Nursing Resume Examples, Template, and Tips

Nursing Resume Examples, Template, and Tips You want to apply for a nursing job, but youre not sure how to write your resume?Dont worry, there are many more like you out there. Writing a perfect resume is one of the hottest topics today.There are workshops, panel discussions and counsellors covering this topic and answering its most asked questions:How do I make my resume noticeable so that it immediately attracts attention?What is relevant to put there and what isnt?Which layout is best to use?How long is too long?Nurses arent usually the type of people who worry about resume layouts, designs and the exact words they put in their resume. They rely mostly on their experience to do the talking for them.But what if you dont have any?Or, imagine how you would stand out from other nurses if you actually took the time to perfect your resume.If you are applying for a nursing position, the chances are that youre not the only one doing so.Today, we will help you stand out with your resume and make sure that you get that call for the i nterview! We will cover:How to make sure you have everything that the HR is looking for in your resumeSamples that are better than 90% of resumesWhich skills to point out and which notHow to best explain your past experiences in a couple of sentences and bullet pointsIf you want to save time from finding a perfect layout or creating one, feel free to try our resume builder. Its very easy to use, and you will find everything there!First, lets start off by showing you some examples of well-written resumes, and later, we will reverse-engineer them and discuss each section how it should be written and what you should pay attention to.Lets begin!Nurse Practitioner Resume Example Right Registered Nurse Resume Example Right Create your own resumeDo you see how these resumes are short and sweet?By going through them, you had no problem finding the most important information in a matter of seconds, right? Well, HRs love this kind of resumes because of that.They are short, informative and concrete.By reading these examples, you mightve got to some of your own conclusions of what is good to write in your resume. You mightve noticed they have something your resume doesnt.To help you perfect it even further, lets now go into more detail on how to write each separate section of the resume.Get ready for a lot of cool information! Youll want to have something where you can grab notes, lets go!GUIDE ON WRITING THE PERSONAL INFO SECTIONYou start off your resume with your information. Name everything you want the recruiter to have.There are some necessary every resume needs to have here, no matter what:Your full name First and last nameYour profession for example, Registered NurseA nice clear photo of you prefe rably a headshot. Avoid using small sized or blurry pictures; you need to look professional (check if this isnt common practice in your country there are some countries where this isnt allowed)Your contact number give them a phone number where they can reach youYour address currently where you liveYour professional e-mail address avoid using less known e-mail domains, stick with trusted ones like Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail. Also, avoid using an unrepresentative one like smileyface48@gmail.com.Your LinkedIn profile its 2019, so if you dont have it, you should definitely make it. Your LinkedIn profile is an extended version of your resume.If you want to give more information than this, feel free to do so. Here are some things you can mention if they are important for the job (or you really want the recruiter to have them):Your license type and numberOther social media profiles If youre posting relevant things on your Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, feel free to link these profiles as wellTo save yourself the hassle of copying these required fields, use our resume builder and fill out your personal information in just a couple of minutes!GUIDE ON WRITING THE SUMMARY SECTIONThis section should be used to give a brief overview of your experience, what you are currently looking for, and how you can contribute to that institution. Its great to mention how many years of working experience you have and in which areas.Lets look at two examples, a bad one and one well-written summary:SummaryA multi-lingual nurse with 10+ years of experience working in more than 3 separate institutions. Currently, Im looking for opportunities where I can apply my management and people skills. The ideal working environment for my taste is the one where peoples needs come first! RightSummaryA nurse with 10 years of work experience looking for a new satisfying job to apply my skills. WrongSee how the first one offers is more in-depth and helps the recruiter know you better? It summarizes who you are, what you did, and what youre looking for far better, which is what HRs love to see.If you lack any previous experience, then use the summary sections to explain what type of work youre looking for and how youre prepared to contribute to it. For example, write a summary similar to this one:Summary without experienceA fresh graduate, looking for his first-time working experience where I can put my academic knowledge to good use! I have experience in different teams, handling multiple projects at the same time, and I strictly respect deadlines. My ideal working environment is the one where peoples health is the most important factor! RightEven though you might not have direct working experience in a hospital or a retirement home, almost anyone has experience in taking care of people. It could be that you were an assistant to a doctor, or maybe you volunteered at a clinic.Maybe even you took care of your elderly family members or neighbors. All of those are relevant experi ences.Heres another example of a good summary if you dont have any experience:Summary without experienceA multi-disciplinary nurse graduate who just completed her studies with 90 GPA. Ive discovered