. Emphasize your ability to administer medications, monitor patient progress, and provide education and support to patients and their families.

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Frequently asked questions about nurse resumes

How long should i make my nurse resume, what is the best format for a nurse resume, which nurse skills are most important to add to your resume, what are some examples of certifications to include in a nurse resume, how can i make my nurse resume stand out, do i need to include a cover letter with my nurse resume, first job jitters: how long should you stay at your first job, how to answer the "tell me about yourself" interview question, how to organize your resume in 2023 [+ resume examples], 40+ resume tips and advice for 2024 [with expert insights] | enhancv, how to use resume lines in your resume, how to decline an interview: with tips and templates to help you succeed.

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Registered Nurse Resume Examples: Proven To Get You Hired In 2024

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• Registered Nurse Resume Tips

Registered Nurse Resume Template

Download in google doc, word or pdf for free. designed to pass resume screening software in 2022., registered nurse resume sample.

Registered nursing is a step up the nursing ladder, allowing you to provide care directly to patients. Licensure as a registered nurse (RN) is also a pathway to graduate nursing programs, practice as a nurse practitioner, and specialty certification. As an RN, you’ll provide education and advice to patients and coordinate with physicians and other members of your healthcare team, meaning communication skills are also essential.

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Recruiter Insight: Why this resume works in 2022

Tips to help you write your registered nurse resume in 2024,    emphasize hard skills related to nursing.

As an RN, you’ll need a firm grasp on essential skills. Focus on technical skills you’ll need, like phlebotomy, rehabilitative care, triage, and electronic health record (EHR). If you want to include soft skills or more than a handful of hard skills, use your accomplishments to highlight accomplishments that demonstrate them in action.

   Use bullet points provide context on your nursing achievements

Focusing on accomplishments in your bullet points is good, but even better is if you can provide the context for those achievements. A bullet point reading “triaged 50+ patients daily” is far more descriptive than simply “triaged patients.” Try to give clear numbers when talking about the size of teams you’ve led or number of patients you’ve cared for.

As a hiring manager who has recruited nurses at top hospitals like Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Johns Hopkins, I've seen hundreds of nursing resumes. The best ones always catch my attention by highlighting the candidate's unique skills, experience, and impact. Here are some tips to make your registered nurse resume stand out:

   Showcase your specializations and certifications

Highlight any specialized areas of nursing you have experience in, such as:

• Critical Care Nursing
• Pediatric Nursing
• Oncology Nursing
• Emergency Room Nursing

Also, be sure to list relevant certifications that demonstrate your expertise, like:

• Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
• Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC)
• Progressive Care Certified Nurse (PCCN)

These specializations and certifications show you have advanced knowledge and skills that can benefit the specific unit or department.

   Quantify your nursing achievements

When describing your nursing experience, provide specific numbers to show the scope and impact of your work. Compare:

• Administered medications to patients
• Educated patients and families about treatment plans
• Administered medications to 20+ patients per shift with 100% accuracy
• Educated 30+ patients and family members per week about treatment plans, increasing patient satisfaction scores by 25%

Quantifying your achievements provides concrete evidence of your nursing abilities and helps you stand out from other candidates.

   Highlight patient care improvements

Did you lead or participate in any initiatives that improved patient outcomes or experiences? Be sure to include them, with specifics:

• Implemented a new fall prevention protocol that reduced patient falls by 50% over 6 months
• Led a team that improved patient satisfaction scores from 75% to 90% in the Emergency Department
• Developed and delivered a diabetes education program to 50 patients, resulting in improved blood sugar control for 80% of participants

Highlighting improvements you've made shows your commitment to high-quality patient care and your ability to make a positive impact.

   Feature leadership and teamwork

Nurses don't just work independently; they lead and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams. Showcase examples of your leadership and teamwork skills, such as:

• Trained and mentored 15 new graduate nurses, providing ongoing support to ensure 90% retention rate
• Collaborated with 10-member interdisciplinary team to develop comprehensive care plans for complex cases
• Chaired the unit's shared governance council, leading 6 nurses to develop and implement unit improvement projects

Highlighting your leadership and collaboration abilities demonstrates you can excel in the team-based healthcare environment.

   Tailor your skills to the job posting

Read the job description carefully and make sure your resume reflects the key qualifications they are seeking. For example:

If the job emphasizes:

• Experience with a specific patient population, like geriatrics
• Proficiency with certain technologies, like electronic health records
• Particular specialty skills, like wound care

Then your resume should specifically highlight your matching experience, like:

• 5+ years of experience caring for geriatric patients in a long-term care setting
• Proficient in Epic and Cerner electronic health records systems
• Certified Wound Care Nurse with expertise in managing complex wounds

Tailoring your resume demonstrates you are a strong fit for that specific nursing role.

