Nurse Resume: Top Tips, Templates & Examples

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Taking care of patients and ensuring they receive their medicine and treatment is what a Nurse does. Is it time for your resume to receive a dose of medicine? If that’s the case, use our personalized resume templates to treat your job application and get to treating patients.

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The nurse job market is highly competitive and not everyone makes it among the most successful professionals in the field. Nurses might be needed at all times, but without a decent resume, one cannot hope to get the job they apply for.  

Because of this, you need to know how to stand out from the crowd; and the best way to do that is to write the best professional resume. 

To learn how to write a resume for a nurse position, read as we share the best nurse resume and provide you with invaluable nurse resume examples as well as full nurse resume templates you can learn from.

Check out this nice nurse resume sample. It can give you an idea of what your resume should look like.

Resume Example

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[Chris Carrington]

[Registered Nurse]

[2190 Barrow Street, New York, NY | +1-404-766-8554 | chris.carrington@email.com]

Summary

Licensed RN with 7+ years of clinical experience, seeking to ensure top quality care at Evangelical Medical Center through proven daily care skills. Maintained 97% patient satisfaction at Best Body Health. Successfully onboarded and trained more than 15 new nurses.

Experience

Registered Nurse

Best Body Health – New York, NY

02/2011 to Present

• Handled both long-term and short-term health care plans and safety for 20+ patients. Awarded 12+ times for speed, efficiency, and problem-solving skills by the preceptor.
• Assisted patients with limited mobility in all necessary movement training. Maintained 98% positive patient scores for patience, cooperation, and compassion.
• Created assessments, diagnoses, and plan-of-care for high-volume of patients. 
• Onboarded 16 new nurses and trained them in quality, personalized care, and compliance policies.

Key Achievement

• Personally supervised the refurbishing of meeting rooms in order to create a more comfortable, friendly space for difficult discussions with patients and/or their families.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

University of Alaska

Completion: 2011

Skills

• Wound Care
• Patient Assessment
• Safe and Speedy Patient Transfers
• Stress Management
• Compassion
• Attention to Detail
• Decision-Making
• Microsoft Office

Certifications

• Registered Nurse, Alaska Board of Nursing
• Phlebotomy Certification
• Patient Care Technician Certification
• Basic Life Support Certification (BLS)
• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
• CPR Certification
• Elementary psychology training undergone

Language

• German (Conversational)

Personal Interests

• Young patient and child care
• Nursing workshops and training
• Psychology
• Everyday Emergency Podcast

What’s the Best Nurse Resume Format?

There are several ways to format your nurse resume so that it leaves the best impression before your employer.

Also, there are several different nursing resume formats you can consider for your resume, depending on your professional skills and experience. And whilst all formats differ, here is what to keep in mind when writing either one: 

• Keep it short – preferably a page long
• Use a simple and standard font
• Don’t repeat yourself
• Use numbers and percentages to back your claims
• Avoid large chunks of text
• Avoid pictures and graphs
• Check your resume for mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation
• Make sure you have several resumes at hand for different types of job positions

The content of your resume should always be centered around the following categories of information:

• Education information
• Past work experiences
• Skills
• Summary or objective
• Additional extra sections

The order in which these sections are presented can vary, which is where we get the resume subtypes:

• The (Reverse) Chronological Format. This one is the easiest and most used format.
  It starts with your most recent achievement or job position and lists the rest of the information in reverse chronological order. This is a straightforward format that’s ideal for entry-level candidates, and it’s the default resume format most people go for. 
• The Functional Format. With this format, you’re trying to prioritize your skills and what you can do. As with the previous format, you start with the summary or objective but instead of going into the experience or education section next, you list your skills instead. You’ll add the rest of the sections according to relevance.
• The Combination Format. Finally, with the combined format, you can get the best of both worlds by listing both skills and tangible achievements simultaneously. In many cases, this is the right way to go, as it’ll ensure the best impression before the employer. 

Now that we’ve covered the basics of how you can structure your professional nursing resume, let’s go into all the sections separately and see what each of them should cover. 

At first glance, a resume summary and resume objective may seem to be the same thing, but there’s a subtle difference between them. 

A professional resume summary focuses on what you’ve done in your career so far. It summarizes your experience, while resume objectives focus on what you’re looking to do with your career in the future.