my passion for people-care when I volunteered in a retirement home and ever since Ive pursued this passion! Currently, Im looking for my first professional nursing experience, and I cant wait to put my theoretical knowledge into practice! RightConsider highlighting your student achievements (grades and awards) in the Education part of the resume. Also, feel free to ask someone credible you know to write you a recommendation letter. It could be a doctor or a professor.Action words like caring, leader, proactive, responsible, people-oriented are something everyone likes to see in a person and are welcome to be mentioned at your summary.Dont be shy to explain how youd like to move up in this profession and some long-term goals you might have. If you want, you can also explain in one senten ce why you chose this career path and how much you value caring for people and patients.To help you save time and effort, use our resume builder and avoid having the need to constantly check for grammar mistakes or if you missed to fill out any important field.GUIDE ON WRITING THE EXPERIENCE SECTIONDefinitely, the best way to format this part is to use reverse-chronological order when mentioning your work experiences. Start with the latest or current one, and end with the last relevant one. For example:Reverse-chronological orderJune 2009 June 2012 Nurse Practitioner Northside HospitalMay 2007 May 2007 Nurse Assistant NYU Langone Health RightIts best that you stick with this order of information youre giving:Time spent therePosition you heldWhere you workedAfter this, you will explain your experience there, but just in a couple of bullet points. If you had to explain to a recruiter what you did there, what would you say? Of course, you would explain the job description, but youd also want to mention the great stuff you accomplished there right? Well, thats exactly what you need to do.Instead of just sticking to explaining your job description, name concrete results, you achieved that are in line with the job description. To help the person looking at your resume, understand better objectively what exactly you did, use numbers and percentages.Compare these two statements:Wrote over 2000 patient records RightWriting patient records WrongYou easily see which one gives you more information on someones experience.The recruiter now knows roughly how much records you wrote, instead of just knowing that you wrote records. In every nurses job description is to write records, but not every nurse will state how much records they wrote.Lets mention another example:Tutored 10% more student nurses each year RightTutoring student nurses WrongIf these figures dont fit the context, describe the result. Let them know how you achieved something, that way, they will get a glimpse of your work style.Lets compare two statements again:Providing post-operation careProvided post-operation care for my elderly patients with emotional supportExplaining how you did something will also help the recruiter determine whether your way of work will fit the organization youre applying to be a part of.Usually, good results are achieved through good practices that almost everyone will want in their team, so describe which of your positive behaviors led to your positive results.Supervising junior staffSupervising junior staff by regular tracking and monthly evaluations that meet our units standardsBe specific about your job description different nurses in different institutions have different job descriptions.To help the HR figure out whether you have the right skills, name specific things youve done in the past. Instead of writing that you took care of patients, write that you took care of elderly patients who are over 65 years old.Think of all the activities you had to do during your working experience and list the main ones (you can also highlight the really important ones for the position youre applying for).Here are some things youll want to mention in the experience section:the size of hospitals you have experience working in (for example, you can write the number of beds)patient types you worked with trauma patients, overflow patients from other units etc.type of the unit youve worked in intensive care, emergency rooms, labor and delivery, operating rooms etc.facility type maybe the facility youre specialized in is for the elderly, or for the assisted living?GUIDE ON WRITING THE EDUCATION SECTIONAs a nurse, you may have a lot of credentials and certifications you can mention in this part of the resume.But, first, start off with the formal education you have for your profession. Use reverse-chronological order here as well, but avoid mentioning experiences which arent relevant for nursing positions like high school or elementary school. Only your college education is relevant here.Like with experience, you first mention when you studied, then where, and with bullets explain your achievements there.You can point out your GPA if its good, and be sure to mention extracurricular activities you did: volunteering, student activism, sports, competitions, etc.Heres an example:Education section2014-2018 Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MDBachelors degree in Science in Nursing95 GPARaised more than 5,000$ for the Universitys Research and Development department RightIf you have more education in this field, you should definitely mention it. Dont just rely on that your formal education will get you your dream job, there are other credentials worth mentioning, like:Licenses you might haveCertificates for extra training or skills Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN), Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN), Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), and so onEven things like you being an NLP practiti oner or a certified lifeguard are worth mentioning since communication, and first-aid skills are important in this profession.State designations these demonstrate that you are allowed to practice at more advanced levelsAwards and