   Include relevant volunteer experience and professional affiliations

Nursing resumes shouldn't be limited to paid work experience. Also include:

• Volunteer work, like participating in community health fairs or medical mission trips
• Professional association memberships and leadership roles, like serving on a committee for the American Nurses Association
• Relevant coursework or research projects completed during your nursing education

For example:

Volunteer Experience: - Provided health screenings and education to 200+ uninsured community members during annual health fair - Organized fundraiser for medical mission trip, raising $5,000 to provide care to underserved village in Guatemala

These experiences and affiliations show your dedication to the nursing profession and your ongoing commitment to learning and service.

Writing Your Registered Nurse Resume: Section By Section

  summary.

The resume summary is an optional section that can be a powerful way to introduce yourself and your unique value to employers. While your resume already summarizes your skills and experience, a well-crafted summary can provide additional context and highlight your most relevant qualifications for the registered nurse role you're targeting.

However, avoid using an objective statement, which focuses on your goals rather than what you can bring to the role. Instead, think of your summary as a snapshot of your nursing career, tailored to the specific position and employer.

To learn how to write an effective resume summary for your Registered Nurse resume, or figure out if you need one, please read Registered Nurse Resume Summary Examples , or Registered Nurse Resume Objective Examples .

1. Emphasize your nursing specialties and expertise

When writing your registered nurse resume summary, focus on your areas of specialization and the skills that set you apart. Consider the following examples:

• Registered nurse with 5+ years of experience in various healthcare settings. Skilled in patient care, documentation, and teamwork.

While this summary touches on relevant skills, it's too generic and could apply to almost any nurse. Instead, try something like this:

• Critical care nurse with 5+ years of experience in fast-paced ICU environments. Skilled in managing high-acuity patients, advanced monitoring systems, and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to deliver exceptional care.

The second example highlights the candidate's specific expertise in critical care nursing and mentions key skills and technologies relevant to that specialty.

2. Quantify your nursing achievements and impact

To make your registered nurse resume summary more compelling, include specific accomplishments and metrics that demonstrate your impact. Numbers help employers quickly grasp the scope of your experience and contributions.

Oncology nurse with 8+ years of experience in top-ranked cancer centers. Skilled in administering chemotherapy, managing central lines, and educating patients and families. Recognized for maintaining a 98% patient satisfaction rating and implementing a new patient education program that reduced readmission rates by 15%.

By quantifying the candidate's achievements, such as patient satisfaction scores and readmission rate reductions, the summary becomes more impressive and memorable.

  Experience

Your work experience section is the heart of your resume. It's where you showcase your professional accomplishments and paint a picture of your nursing career. In this section, you'll list your relevant work history in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position.

When writing your work experience section, focus on highlighting your achievements and the impact you made in each role. Use specific examples and metrics to quantify your contributions whenever possible.

1. Use strong nursing action verbs

When describing your nursing experience, use powerful action verbs that showcase your skills and responsibilities. Here are some examples:

• Assessed patient conditions and developed personalized care plans
• Collaborated with interdisciplinary healthcare teams to ensure optimal patient outcomes
• Administered medications and treatments in accordance with physician orders
• Educated patients and families on disease management and preventive care

Avoid using weak or passive language, such as:

• Responsible for assessing patient conditions
• Worked with healthcare teams
• Gave medications to patients

2. Highlight your nursing specializations

If you have experience in specific nursing specialties, make sure to highlight this in your work experience section. This can help you stand out from other candidates and demonstrate your expertise. For example:

• Provided critical care for post-operative patients in a fast-paced surgical ICU setting
• Specialized in geriatric nursing, focusing on the unique needs of elderly patients
• Served as a pediatric oncology nurse, supporting children and families through cancer treatment

By showcasing your specializations, you demonstrate your depth of knowledge and commitment to specific areas of nursing.

3. Quantify your impact with metrics

Whenever possible, use metrics to quantify your impact and achievements in each nursing role. This helps hiring managers understand the scope of your responsibilities and the value you brought to your previous employers. For example:

• Managed a caseload of 20+ patients per shift, ensuring timely and accurate care delivery
• Reduced catheter-associated urinary tract infections by 30% through implementing evidence-based protocols
• Trained and mentored 15 new graduate nurses, supporting their transition into clinical practice

Improved patient satisfaction scores from 75% to 90% within 6 months by implementing a patient-centered care approach and regularly communicating with patients and families.

