LPN Cover Letter: Examples & Guide for New Grads & Old

Yes, you are a nurse, thank you very much. But now you need to prove it to the charge nurse and the hospital admins. Do it with a pulse-pounding LPN cover letter that drops jaws.

Tom Gerencer, CPRW

Career Expert

Updated 11/24/2023

As seen in:

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Your LPN cover letter has to show the hospital or clinic you really are a nurse. It also has to show you can handle patients, angry family members, and put doctors on a pedestal, all while you do 90% of the heavy lifting. How can a cover letter for LPN jobs make all that happen with a sheet of paper?

With a few key points that shine like OR lights.

Below, you’ll see a sample cover letter for LPN jobs that gets noticed, with a step-by-step plan to shape it to your needs.

Want to write your cover letter fast? Use our cover letter builder. Choose from 20+ professional cover letter templates that match your resume. See actionable examples and get expert tips along the way.

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LPN cover letter made with our builder—See more cover letter examples here.

One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:

[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same stuff.

LPN Cover Letter Sample

Patricia J. Baker

Licensed Practical Nurse

3668 Alfred Drive

Staten Island, NY 10312

718-226-9637

pj.baker@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/pjbaker

6/6/20

Cynthia Cavazos

Human Resources Director

St. Mary’s Hospital

2812 107th St.

New York, NY 10012

Dear Ms. Cavazos,

As a passionate LPN with 6+ years of experience providing ambulatory care, I was encouraged to see your job opening for an LPN at St. Mary’s Hospital. I know from a careful reading of your job posting on LinkedIn that you’re seeking an applicant who can deliver quality patient care, including post-operative care and basic care. You also need someone who can ensure accuracy in documentation. I think my resume will interest you, especially for the following reasons:

When I worked as an LPN at St. Andrew’s Hospital, I was recognized for high quality patient care, consistently scoring over 90% in quarterly reviews. I worked in a busy 40-bed ward that handled both post-operative and general patients, providing post-surgical wound care, infection treatment, and pain management. I was recognized for contributing significantly to a 10% increase in the hospital’s HCAHPS scores. I also gathered vital signs and provided basic care to 10+ patients per day, and maintained a 99% accuracy score in all documentation.

One of the things I like best about St. Mary’s Hospital is your dedication to improving patient care through ongoing staff training. I’m excited by the opportunity to take advantage of your annual continuing education trainings. I’d also value the chance to sit and talk with you about how my skills in IV therapy and Meditech documentation can contribute to your mission to provide the best medical care to all.

Best regards,

Patricia J. Baker

Licensed Practical Nurse

718-226-9637

pj.baker@gmail.com

That LPN cover letter sample could get you in at New York Presbyterian. But is your resume on life support? See our guide: LPN Resume Guide & Sample

Looking for other medical jobs? See these guides:

LPN Cover Letter Template

Here’s how to write a cover letter for an LPN job application:

1. Choose a professional LPN cover letter format and layout

For a cover letter layout that gets you onto the ward, follow these tips:

Cover letter font: use one trusted font like Arial or Cambria for maximum readability that doesn’t make the charge nurse squint.
Cover letter outline: you’ll want to write three to four paragraphs that prove how well you fit this LPN job.
Cover letter design: put a one-inch margin on the bottom, top, and both sides to make your letter presentable.
Cover letter line spacing: the business-letter standard is a 1.15 line height.

2. Make a professional LPN cover letter heading

Start your cover letter heading with your basic contact information, like name, job title, and then street address. Add your email, phone number, and relevant social media links.
Skip a line. Add the date and skip another line.
Next comes the hiring manager’s info. Leave off the phone number and email address here. The name, title, organization, and street address are enough.

3. Write a healthy first paragraph

In your cover letter greeting, address the hiring manager by name to get attention like a doctor’s signature on an operation site.
Zap ambiguity with a quick mention of the job opening you’re interested in.
To get the charge nurse nodding, describe your understanding of the job requirements, then tease your resume.

**4. Show Job-Matching LPN achievements**

Show you fit the job in paragraph #2. Do it by sharing a few impressive nursing achievements that prove you’ve got their job duties down pat.
Prove those resume achievements were significant by adding numbers. Provided care to 40+ patients per day is better than provided patient care.
In an LPN cover letter for a new grad, you won’t have work achievements. So—talk about things you did during your clinical experience.

**5. Prove this LPN job matters to you**

In the last part of your cover letter, show you’re a long-term employee in the making by saying why you’d like the job so much.
Dig deeper than just, “I need the money.” Go to the facility’s website to find something unique about them that you like.
Bonus points if that thing that draws you to the job also fits your skills.

LPN jobs are growing much faster than average, according to U.S. Government data. But to get in with a great healthcare team, your LPN resume cover letter must be UC-Davis-ready.

6. End your LPN cover letter with an offer

At the end of your letter, come right out and ask for the interview. But offer to trade something for it.
What do you have that’s worth trading? How about a conversation about helping to improve their quality of care.
If they mentioned Meditech documentation or IV therapy in their list of job requirements, now’s the time to add those to your cover letter.

7. Add a crisp sign-off to the end

End your cover page with a formal closing like best regards or sincerely.
Make it easy for them to contact you by adding your name, phone number, and email address to the bottom of your letter.
Name your cover letter file after the job title. Add your name and the words “job application” to the title, too.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Questions? Concerns? We’re here for you. If you’re still fuzzy on how to write a cover letter for LPN jobs that blows their hair back, drop me a line in the comments.

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This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines. We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

Sources

https://www.bls.gov/OOH/healthcare/licensed-practical-and-licensed-vocational-nurses.htm

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LPN Cover Letter: Examples & Guide for New Grads & Old

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