Honors for example, the best student of the generation, prizes from companies or institutionsTo make sure you dont miss any important fields, its best to use a good resume builder.We offer one right here its easy to use and makes sure the HRs want to talk to you after reading your resume.In just a couple of minutes, youll have your resume ready for job applications!GUIDE ON WRITING THE SKILLS SECTIONOf course, like most people, you have a lot of skills you can mention. You might be a good designer, video editor or programmer, but unfortunately, none of these are relevant skills for nursing jobs.Start by reading the job listing carefully its usually written there which skills are necessary for the job. Focus on mentioning skills which are present there, to let the recruiter know you are the wrong candidate for the job.Lets look at an example of a job offer (the keywords to look for are bolded):We are looking for a candidate who will determine patient care requirements  and offer emotional, psychological and spiritual support to patients. The candidate should be able to provide appropriate health care services to the patients, settle patient issues and needs  and maintain personal hygiene of patients. Knowledge of preserving a clean working environment with complying procedures is a must. We are looking for an individual with excellent communication skills and attention to detail. If you think you match this description, feel free to reach out to us!As you can see, the employers usually spell out the skills they are working for because they want candidates who think posses them to apply and get the job. All you have to do is mention these keywords in your resume.If the skills arent specifically mentioned in the job application, you can search for most-desired skills by:Googling themLooking at profiles of professionals on LinkedInAsk nurses that you knowWhen thinking of which skills you can mention in your resume, consider the following types:Job-related skills, like: Wound dressing and caring, monitoring blood pressure, assistance with hygiene and daily activities, patient transport, specimen collection (blood or stool), monitoring vital signs, urgent care, rehab therapy, use of X-ray or MRI scans.Administrative skills, like: Budgeting, communicating with patients, their relatives and loved ones, communicating with visitors, planning for care or discharge.Computer skills, like: MS Office package (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), ICD9 or ICD10 Billing Codes, Meditech.Dont think that the more skills you put, the better. Imagine someone says he/she is good at 10 different things.Its not believable that someone is great at so many things. Stick with naming 5-7 skills you really can prove you have further down the selecti on process. Would you be able to prove that skill when under pressure?If not, then its not one of the best skills you have, so choose another one.FINAL TIPS TRICKSPick one font and stick with it. As someone who is applying for a nursing position, you shouldnt complicate the design more than needed.Keep all of your bullet points under 2 lines. Remember that the resume should be a one-pager.Save your resume in PDF format this format is best because its not editable and can be read or printed easily. We suggest you name the file Firstname LastName_Desiredposition.pdf.Pick a design that matches your personality. When applying for a nurse job, its recommended to use simple and well-organized layouts.After youve applied to a job, remember to check your e-mail regularly. You will most probably be contacted through that channel of communication. Although getting a call is also possible, were pointing out the importance of regular e-mail checking because while you cant miss a call, you can miss an e-mail.After youve finished your resume go through it like someone who is looking to hire a nurse would go through it. Look at your resume through the eyes of a recruiter, and you will see if theres something missing but is important to mention. By doing this, youll also anticipate questions you might get when you go to the interview.Your resume is not a one size fits all. Remember to adapt your resume to the position youre applying for. Different jobs require different skills, and different institutions value different behavior. Show how much you want that job by writing the things you know they would love to see.Your resume will probably be skimmed before reading in full detail. Feel free to use one of the layouts we have at our resume builder. They are well-organized, and all of the important information is at the center of attention.Beware of mentioning activities that might have a political connotation. Maybe its impressive that you raised money for a cause, but that c ause might have been backed up by a political candidate, which could itch someone the wrong way.Be prepared to answer questions about your job switching. The recruiter will definitely ask you why youre not working where you used to and you need a good reason for that.Make sure your resume doesnt have any typos.Refresh your resume and LinkedIn profile regularly. By writing down all the experiences, you have, you prevent yourself from forgetting them.FINAL THOUGHTSSo, thats it. That is all the guidance you need in order to create an amazing resume which guarantees youll get a call for an interview.Whether you have experience or not yet, this guide shows you that you dont have to have applied for more than 100 positions to learn how to create a perfect resume. All it takes is some common sense, a good layout and concrete information.Since youre looking for a nursing job, it means that you care about people.To show patients how much you care about them, first you need to get a job where you can do so, and to get such a job you need to show that you care about your resume.We hope that you found this guide insightful and we cant wait to see you land the position of your dreams! Good luck with your job application, you got this! Create your own resume