4. Showcase your career progression

If you've experienced career growth within the nursing field, make sure to highlight this in your work experience section. This can include promotions, taking on additional responsibilities, or transitioning to higher-level roles. For example:

• Promoted from Staff Nurse to Charge Nurse within 2 years, recognized for strong leadership skills and clinical expertise
• Progressed from New Graduate Nurse to Preceptor, mentoring and training new hires on unit policies and procedures

Demonstrating your career progression shows hiring managers that you are committed to your professional development and have the potential to grow within their organization.

  Education

Your education section is a key part of your registered nurse resume. It shows you have the necessary qualifications and training. Here are some tips to make sure your education section is effective and helps you stand out.

1. Put your nursing degree first

List your nursing degree before any other degrees or certifications, since it's the most relevant and important for a registered nurse position. Include the full name of your degree, the school you attended, and the year you graduated.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA Graduated: 2020

Avoid listing irrelevant or minor degrees:

• Took some online coding classes
• Associate's Degree in Liberal Arts

2. Include relevant coursework if you're a new grad

If you graduated within the past 1-2 years and don't have much work experience yet, you can beef up your education section by listing relevant coursework, clinical rotations, or school projects.

Good examples:

• Relevant Coursework: Advanced Health Assessment, Pharmacology, Medical-Surgical Nursing
• Clinical Rotations: Pediatrics (70 hours), Intensive Care (80 hours), Emergency Department (60 hours)

But keep it focused. Don't list every single class you took:

• Courses: Biology 101, Intro to Psychology, Basic Algebra, Spanish 101...

3. Keep it short and sweet if you're experienced

If you have 5+ years of nursing experience, your education section can be very brief. Hiring managers will be more interested in your work accomplishments.

A good concise education section for an experienced nurse:

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Johns Hopkins University Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) University of Maryland

No need to list graduation years, GPA, coursework, or other details. But avoid making it so bare-bones that it looks like you're hiding something:

BSN State University

4. Add nursing licensure and certifications

In addition to your degree(s), include your RN license and any professional certifications you've earned. These are important qualifications that show your expertise.

• Registered Nurse (RN), Maryland Board of Nursing, License #12345, Expires 06/2025
• Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN), American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 2018

Don't bother listing more basic certifications like CPR or BLS, which are assumed. Focus on advanced, voluntary certifications that set you apart:

• CPR Certified
• Completed HIPAA training

  Skills

The skills section of your registered nurse resume is one of the most important parts. It's where you showcase your nursing expertise and specializations to hiring managers. A well-written skills section can help you stand out from other candidates and demonstrate your qualifications for the role.

In this section, we'll walk through key tips for writing an effective registered nurse skills section, with examples of what to do and what to avoid.

1. Tailor your nursing skills to the job description

When applying for a registered nurse position, it's crucial to align your skills section with the requirements listed in the job description. Many healthcare employers use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to automatically scan resumes for relevant keywords before a human sees them. If your resume doesn't contain the skills they're looking for, you risk being filtered out early in the process.

Review the job description carefully and identify the key nursing skills, certifications, and specializations they're seeking. Then, incorporate those exact terms into your skills section where applicable. For example:

BLS/ACLS Certified Electronic Health Records (EHR) Patient assessment Wound care Medication administration

Avoid simply listing generic or irrelevant skills that don't relate to the specific registered nurse role, like this:

Customer service Teamwork Fast learner Organized

2. Categorize your nursing skills into subsections

To make your registered nurse skills section easy to read and navigate, consider grouping your skills into relevant categories or subsections. This helps highlight your different areas of expertise at a glance. Some examples of nursing skill categories include:

• Patient Care : IV therapy, medication administration, wound care, catheterization
• Technology : Electronic medical records (EMR), EHR systems, medical devices
• Certifications : Registered Nurse (RN), BLS, ACLS, PALS, specialty certifications
• Specializations : Emergency room, critical care, pediatrics, oncology, geriatrics

Grouping your skills in this way provides a logical structure and flow, making it easier for hiring managers to quickly assess your qualifications. Avoid simply listing your skills in one long bulleted list with no clear organization.

3. Use industry-specific terminology

As a registered nurse, it's important to showcase your knowledge of medical terminology and industry-specific lingo in your skills section. This demonstrates your expertise and familiarity with the field. Some examples of nursing-specific terms to include:

• Patient assessment
• Care planning
• Medication reconciliation
• Charting and documentation
• Telemetry monitoring
• Wound VAC therapy

Using precise medical terms shows that you have the necessary knowledge and training for the role. Avoid using overly general or vague language that could apply to any industry, such as "communication skills" or "detail-oriented." Instead, focus on skills that are specific and relevant to nursing.

