Opportunities abound for well-trained nurses, who are encouraged to follow their passion. That being said, many corners of the nursing job market are competitive and the highest-paying, most-esteemed positions attract many applicants.
Don’t be intimidated by the competition. A strong nursing resume can provide a definite edge, revealing why you are an amazing candidate for today’s best nursing positions — and how you will bring your unique skill set and passion to your work as a nurse.
Many resume best practices apply to nursing, but these still need to be carefully targeted. The ideal resume will reflect priorities within the field of nursing, along with the unique qualities of each employer and each job candidate. Keep reading to discover the secrets behind the best nursing resumes — and to explore nursing resume examples that illustrate the value of a targeted, well-organized, and compelling resume.
Essential Components of a Nursing Resume
There is no one ‘correct’ way to organize a nursing resume. A lot depends on what you want to highlight and what the employer wants to see. Still, most resumes fall into one of two main categories: chronological (with recent positions listed first) and functional (emphasizing key skills and other qualities). Combination resumes blend elements of both styles to highlight recent experiences and important skills. All resumes, however, should include a few key elements, as outlined below:
Contact Information
If recruiters or HR managers like what they see, who should they contact — and how? This is easily conveyed in the contact information section, which should feature a phone number and your email address.
Set aside quirkier email addresses and aim for something simple and succinct. This should provide an instant indication of your professionalism while verifying that you are serious about your job search — and about your future work as a nurse.
Keep in mind that, with many employers now relying on applicant tracking software (ATS), unusual email addresses may be flagged, suggesting that you are not a serious candidate. Also important: sticking with a trusted provider such as Outlook or Gmail.
Professional Summary or Objective
Recruiters and HR professionals tend to scan resumes, but a well-written objective can instantly catch their eye. Provide a quick snapshot of your skills, experience, and goals within this professional summary. This section should span no longer than three sentences, revealing your most noteworthy accomplishments or other factors that make you an appealing hire for the specific employer in question.
Licenses and Certifications
Some resume details are nice to include but strictly supplemental. Others are absolutely crucial — and it should come as no surprise that, for nurses, information about licensing and certification falls into the latter category. Simply put, nurses will be unable to secure the most desirable positions without the relevant licenses or certifications. Hence, the need for details about RN or APRN licensure, along with the relevant state and license number.
Other certifications are worth including if they offer any indication of specialized training. Examples might include:
- Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN)
- Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN)
- Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC)
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
- Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN)
Education and Training
A strong education is vital to success in nursing, and employers will want to know whether candidates have graduated from accredited and highly reputable nursing programs. The type of degree also matters. For example, while many employers are willing to hire RN applicants with an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), many now show a strong preference for hiring baccalaureate-trained nurses, who are believed to have a better command of evidence-based practice.
Other forms of training may also come into play. As mentioned previously, for example, certifications can provide insight into specialized training. Details about recently completed professional development courses may be worth including, especially if they relate to specialty nursing. Other options include leadership training, internships, or professional organization memberships.
Professional Experience
If you have worked in the field, few resume sections will convey your practical experience better than details about previously held jobs. This is where you showcase your career progression, revealing how, for example, you’ve moved from roles such as licensed practical nurse (LPN) to registered nurse (RN) or even secured specialty positions. A consistent work history featuring reputable employers can bring much-needed confidence to future employers.
Don’t worry if you have limited professional experience. While this will certainly boost your resume, other forms of practical experience can prove relevant. When in doubt, reference completed clinical rotations or internships, which reveal that you’ve applied fundamental nursing knowledge in the field. Certain healthcare-related positions could also be worth including, such as certified nursing assistant (CNA) or even some volunteer positions in the healthcare sector.
Nursing Skills for Your Resume
These days, many employers favor skills-based resumes, which do not rest on credentials alone to reveal nursing competence. Rather, employers want to know what nurses can handle and how they will leverage their unique skills on the job.
Nursing skills for resume drafts often begin with basic clinical competencies, but may eventually expand to include a wide range of abilities that different types of employers may find compelling. As you decide which skill to reference, focus on the most relevant competencies for the job in question. Typically, these will fall under one of two main categories: hard (or technical) skills versus soft (interpersonal) skills.
Hard Skills (Technical Skills)
In nursing, clinical skills take precedence. These should be tailored to the desired job, although some basic skills will be applicable in most situations. Examples include:
- Medication administration (especially intravenous or intramuscular, if relevant)
- Wound care (such as dressing or debridement)
- Diagnostic testing (such as blood glucose monitoring or EKGs)
- Ability to operate specialized medical equipment (dialysis machines, for example)
Technological skills are also important, especially given the current reliance on electronic health records and data analytics. Many employers prefer to hire nurses who are clearly proficient with EHR systems, although experience with telehealth platforms and clinical decision support systems (CDSS) may also prove desirable.