A resume objective is intended for applicants who are yet to properly embark upon their careers. This section serves as a way for them to showcase their abilities, expectations, and education in a way that appeals to the employer.  

So, if you are an experienced nurse, with years of experience in the industry and looking to change careers, a nurse resume summary will be your best pick. 

On that note, you can even specifically tailor your entire resume around what you can do and what you did before, and if you have both experience and skills, a hybrid resume format might be the ideal choice.

Nurse Resume Summary Example

Let’s look at some concrete examples of what a good resume summary should look like and not look like.

As you can see, this person seems a bit too modest, so much so, that they didn’t bother to say anything past the bare minimum.

Anyone can state such facts, and this lack of attitude will get you nowhere.

This example is perfect since it’s backed by numbers, clearly states where the person worked before and what they did, and outlines the direction in which they want to take their career.

Nurse Resume Objective Example

And now for your objective, here is a pattern to avoid:

It’s okay to be honest, but this person seems a bit too honest – you’re trying to persuade employers to give you a chance, not tell them that you’re planning on using them as a testing ground.

What if you find out that nursing isn’t for you? Will a patient have to suffer due to your indecisiveness? 

Here is what a nicely compiled objective section should look like: 

This applicant sees their lack of experience as a challenge rather than a drawback.

They’re obviously enthusiastic about everything they’ve learned and seem to have a lot to offer to any employee of interest.

Clean, neat, and to the point is what you are after when writing this part.

In many cases, the experience section of your resume is the most important one.

If you are an experienced nurse, new employers will want to see what you’ve achieved in the past and how you excelled in your previous jobs. What’s more, this section is the right place to mention any outstanding work achievement that you’re proud of.

In the case of nurses, it’s important to stress that you have to point out what kind of nurse exactly you are.

Did you focus specifically on pediatric care? Are elderly patients your specialty? Perhaps you work best with children? Maybe you only worked in a special type of medical facility? 

Whatever the case, you want to clearly state the type of nurse you were and provide examples of relevant work experience stating how many patients you’ve taken care of, how many new nurses you’ve supervised, and whether you’ve been commended by a supervisor.

All of this will count as a plus.

Nurse Resume Examples: Experience

Here are some experience examples from a nurse’s resume to illustrate what this section should look like:

The lack of detail provided here is limited – there’s unclear information regarding the employment time and even scarcer information on patient care.

Such a layout will put potential employers off your resume, and you will not be considered for the positions. 

To learn how to write a sample resume for nurses with experience right, here is what to consider:

This is a textbook example of what a good experience section should look like.

It offers detailed information about particular cases along with records and a thorough explanation of the candidate’s past nursing duties. 

In many cases, especially if you opt for the (reverse) chronological format of a resume, the education section will be the second-most important one.

It should provide employers with a clear view of what training you’ve had and the type of degree you earned to verify those claims. 

As a rule of thumb, the education section in your resume should contain the following information:

• The name of the institution where you studied.
• The dates and years of your studies.
• Your overall GPA score (if it’s impressive, otherwise leave it out).
• The title (degree) you’ve obtained.
• The location of the teaching facility.
• Awards you received, commendations, or achievements you may have earned during your studies.

All of this, especially if you’re still inexperienced, will make or break your overall education section. Below, let’s see a few practical examples of what this section looks like. 

Nurse Resume Education Section

When it comes to writing the education section right, you need to know what is considered the wrong way to write it. Here is a sample to avoid: 

As you can see, an education section of this sort is information depraved and almost not worth adding.

Not only does it lack fundamental information that all employers are interested in, but it presents you as a disinterested applicant. 

This, on the other hand, is a great example.

All necessary information is provided in one place and everything can be easily verified.

Aside from clarity and legitimacy, we can also see that the applicant was devoted to their studies, carried out some relevant coursework, and did their best to learn whatever it took to become a great nurse. 

Even though we mentioned that the experience and education sections are of incredible importance for nurse resumes, the skills section is particularly relevant in this field too. 

Unlike people in other professions, nurses heavily depend on their life-saving and caring skills, so in many cases, the skills section of your resume will speak more loudly than any other section.

Nurses tend to specialize in particular medicinal fields or work with specific types of patients, which helps them sharpen a particular set of skills that may not always be relevant to other nursing roles.