4. List your level of proficiency for technical skills

For certain technical skills or specializations, it can be helpful to specify your level of proficiency. This gives employers a better sense of your experience and expertise in those areas. You can use simple descriptors like "Proficient in," "Experienced with," or "Familiar with." For example:

Proficient in EPIC EMR system Experienced with chemotherapy administration Familiar with cardiac monitoring

Indicating your skill level can be particularly useful if you're applying for a role that requires experience with specific technologies, like electronic health record systems. It helps hiring managers quickly determine if you have the necessary background.

However, avoid rating your proficiency for non-technical or soft skills. For example, it would seem odd to list "Experienced in patient empathy" or "Proficient in teamwork." Stick to rating your level only for concrete technical skills or specialties.

Skills For Registered Nurse Resumes

Here are examples of popular skills from Registered Nurse job descriptions that you can include on your resume.

• Quality Improvement
• Patient Education
• Patient Safety
• Emergency Nursing
• Medical-Surgical
• Customer Service

Skills Word Cloud For Registered Nurse Resumes

This word cloud highlights the important keywords that appear on Registered Nurse job descriptions and resumes. The bigger the word, the more frequently it appears on job postings, and the more likely you should include it in your resume.

How to use these skills?

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Resume Guide: Detailed Insights From Recruiters

• Nursing Resume Guide & Examples for 2022

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•  Find the Registered Nurse skills your resume is missing.

•  Get rid of hidden red flags the hiring managers and resume screeners look for.

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Registered Nurse Resume Examples & Template [2024]

• December 20, 2023
• In Resumes & Cover Letters

Craft a winning Registered Nurse Resume with our comprehensive guide, packed with essential tips and insights. Discover key sections, including work experience, education, and skills, to highlight your expertise in patient care, medication administration, and electronic health records. Learn how to showcase your qualifications effectively and tailor your resume to stand out in the competitive nursing industry.

Are you struggling to present yourself as the best candidate for a registered nurse position? The foundation lies in a strong resume that showcases your skills and experiences and how they relate to the specific job requirements. If you’re not confident in your resume-writing abilities,  we’re here to assist . 

How to write a nursing resume in 7 steps

Step 1: use a registered nurse resume template , step 2:  format your contact information section, step 3: craft a strong summary statement for a registered nurse, step 4: showcase your professional experience, step 5: emphasize top nursing skills, step 6:  listing relevant degrees, certifications, and licenses, step 7: tailor your (rn) resume for specific job applications, step 8: include registered nurse cover letter, faq: registered nurse resume, q1: how many pages should a nursing resume be, q2: how do i address employment gaps in my nursing resume, key sections of a registered nurse resume.

When creating a registered nurse’s resume, it is important to include the following sections:

• Contact information
• Resume summary/objective statement
• Work experience
• Education and certification
• Professional recognitions

Additional Sections (Optional)

• Continuing education, additional training, publications, etc.
• Volunteer work or community involvement related to healthcare

When creating a nurse resume, it can be helpful to use a template that is specifically  designed  for nursing professionals.

Registered Nurse Resume Template 150020 Download it here →

Resume Template in Microsoft Word, Pages

• Ease of use : Resumeway provides pre-designed professional  resume templates  that you can easily customize with your information.
• Professional appearance : Templates with a clean and professional look, making it easy to create a visually appealing resume.
• No additional cost : Once you have access to Microsoft Word or Pages, you can use the templates without any additional charges 

Remember, using a nurse resume template can provide a solid foundation for creating your resume, but it’s important to customize it to showcase your unique qualifications and experiences.

• Place your contact information at the  top of your resume  so that it is easily visible to employers.
• Use a  larger font size  for your name to enhance its visibility and make it stand out.
• Format the rest of your contact details in a way that is  clear and easy to read . You can place them in one or two lines below your name.
• Avoid placing your contact information in the header section of a Word document, as not all applicant tracking systems can properly read and parse information stored in this section.

Make sure to double-check your contact details for accuracy and professionalism.

