- What should your nursing resume include?
- How can you create a professional summary?
- How should you describe your work experience as a nurse?
- Include a fitting nursing resume education and certifications section
- Which key skills are relevant for a nursing resume?
- How to select the most impactful nursing resume template
- Copyable nurse resume example
- Key takeaways for writing a nursing resume
Nursing is a rewarding career with lots of opportunities for professional advancement and the benefit of being in demand. But, it’s also super competitive, so you’ll need to stand out in the candidate pool. In this resume example and writing guide, we’ll show you how to create a stand-out nursing resume that makes the best first impression.
This resume guide will cover the following topics:
What should a nursing resume include
Advice on each section of your resume (summary, work history, education)
Adding relevant key skills to your resume
Choosing the right resume template for a nurse
What should your nursing resume include?
Your resume needs to convey your achievements and aptitude in the nursing field, combined with your adaptability, critical thinking skills, and empathetic approach. Hiring managers are often time-pressed, especially in a busy healthcare environment. So, keeping your resume format concise and orderly is the best way to impress recruiters and ensure you don’t lose their attention.
Your nursing resume should contain the following elements:
The resume header with your contact information
The resume summary
The employment history section
The resume skills section
The education section
How can you create a professional summary?
Your first chance to make a great impression is your professional summary. One way to make your profile really stand out is by writing a one sentence overview at the beginning of your profile to highlight your level of nursing experience. This could include specific nursing expertise gained in different healthcare settings, combined with a commitment to staff training and development.
Follow this opening paragraph with four key bullet points that provide more information on your hard (nursing-specific) skills and soft skills (communication, relationship-building, etc.) List your hard skills first as these will be of most interest to recruiters. This could entail experience in leadership roles in healthcare facilities or providing quality care in long-term care settings. Wrap this section up with details of your soft skills, including your patient-centered approach, strong organization skills, and commitment to compliance.
See our adaptable nursing resume summary below.
Dedicated, compassionate Director of Nursing with strong experience within hospital, long-term care, in-home care, clinic, and corporate settings, poised to utilize formal training and professional expertise to serve as Nurse Case Manager.
Broad professional background with responsibility for facilitative leadership, strategic planning, and team building for nursing staff.
Vast experience providing quality care to patients in a variety of healthcare settings; proven capacity to remain calm and competent in high-pressure situations.
Possess strong leadership skills and ability to prioritize daily tasks, coordinate clinic teams, and ensure compliance with all policies, protocols, and procedures.
Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills; able to collaborate with patients, their families, and staff at all levels to maintain daily operations, deliver training, and meet diverse patient needs to achieve optimal outcomes.
How should you describe your work experience as a nurse?
The work experience section is where you can make your time as a nurse shine. Here you can provide recruiters with specific information about your overarching responsibilities and showcase your achievements. Using the job description as your guide, use short paragraphs (core responsibilities) and bullet points (accomplishments) to provide a distinction between each section.
While you may be regarded as the Florence Nightingale of your ward, it can often be difficult to put your nursing achievements into any quantifiable results. Instead, focus on where you have gone above and beyond in your role, or how you’ve secured valuable experience.
For example:
Reduced rate of hospital-acquired infections by creating new infection control protocols.
Take a look at the adaptable nurse resume employment history section below.
Director of Nursing at Dexter Living Center, Dexter, MO 2021 - Present
Responsible for delivering supervision, scheduling, and performance reviews for 40 nursing staff of this 71-bed long-term care facility which includes 15-bed geriatric psychiatric unit.
Ensure that highest levels of patient care are maintained. Plan and manage department budgets.
Communicate with physicians, patients, and family members to provide information and develop care plans.
Complete all required reporting and documentation processes.
Responsible for suggesting and gaining approval for staff appreciation budget and performance incentives from corporate headquarters.
Obtained approval to adjust staffing levels to achieve higher staff-to-resident ratios.
RN/Neuroscience Department at Saint Francis Medical Center, Cape Girardeau, MO 2017 - 2021
Charged with assisting patients with a range of brain and nervous system disorders.
Monitored neurological exams, administered medication, and consulted with physicians on patient progress and treatment plans.
Ordered appropriate diagnostic testing.
Delivered education for patients and their families.
Executed discharges in conjunction with attending staff.
Gained valuable experience providing support for stroke patients.
Medical Surgical Floor Nurse at Popular Bluff Regional Medical Center, Poplar Bluff, MO 2015 - 2017
Conducted individualized patient assessments as determined by patient condition and the facility’s policies and protocols.
Developed plans of care in collaboration with healthcare team.
Performed treatments and therapeutic nursing interventions as ordered by physicians.
Documented assessment findings and patient responses to treatment. Interacted extensively with patient families to provide support and education.
LPN at White & Associates In-home Care, Sikeston, MO 2013 -2015
Delivered skilled nursing services to patients at home in accordance with nursing plan of care established by the RN.
Reevaluated patient nursing needs and communicated any changes in condition to physicians and clinical staff.
Delivered teaching and training for patients and their caregivers to meet nursing needs.
Prepared clinical and progress notes for RN review and approval.
Expert Tip
Research each healthcare facilities culture and philosophy
Tailoring your resume to your prospective employer is vital for each job application. Every hospital or healthcare facility will have their own unique culture and philosophy, so weaving this into your resume and cover letter will help your application be more successful. Patient-centered care, compassion, integrity, teamwork, and excellence are all common values in hospitals. Check the job description and hospital website to find out your prospective employer’s priorities.
