The first step to creating your nurse resume is to decide on a format. Just like any other career, hiring managers want specific information to jump out at them when reviewing resumes. So nurses need to make sure their resumes are formatted properly. In 2023, the most common resume format remains the “reverse-chronological” format. So this is your best bet.
Next page
Use a Nurse Resume Template
Are you used to creating your resume in Word? Painful isn’t it?It’s easy to spend more time tinkering with formatting than it actually takes you to fill in the contents.Then, you decide to make a single, small layout change, and BAM! Your entire resume layout falls apart. There’s a better way than using Word: use a nurse resume template.
Next page
What to Include in a Nurse Resume
The main sections in a nurse resume are:– Contact Information– Resume Summary– Work Experience– Education– Skills– Certificates– Awards & RecognitionsIf you want your resume to stand out more, you can also try these optional sections:
Next page
What to Include in a Nurse Resume
– Conferences & Courses– Professional Affiliations– Languages– Interests & Hobbies
Next page
How to Get Your Contact Information Right
Maybe you’ve created the perfect resume with amazing content on your skills and experience. But if you mess up the contact section, you won’t be getting a lot of interview invitations (mainly because they won’t be able to call your misspelled phone number).For your contacts, include:– Name– Title - For nurses, your best
Next page
How to Get Your Contact Information Right
bet is likely “Registered Nurse”.– Phone Number - Double-check, triple-check this. One typo can really mess up your chances of an employer contacting you.– Email Address - Make sure to use a professional email address (firstname.lastname@gmail.com), and avoid that email you created back in 5th grade (sirlaughsalot@gmail.com).
Next page
How to Get Your Contact Information Right
– (Optional) Location - Applying for a job abroad? Mention your current location.
Next page
How to Make Your Nurse Work Experience Stand Out
Work experience is the most important section in your resume.Sure, your medical skills are super important, but so is your professional experience. Here’s how to structure your work experience section…– Position name– Dates– Company Name– Responsibilities & Achievements
Next page
Use Action Words to Make Your Nurse Resume SHINE!
“Responsible for”“Created”“Worked in”These are the most common words you’ll find on ANY resume. And since you want YOURS to stand out, we’d recommend avoiding them as much as possible.Instead, use some of these power words to make your responsibilities and
The next section in any Nurse resume is the “Education.”This one’s pretty straightforward. Simply list out your education entries, and you’re gold!– Degree Type & Major– University Name– Years Studied– GPA, Honours, Courses, and anything else you might want to add
Next page
Top 30 Skills for a Nurse Resume
Hard Skills for Nurse Resume:– Assisting in surgery– Administration of medication– Chemotherapy administration– Bedside monitoring– Bladder irrigation– Blood administration– Discharge– Emergency room care– Healthcare software– Infection control– Lab testing– Intramuscularly injections or IV therapy
Next page
Top 30 Skills for a Nurse Resume
– Maternal care– Pain management– Physical assessments– Psychiatric care– Rehabilitation– Seizure precautions– Surgery preparation– Wound irrigation– Withdrawal of blood samplesSoft Skills for Nurse Resume:– Accuracy– Attention to detail
Next page
Top 30 Skills for a Nurse Resume
– Communication (verbal & written)– Critical thinking– Empathy– Physical endurance (since you will work long hours and have to use sometimes heavy equipment or patients)– Observation (since you need to track subtle and small changes such as a change in the color or odor)– Teamwork
Next page
Certifications for a Nurse Resume
As we mentioned before, many nurses will attain special certifications as they progress in their careers. These should be highlighted in your resume. For example:– CPR certified through the American Heart Association– Family Nurse Practitioner– Advanced Holistic Nurse, Board Certified
Next page
Other Resume Sections You Can Include
Conferences & CoursesAs part of their career development, many nurses will participate or even speak at nursing conferences. These are great to list on a resume because they highlight your dedication to the profession.Meanwhile, nurses also participate in courses devoted to specialized topics in nursing or medicine. Perhaps these
Next page
Other Resume Sections You Can Include
courses don’t involve formal certification in a specific area, but they do demonstrate certain career interests.For example, maybe after five years of working in nursing, you decide to take a course in End-of-Life Care because it’s an area you may want to pursue future certification. Once you’ve taken the course, there’s no reason not to put it on your resume.
Next page
Other Resume Sections You Can Include
If you’ve got the space, try to include a Conferences & Courses section on your resume.
Next page
Other Resume Sections You Can Include
LanguagesAn extra language or two can always come in handy, even if it doesn’t have anything to do with the position you’re applying for. You never know when a foreign language might help save a life.If you know any foreign language & have extra space in your resume, feel free to add a language section.
Next page
Other Resume Sections You Can Include
Make sure to split the languages by proficiency:– Native– Fluent– Proficient– Intermediate– Basic
Next page
Other Resume Sections You Can Include
Interests & HobbiesNow, you might be thinking, “what does my hiking hobby have to do with my profession as a nurse?”Well, nothing, but it does have something to do with you as a person. Strong teamwork is essential in the health-care field, so doctors and administrators are looking for someone they’ll get along with.
Next page
Other Resume Sections You Can Include
And what’s something you can bond with potential employers about? Hobbies and interests, exactly!