Read more: 20+ Resume Headline Examples: Stand Out from the Crowd

Crafting an attractive summary for a registered nurse resume requires highlighting your  unique qualifications , skills, and accomplishments in a concise and compelling manner. Tips for creating an attention-grabbing  summary :

• Start with a strong opening : Begin your summary with a captivating phrase or sentence that immediately grabs the reader’s attention. Consider using  action verbs  or powerful adjectives to describe your nursing expertise.
• Highlight your key qualifications : Outline your most relevant qualifications, such as your nursing degree, certifications, and any specialized training or areas of expertise. Emphasize the skills and knowledge that set you apart from other applicants.
• Showcase your experience : Briefly summarize your nursing experience, focusing on the settings you’ve worked in (e.g., hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities) and any notable achievements or responsibilities. Use quantifiable metrics and concrete examples to showcase the extent of your influence.
• Emphasize your patient-centered approach : Highlight your commitment to providing exceptional patient care and promoting positive health outcomes. Mention your ability to establish rapport with patients, communicate effectively, and advocate for their needs.
• Include relevant skills : Incorporate a list of  key skills  that are essential to the nursing profession, such as clinical assessment, medication administration, care planning, and teamwork. Customize your skills to align with the specific requirements of the position you are seeking.
• Keep it concise : Aim for a summary that is concise and to the point, ideally consisting of two to three sentences. Avoid using jargon or overly technical language that may be difficult for non-medical professionals to understand.

Example #1: Senior Registered Nurse Resume Summary “Experienced Pediatric Nurse with 15+ years of expertise focused on neonatal care. Proven track record in NICU environments, having reduced infant readmissions by 20%. Recognized for providing compassionate and individualized patient care.“

Example#2: Junior Registered Nurse Resume Objective “Recent graduate from Michigan University’s Nursing Program, equipped with the latest knowledge in clinical care. Eager to apply learned concepts in a real-world setting and grow as a healthcare professional.”

Read more: 20+ Resume Summary Examples for 2024 [+How-to Guide]

A well-crafted nurse work experience section is essential for a standout resume. It allows you to showcase your relevant work experience and accomplishments in the field. To make the most impact, keep these tips in mind:

• Focus on achievements : Instead of simply listing your responsibilities, highlight your accomplishments  and the impact you made in your previous roles. For example, mention any improvements in patient outcomes, successful implementation of new protocols, or recognition you received for your work.
• Quantify your impact : Whenever possible, include numbers or percentages to quantify your achievements. For instance, mention the number of patients you cared for, the success rates of treatments you administered, or any awards or recognition you received.
• Tailor to the job description : Review the job description and identify the key skills and qualifications the employer is seeking. Customize your experience section to highlight how your previous roles align with those requirements.
• Include specialized experience : If you have experience in a particular specialty or have worked in different healthcare settings, such as hospitals, clinics, or home healthcare, be sure to highlight that experience. It can help you stand out from other applicants.

Charge Nurse Heavenly Care Hospital, New York, NY / June 2016-November 2017

• Led a team of 12 nurses, enhancing the patient-to-nurse ratio by 20%.
• Introduced a patient feedback system, resulting in a 15% increase in patient satisfaction.
• Reduced patient readmission rates by 10% through the implementation of comprehensive discharge procedures.
• Streamlined the patient intake process, reducing wait times by an average of 30 minutes.
• Participated in the design and execution of a new infection control protocol, leading to a 40% decrease in hospital-acquired infections.
• Organized quarterly interdisciplinary team meetings, fostering improved communication and a 15% reduction in clinical errors.

When creating a successful nurse resume, it’s important to include a combination of technical (hard skills) and  soft skills  that demonstrate your expertise and suitability for the role.

Here are some top skills to consider:

Read more: 50+ Hard Skills For Your Resume [In 2024]

When listing relevant degrees, certifications, and licenses on a Registered Nurse resume, it’s important to highlight your qualifications and credentials. Here are some guidelines to follow:

• List your highest level of education first, such as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree.
• When listing multiple degrees, arrange them in reverse chronological order, beginning with the most recent one.
• Include the full degree name, such as “Bachelor of Science in Nursing” or “Master of Science in Nursing,” rather than abbreviations like “BSN” or “MSN”.

Certifications and Licenses

• Include relevant certifications and licenses that are required or preferred for the nursing position you are applying for.
• Examples of certifications for nurses include Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN), Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), or Certified Critical Care Nurse (CCRN).
• List certifications after your degrees, using the appropriate initials or acronyms. For example, “MD, MPH, DABFM” or “DNP, PMHNP-BC”.
• If you hold a nursing license, be sure to include it, such as “Registered Nurse (RN)” or “Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)”.
• Create a separate section on your resume specifically for your degrees, certifications, and licenses.
• Use a clear and organized format, such as bullet points or a table, to list your qualifications.