This is why it’s essential to mention the exact skills you can offer to the facility where you apply, so you are more essential to what they are looking for instead of just being a general nurse. 

Another thing to also pay attention to is the difference between soft and hard skills. 

Hard skills are professional skills that you have acquired during your education and past work experiences.

Such can include diagnostics, caring, registering patients, regular overseeing, etc.

Soft skills are inter-human and communication skills that are also of paramount importance for this profession.

After all, nurses should not only tend to their patient’s physical health but also calm them down when they are distressed, reassure them, and gently navigate them through all the steps of their treatment, as well as needing to demonstrate problem-solving skills in times of emergency.

In essence, soft skills are psychological skills needed in your day-to-day working life.

Here are some of the best examples of nursing-related hard and soft skills in your resume – and which skills to stick to. 

Aside from these, you also need to know your particular strengths and make sure to emphasize them.

List both hard and soft skills separately and, if needed, separate your technical skills (such as Microsoft Office proficiency, for example) in a different column.

Persuade potential employers that you know exactly what you can and can’t offer and, if what you can offer is relevant to the position they’re looking to fill in, you’ll undoubtedly be given a chance to work for them.

And, if the job position requires a certain skill you have – hard or soft – ensure you list it first and use it as a keyword for your resume. 

In most cases, impressive nursing experience, education, and skills will do the heavy lifting in making you look good before employers.

However, adding other, additional, extra sections will help elevate your resume up a notch and give them a realistic image of who you are as a person and as a professional.  

There are different aspects you can add to the Other section for nurse resumes. Wherever you include, be sure that it aims to emphasize your existing strengths without having to specifically evade or even mention your weak points. 

Have you acquired additional certifications? This is the place to put them. Any courses? List them here. Attended conferences, or took part in nationwide projects?

If you speak any foreign languages it can really be a bonus to your resume, as in healthcare industries you are likely to come into contact with patients from other countries who would prefer to speak to a nurse or doctor in their native language.

Mention that in this section, it will make all the difference. Finally, have you received any awards, or maybe published some relevant articles in your field? This also belongs in the Extra section. 

Finally, you can even add some extracurricular activities such as volunteering. This shows potential employers that:

1. You’re still a person with a rich life outside your job, and
2. Things you do in your free time are relevant and go well with your main profession.

Nurse Resume Sample Extra Sections

This is an example of what a good other activities section of a nurse’s resume could look like:

Licenses

• Registered Nurse (RN): License number – 4294713
• New York State Board of Licensing, Relevant since April 2016

Certifications

• Board Certified Advanced Holistic Care Nurse, 2016
• CPR Certification, 2016
• Clinical Nurse Specialist Certification, 2017

Languages

• English – native
• German – native
• Italian – intermediate
• Spanish – basic

Conferences/Courses

• Patient Care and Mindfulness Training Course, Nursery Board of Kentucky, 2017
• Presentation of topic How Empathy Helps Patients Deal with Trauma at New York State Medicinal Conference, February 2019

Hobbies/Interests

• Volunteer at a local animal care center
• Ice skating
• Professional swimming
• Outdoor hiking

Awards/Honors

• Regional Nursing Foundation Award for Best Nurse, New York, 2018
• State of New York Advanced Nursing Healthcare Award, New York, 2020

Of course, feel free to improvise and add whatever you have to add in this section. However, do not be tempted to lie on your resume in this part (or any other section!), it will probably backfire at a later stage in the selection process.

Avoid including categories that don’t apply to your interests. Play to your strengths to maximize your chances of getting that job.

That pretty much sums up the essentials that need to be covered when creating a successful nurse resume.

• Follow the examples provided and see how your own, personal experiences, education, and acquired skills can be inserted into these resume templates.
• Above all, remember to remain honest about your capabilities and to be sharp and clear about all information that you provide.
• Prioritize your skills section, and try to stand out as an individual person with ambitions and achievements in the final, extra section of the nurse resume. Choose the right format to avoid confusion with your professional experience and skills.
• Get the employer’s attention by using action words and selected keywords that apply to the job opening. 

With these tips, you can most certainly hop aboard the employment train and find a nurse position that meets your needs – and vice versa.

Good luck with your application and make sure to browse our professional resume templates!