Soft Skills (Interpersonal & Cognitive Skills)
Soft skills highlight your ability to communicate, to empathize, and to come up with creative solutions when faced with challenging situations. These skills reveal not only what you are capable of at the moment, but also, your potential to learn and grow over time. Examples worth highlighting include:
- Cultural awareness
- Emotional intelligence
- Adaptability
- Attention to detail
- Time management
Because soft skills can be nuanced, nurses often benefit from diving into specifics: targeted qualities or abilities that convey mastery of the skills highlighted above.
Showcasing Your Nursing Expertise
While skills are worth highlighting, these alone may not impress employers. After all, any candidate can list skills on their resumes, but not all can convey how they’ve leveraged these abilities and whether these skills have made a difference from the patient’s perspective.
Quantifying Achievements
Recruiters crave concrete examples of nursing achievements, which can say far more about professional competency than simple lists of skills. These demonstrate not only which responsibilities you held in past positions, but also, your impact as a nurse.
If possible, use specific facts and figures to convey your previous achievements. This will be easier if you’ve already held nursing positions, but you may be able to draw on clinical rotations or other practical experiences. Potential strategies for quantifying achievements include:
- Mentioning how many patients you worked with during clinicals.
- Highlight the number of assessments completed or how often you assisted with conducting those assessments.
- Quantify the number of catheter insertions completed during clinicals, along with the success rate.
Highlighting Specific Skills
While we have mentioned several examples of skills worth mentioning, your resume may need to go more into specifics depending on which jobs you seek. These will vary dramatically between positions and according to your nursing specialty. For example:
- Coordinating and managing patients during clinical trials.
- Administering drugs for chemotherapy and helping patients manage associated symptoms.
- Implementing crisis interventions for patients experiencing psychiatric emergencies.
- Managing trauma injuries such as lacerations.
- Monitoring cardiac rhythms to reveal signs of arrhythmia.
Using Action Verbs and Keywords
Action words make resumes sound dynamic and impactful. Avoid meandering language, and, instead, opt for clear, concise language that gets to the point. Examples relevant to a nursing resume include:
- Assessed
- Administered
- Monitored
- Documented
Keywords also matter, especially given the extensive use of digital solutions in today’s recruitment and hiring practices. These could reference clinical skills, specialties, or certifications. Examples might include:
- Advanced practice registered nurse
- Critical care nursing
- Psychiatric nursing
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Seemingly well-rounded resumes can be riddled with mistakes. When in doubt, check, double-check, and triple-check your nursing resume, editing as needed to ensure maximum professionalism. We have highlighted a few of the most common — and most problematic — mistakes below:
Typos and Grammatic Errors
Arguably the easiest mistakes to avoid, typos make your resume look sloppy and unprofessional. Proofread extensively to catch and address these errors — and ask a friend, family member, or fellow student to take a look as well.
Generic or Vague Descriptions
Phrases such as “responsible for nursing duties” simply state that you have held a nursing position without actually conveying what you accomplished or how you excelled in that role. Similarly, “worked with a team of healthcare professionals” provides vague insight into your collaborative efforts but does not reveal which types of professionals you’ve
Listing Irrelevant Information
With nursing resumes, quality beats quantity. The goal is not to list as many experiences as possible, but rather, to highlight a few relevant experiences and explain why your unique background makes you an excellent candidate for the position in challenge. This is especially important in the professional experience section; you don’t need to list all work experiences and may be better off not mentioning, for example, high school part-time jobs.
Exaggerating or Misrepresenting Qualifications
You may be proud of your accomplishments, but be realistic: don’t overinflate these areas, or you risk eroding the trust and goodwill of potential employers. Never claim to possess certifications that you do not actually hold. Similarly, avoid referencing responsibilities that were not actually part of your previous nursing roles. You must have performed all listed clinical skills in the past.
Nursing Resume Examples
These examples illustrate the wide range of techniques that can elevate nursing resumes, along with key commonalities that the most effective resumes share. Templates provide a head start so that you can begin drafting
- Indeed: Experienced Resume Example. Offering both a detailed example of an MSN graduate’s resume and a template to help similarly experienced nurses convey specialty skills, this resource from Indeed can provide insight for RNs with years of experience and the desire to move up the career ladder.
- American Nurses Association: Sample Resumes. This ANA resource reveals multiple resume strategies and how different nurses may highlight different experiences to reveal their suitability for specific roles.
- Monster Jobs: Nursing Resume Samples. Job search resource Monster offers a wealth of samples and templates for nurses at all stages of their careers. These also include examples specific to targeted nursing environments (such as hospitals) and various levels of nursing.
Prepare for an Impactful Nursing Career With Nevada State University
If you would like to continue advancing in your nursing career, seek additional training with Nevada State University. Placing a strong emphasis on evidence-based practice, our RN to BSN online program provides powerful preparation for the challenges of nursing — including the effort that goes into finding the right specialty and a job that aligns with your interests and talents. Reach out today to get started.