When tailoring your registered nurse resume for specific job applications, consider the following tips:

• Review the job description : Carefully read the  job description  to understand the specific requirements and qualifications sought by the employer. Pay attention to keywords and phrases that are mentioned multiple times.
• Customize your professional summary : To highlight the skills and qualifications that make you an excellent fit for the specific job, tailor your professional summary or objective statement. Showcase your alignment with the position by incorporating keywords from the job description.
• Highlight relevant skills : Emphasize the skills that are directly relevant to the job you’re applying for. Include both technical skills (e.g., wound care, patient education, medication administration) and soft skills (e.g., compassion, teamwork, problem-solving) that are valued in the nursing profession.
• Focus on relevant experience : When listing your work experience, prioritize and expand upon the roles and responsibilities that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for. Provide specific examples of how you have demonstrated your skills and achieved positive outcomes in previous positions.
• Include certifications and specializations : Highlight any certifications, specializations, or advanced training that are relevant to the job. This could include certifications in areas such as critical care, pediatrics, or geriatrics.
• Quantify achievements : Quantify your achievements to provide concrete evidence of your impact. For example, mention the number of patients you have cared for, the percentage of improvement in patient outcomes, or any awards or recognition you have received.

Remember, tailoring your resume for each specific job application increases your chances of standing out to employers and demonstrates your genuine interest in the position.

When writing a  cover letter  for a registered nurse position, consider the following tips:

• Introduction:  Start with a strong opening paragraph that states your interest in the position and briefly highlights your qualifications and experience. Mention how you learned about the job opening.
• Body Paragraphs:  In the following paragraphs, expand on your relevant skills, experiences, and accomplishments. Focus on how your qualifications align with the requirements of the job. Use specific examples to demonstrate your abilities and showcase your passion for nursing.
• Closing:  In the closing paragraph, express your enthusiasm for the opportunity to contribute to the healthcare team. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for considering my application I am eager to provide any additional information or references that might be required.

Registered Nurse Cover Letter Template 150020 Download it here →

The ideal length of a registered nurse resume can vary depending on factors such as the level of experience and the specific job application requirements. In summary, a registered nurse resume should generally be around 1-2 pages, focusing on the most relevant information and showcasing career progression and achievements. Remember to tailor the length of your resume based on your specific circumstances and the job application requirements.

Addressing employment  gaps  in your registered nurse resume is important to provide clarity and alleviate any concerns employers may have. Here are some tips:

• Be brief and direct:  Address the employment gaps briefly and directly in one or two sentences on your resume.
• Focus on overall professional goals:  Explain how the employment gap allowed you to pursue opportunities that align with your overall professional nursing career goals.
• Highlight relevant experiences:  If you engaged in any relevant activities during the employment gap, such as volunteering or continuing education, mention them to showcase your commitment to professional growth.
• Consider a functional resume:  If you have extensive employment gaps, you may consider using a functional resume format that highlights your skills and achievements rather than focusing on chronological work history.

Remember, honesty and transparency are key when addressing employment gaps. Use these tips to effectively address the gaps in your registered nurse resume and showcase your qualifications and experiences.

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Nursing Resume Examples For 2024 (20+ Skills & Templates)

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Looking to land more Nursing job offers?

You're going to need an awesome resume. This guide is your one-stop-shop for writing a job-winning nursing resume using our proven strategies, skills, templates, and examples.

All of the content in this guide is based on data from coaching thousands of job seekers (just like you!) who went on to land offers at the world's best companies.

If you want to maximize your chances of landing that nursing role, I recommend reading this piece from top to bottom. But if you're just looking for something specific, here's what's included in this guide:

• What To Know About Writing A Job-Winning Nursing Resume
• The Best Skills To Include On A Nursing Resume

How To Write A Job-Winning Nursing Resume Summary

How to write offer-winning nursing resume bullets.

• 3 Nursing Resume Examples

The 8 Best Nursing Resume Templates

Here's the step-by-step breakdown:

Nursing Resume Overview: What To Know To Write A Resume That Wins More Job Offers

What do healthcare centers look for when hiring for a nursing role?

Hospitals and clinics look for nursing candidates with a nursing degree or diploma from an accredited program and a valid nursing license. Certification in a specialty area, such as pediatrics or critical care, may also be preferred.

Nurses should have both technical skills, such as administering medication and using medical equipment, and strong interpersonal skills, such as communication, empathy, and collaboration. They should be adaptable, flexible, able to make quick decisions, and solve problems in complex situations.

Professionalism and ethical standards are also important qualities in nursing roles. Nurses work as part of a larger healthcare team, so employers often look for candidates who are team players and can work effectively with others.

Your resume should show your potential employer that both your personality and your experience encompass all of these things.