Include a fitting nursing resume education and certifications section
Highlighting your degrees, credentials, licenses, and certifications is vital on your nursing resume, as recruiters want to see that you’re suitably qualified for the job opening. Here’s some key areas to focus on when crafting your education section:
List your education in reverse order with the highest qualification first. If you’re completing any relevant continuing education or certifications, include these as ongoing (or with an estimated completion date) as this helps to build your credibility.
Include professional licenses and certifications and highlight any professional training relevant to your nursing career, such as trauma nursing courses or BLS certification.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Central Methodist University, Fayette, MO
Associate Degree in Nursing, Southeast Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Cape Girardeau, MO
Licensed Practical Nurse Program at Sikeston Public Schools, Sikeston, MO
Which key skills are relevant for a nursing resume?
Tailoring your resume to the job description is the best way to ensure your resume gets read, particularly in terms of the applicant tracking systems (ATS) that many organizations now use. To learn more about the ATS, read our article on Resume ATS optimization.
Review the job description closely and look out for terms that are repeated or emphasized as important skills and experience; these are the keywords you want to target. Sprinkle those key skills throughout your resume by demonstrating them in action—both in your work history and professional summary. For a nurse, a few critical skills might include:
Patient assessment
Medication management
Electronic medical records (EMR)
Patient-centered care
Relationship building
Team training and development
How to select the most impactful nursing resume template
Most hiring managers favor an organized, easy-to-follow resume. When you consider the number of resumes and the amount of time they spend during their initial review (mere seconds), this makes sense. Stick to reverse chronological order, with greater weight on more recent positions as these will be of most interest to recruiters. Ideally, your nursing resume should be one or two pages in length. Maintain consistent formatting to project your professionalism.
When exploring our many resume templates in our resume builder, select the resume layout that fits your situation best. Find inspiration with our over 100 available resume examples.
Copyable nurse resume example
Summary example
Dedicated, compassionate Director of Nursing with strong experience within hospital, long-term care, in-home care, clinic, and corporate settings, poised to utilize formal training and professional expertise to serve as Nurse Case Manager.
Broad professional background with responsibility for facilitative leadership, strategic planning, and team building for nursing staff.
Vast experience providing quality care to patients in a variety of healthcare settings; proven capacity to remain calm and competent in high-pressure situations.
Possess strong leadership skills and ability to prioritize daily tasks, coordinate clinic teams, and ensure compliance with all policies, protocols, and procedures.
Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills; able to collaborate with patients, their families, and staff at all levels to maintain daily operations, deliver training, and meet diverse patient needs to achieve optimal outcomes.
Employment history example
Director of Nursing at Dexter Living Center, Dexter, MO 2021 - Present
Responsible for delivering supervision, scheduling, and performance reviews for 40 nursing staff of this 71-bed long-term care facility which includes 15-bed geriatric psychiatric unit.
Ensure that highest levels of patient care are maintained. Plan and manage department budgets.
Communicate with physicians, patients, and family members to provide information and develop care plans.
Complete all required reporting and documentation processes.
Responsible for suggesting and gaining approval for staff appreciation budget and performance incentives from corporate headquarters.
Obtained approval to adjust staffing levels to achieve higher staff-to-resident ratios.
RN/Neuroscience Department at Saint Francis Medical Center, Cape Girardeau, MO 2017 - 2021
Charged with assisting patients with a range of brain and nervous system disorders.
Monitored neurological exams, administered medication, and consulted with physicians on patient progress and treatment plans.
Ordered appropriate diagnostic testing.
Delivered education for patients and their families.
Executed discharges in conjunction with attending staff.
Gained valuable experience providing support for stroke patients.
Medical Surgical Floor Nurse at Popular Bluff Regional Medical Center, Poplar Bluff, MO 2015 - 2017
Conducted individualized patient assessments as determined by patient condition and the facility’s policies and protocols.
Developed plans of care in collaboration with healthcare team.
Performed treatments and therapeutic nursing interventions as ordered by physicians.
Documented assessment findings and patient responses to treatment. Interacted extensively with patient families to provide support and education.
LPN at White & Associates In-home Care, Sikeston, MO 2013 -2015
Delivered skilled nursing services to patients at home in accordance with nursing plan of care established by the RN.
Reevaluated patient nursing needs and communicated any changes in condition to physicians and clinical staff.
Delivered teaching and training for patients and their caregivers to meet nursing needs.
Prepared clinical and progress notes for RN review and approval.
Education example
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Central Methodist University, Fayette, MO
Associate Degree in Nursing, Southeast Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Cape Girardeau, MO
Licensed Practical Nurse Program at Sikeston Public Schools, Sikeston, MO
Skills
Communication
Teamwork Skills
Patient assessment
CPR and other emergency procedures
Problem-solving skills
Compassion
Key takeaways for writing a nursing resume
Nursing is rewarding, in-demand, and offers plenty of career advancement opportunities, but it’s also competitive. So, you need a resume that will stand out in the candidate pool.
Highlight your specific nursing specialities and knowledge, detail licensures and certifications as well as any team leadership responsibilities since these will be of great interest to recruiters.
Use the job description as your guide and tailor your resume as much as possible to the specific job opening. Research the hospital's culture and philosophy so you can weave this in too.
Make your life easier by using our online resume builder to create your nursing resume with adaptable templates and AI-powered content.
