Write a Great Nursing Resume Using These Examples

The Basic Elements of a Nursing Resume

Whether you are applying for a certified nursing assistant (CNA) job title or you want to be a senior nurse practitioner, you will need to consider applicant tracking systems (ATS) when writing your resume. An ATS system is designed to filter resumes that fit the need of the job posting from those that don’t. While listing the right skills, qualifications, and previous job titles will be helpful, your resume will also need to be properly structured. Here’s are the sections to include on a resume:

• Contact information

  A resume header should include your full name, phone number, and contact information. You can also include professional social media links, such as LinkedIn. Ensuring that all your contact information is included and correct will help a recruiter contact you to schedule an interview.

• Resume summary or resume objective

  The next section on a nursing resume is the resume summary or resume objective. A resume summary should sum up the skills, experience, and certifications that make you ideal for the role you are applying for. This is ideal for candidates with a lot of work experience. If you have a short or patchy work history, you should write a resume objective statement instead. This should be a statement of your career goals and intentions.

• Skills section

  Your resume skills section should contain 8 to 12 bullet points detailing your most relevant skills. Be sure to include both hard skills and soft skills. Here are a few nursing skills you may consider for your nursing resume:

  - Compassion
  - Patience
  - Patience care and safety
  - Wound care
  - Medication administration
  - Patient assessment
  - Record keeping

  These are just a few of the skills a nurse will need. Depending on the specialty, such as geriatric nursing or oncology, the skills you list on your resume will need to reflect the specific requirements of the job you are applying for.

• Work experience section

  Your work history section should contain up to 10 years of experience, listed in reverse-chronological order. For each job, write 3-5 bullet points using action verbs (e.g., “Managed,” “Oversaw”) to describe your achievements and duties in previous roles. Address specific requirements you find in the job posting as you write your bullet points. For each job, include the facility name, your job title, and dates of employment.

• Education section

  Your education section will be important when you apply for nursing roles. List your bachelor of science in nursing or any other degrees you may have, as well as any specializations you studied. If you have several professional certifications, such as a certification in pediatrics or surgery, you should list these in a separate section.

  If you want to make the process of creating your registered nurse resume easier, consider using the ResumeNerd resume builder. This free online tool offers access to high-quality resume templates.