Additionally, there are a few best practices you want to follow to write a job-winning nursing resume:

• Highlight your experience. Highlight your nursing experience that is most relevant to the job you are applying for. Focus on clinical skills, procedures, and technologies you are experienced with.
• Emphasize your communication and interpersonal skills.  Provide examples of how you have effectively communicated with patients, family members, and colleagues.
• Include keywords from the job description: ensure your resume is optimized for applicant tracking systems (ATS).
• Highlight your problem-solving and decision-making skills.  Provide examples of how you have addressed complex issues and made effective decisions.
• Include any relevant certifications, awards or professional development courses. List any nursing certifications, licenses, and professional memberships you hold.
• Quantify your work: Use numbers and statistics to quantify your achievements, such as the number of patients you cared for or the success rate of your treatments.
• Proofread: Carefully proofread your resume for errors and typos, as these can give a negative impression to potential employers (I recommend using the Hemingway App ).

Let's dive deeper into each of these so you have the exact blueprint you need to see success.

The Best Nursing Skills To Include On Your Resume

Keywords are one of the most important factors in your resume. They show employers that your skills align with the role and they also help format your resume for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).

If you're not familiar with ATS systems, they are pieces of software used by employers to manage job applications. They scan resumes for keywords and qualifications and make it easier for the employers to filter and search for candidates whose qualifications match the role.

If you want to win more interviews and job offers, you need to have a keyword-optimized resume. There are two ways to find the right keywords:

1. Leverage The 20 Best Nursing Keywords

The first is to leverage our list of the best keywords and skills for a nursing resume.

These keywords were selected from an analysis of real nursing job descriptions sourced from actual job boards. Here they are:

• Patient Care
• Communication
• Collaboration
• Team Member
• Coordination
• Instruction
• Flexibility
• Certification
• Accountability

2. Use ResyMatch.io To Find The Best Keywords That Are Specific To Your Resume And Target Role

The second method is the one I recommend because it's personalized to your specific resume and target job.

This process lets you find the exact keywords that your resume is missing when compared to the individual role you're applying for

Here's how it works :

• Open a copy of your updated nursing resume
• Open a copy of your target nursing job description
• Head over to ResyMatch.io
• Copy and paste your nursing resume on the left and then do the same for the job description on the right
• Hit scan and review the results

ResyMatch is going to scan your resume and compare it to the target job description. It's going to show you the exact keywords and skills you're missing as well as share other feedback you can use to improve your resume.

Here's a video walking through this whole process:

Employers spend an average of six seconds reading your resume.

The key to landing more interviews and offers is to make that time count. That starts with hitting the reader with the exact information they're looking for right at the top of your resume.

Unfortunately, traditional resume advice will lead you to write Summaries and Objectives, which don't accomplish that goal. Winning in today's job market means using a more modern approach, what I like to call a “Highlight Reel.”

Here's how it works:

Highlight Reels: A Proven Way To Start Your Resume And Win More Jobs

The Highlight Reel is exactly what it sounds like.

It's a section at the top of your resume that allows you to pick and choose the best and most relevant experience to feature right at the top of your resume.

It's essentially a highlight reel of your career as it relates to this specific role! I like to think about it as the SportsCenter Top 10 of your resume.

The Highlight Reel resume summary consists of 4 parts:

• A relevant section title that ties your experience to the role
• An introductory bullet that summarizes your experience and high level value
• A few supporting “Case Study” bullets that illustrate specific results, projects, and relevant experience
• A closing “Extracurricular” bullet to round out your candidacy

For example, if we were writing a Highlight Reel for a nursing role, it might look like this:

You can see how the first includes the nursing job title, the years of experience this candidate has, and it wraps up with a value-driven pitch for their track record of patient satisfaction.

The next two bullets are “Case Studies” of specific results they drove at their previous employers, again driving home the measurable outcomes of their efforts with metrics. Their last bullet focuses on their achievement in a volunteer role, which demonstrates their level of commitment and dedication to giving back. I like to refer to this type of bullet as “extracurricular”. It gives the employer a more well-rounded view of what this candidate has to offer.

This candidate has provided all of the info any employer would want to see right at the very top of their resume! The best part is, they can customize this section for each and every role they apply for to maximize the relevance of their experience.

Here's one more example of a Nursing Highlight Reel:

This candidate does a great job of highlighting their years of experience, the results they were able to drive at their previous employers, and includes an extracurricular bullet to round everything out–all the elements of a great Highlight Reel!

If you want more details on writing a killer Highlight Reel, check out my full guide on Highlight Reels here.

Bullets make up the majority of the content in your resume. If you want to win, you need to know how to write bullets that are compelling and value-driven.

Unfortunately, way too many job seekers aren't good at this. They use fluffy, buzzword-fill language and they only talk about the actions that they took rather than the results and outcomes those actions created.

If you apply this framework to each of the bullets on your resume, you're going to make them more compelling and your value is going to be crystal clear to the reader. For example, take a look at these resume bullets:

❌ Responsible for maintaining high patient satisfaction scores. 

✅ Increased patient satisfaction scores by 25% over a 6 month period through personalized care plans and effective communication .  

The second bullet makes the candidate's value  so much more clear. It gives information about what the candidate accomplished, how they accomplished it, and also gives a timeframe. That's what we're going for here.

That said, it's one thing to look at the graphic above and try to apply the abstract concept of “35% hard skills” to your bullet. We wanted to make things easy, so we created a tool called ResyBullet.io that will actually give your resume bullet a score and show you how to improve it.

Using ResyBullet To Write Crazy Effective, Job-Winning Nursing Resume Bullets

ResyBullet takes our proprietary “resume bullet formula” and layers it into a tool that's super simple to use. Here's how it works:

• Head over to ResyBullet.io
• Copy a bullet from your nursing resume and paste it into the tool, then hit “Analyze”
• ResyBullet will score your nursing resume bullet and show you exactly what you need to improve
• You edit your bullet with the recommended changes and scan it again
• Rinse and repeat until you get a score of 60+
• Move on to the next bullet in your nursing resume

Let's take a look at how this works for the two resume bullet examples I shared above:

First, we had, “Responsible for maintaining high patient satisfaction scores.”

ResyBullet gave that a score of 0/100.  While it gives insight into the end goal that this candidate was working towards, it includes mostly common words and is missing action words, hard and soft skills and, most importantly, measurable results:

Now, let's take a look at our second bullet,  “Increased patient satisfaction scores by 25% over a 6 month period through personalized care plans and effective communication.”

ResyBullet gave that a 60 / 100. Much better! This bullet had more content focused on the specific criteria the hiring team is looking for. We can see by exactly how much they increased patient satisfaction rates and in what timeframe. We can also see the skills used to achieve those results, by providing personalized care plans and using effective communication. This is exactly the kind of results hiring managers are looking for when hiring for a nursing role!

Now all you have to do is run each of your bullets through ResyBullet, make the suggested updates, and your resume is going to be jam packed with eye-popping, value-driven content!

And if you want to learn more about the underlying strategies behind writing great resume bullets, check out this guide.

3 Nursing Resume Examples For 2023

Now let's take a look at all of these best practices in action. Here are three resume examples for different situations from people with different backgrounds:

Nursing Resume Example #1: A Traditional Background

Nursing Resume Example #2: A Non-Traditional Background

For our second Nursing Resume Example, we have a candidate who has a non-traditional background. In this case, they are looking to transition into a nursing role from a social work background, so their resume highlights their transferrable skills.  Here's an example of what their resume might look like when applying for nursing roles:

Nursing Resume Example #3: Experienced Nurse Targeting a Nurse Practitioner Role

For our third Nursing Resume Example, we have a candidate who has 10+ years of experience in the nursing field who also holds a Nurse Practitioner certification and is looking for a similar role. Here is an example of what their resume would look like:

At this point, you know all of the basics you'll need to write a nursing resume that wins you more interviews and offers. The only thing left is to take all of that information and apply it to a template that's going to help you get results.

We made that easy with our ResyBuild tool . It has 8 proven templates that were created with the help of recruiters and hiring nurses at the world's best healthcare centers. These templates also bake in thousands of data points we have from the job seekers in our audience who have used them to land job offers.

Just click any of the templates below to start building your resume using proven, recruiter-approved templates:

Key Takeaways To Wrap Up Your Job-Winning Nursing Resume

You made it! We packed a lot of information into this post so I wanted to distill the key points for you and lay out next steps so you know exactly where to from here.

Here are the 5 steps for writing a job-winning nursing resume:

• Start with a proven resume template from ResyBuild.io
• Use ResyMatch.io to find the right keywords and optimize your resume for each nursing role you apply to
• Start your resume with a Highlight Reel to immediately grab your target employer's attention
• Use ResyBullet.io to craft compelling, value-driven bullets that pop off the page
• Compare the draft of your nursing resume to the examples on this page to make sure you're on the right path
• Use a tool like HemingwayApp to proofread your resume before you submit it

If you follow those steps, you're going to be well on your way to landing more nursing interviews and job offers.

Now that you've got your resume taken care of, check out our guide on writing a job-winning Nursing cover letter (with examples!)

Laura Lorta

Laura is an Editor at Cultivated Culture. She transitioned from teaching into the world of content so she's no stranger to career pivots. She also has a bachelors in Entrepreneurship and a Masters in Curriculum & Instruction / Bilingual Education. She currently shares job search advice to help people like you land jobs they love without applying online.

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