
How to Email a Cover Letter: Samples, Format & Subject Line
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Nursing isn’t just a job, it’s a calling. Answer that calling with a perfect registered nurse resume.
There is no health without care. From asking where it hurts to monitoring the ICU, you combine skill and compassion in everything you do. You could probably explain a thing or two to Dr. House!
You’d make an excellent addition to the nursing staff at any medical institution. It’s just that the recruiter doesn’t know it yet… How do you get the point across?
Send them the best registered nurse resume that demonstrates your nursing skills and key accomplishments, in less time than it takes to set up an IV.
This guide will show you:
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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume samples here.
Before we get started, here are several other nursing-related resume examples:
Jean Howard
Registered Nurse
+1-303-746-8526
jean.j.howard@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/jean2015howard
Summary
Licensed RN with 5+ years of clinical experience, seeking to ensure high quality care at Lutheran Medical Center through proven daily care skills. Maintained 95% patient satisfaction at Centura Health. Successfully onboarded 10 new nurses.
Centura Health
Registered Nurse
2012–2018
Key Achievement
Education
Bachelor of Science in Nursing
University of Colorado
Completion: 2012
Certifications and Licensure
Skills
Interests
Languages
Now let’s get to writing a job-winning RN resume.
1
What would you do if you saw a colleague administering medication before calling for appropriate tests and asking the patient how they felt?
Yeah, I can see them being flung out the doors right now.
Medical treatment is a structured process for a reason. It’s the same with your resume. Good formatting ensures good readability.
Here’s how to format a registered nurse resume:
Now that that’s out of the way, here’s a short procedural how to on what you should include in your resume:
Read more about resume formatting: How to Choose a Professional Resume Format
You’re not going to begin with a resume objective/summary, though. Think of it as a diagnosis.
Start to go through each section—your job experience, education, and skills, gathering up the most notable of them along the way. When you’re done, go back to the beginning of your resume and write an intro that encompasses the whole of your resume.
2
Employment forecasts say that there will be above average growth in nursing jobs in the coming years.
In fact, the BLS predicts that there will be more registered nurse jobs than for any other profession in the U.S. by 2022 and after.
But that doesn’t make your life any easier.
Rising employment demand means a rise in the amount of people taking up nursing as a career. That means more competition for you.
Hospitals and treatment centers also aren’t just going to take anyone of the street. After all, you’re in the business of saving lives—you need to be the best.
So how do you convince the hiring manager that you are, indeed, the best?
Here’s the best way to create a registered nurse resume description of your job experience:
That’s the theory. Let’s see an example of these guidelines put into practice.
Here’s a RN resume sample of the employment history section:
Right |
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Registered Nurse July 2017-June 2019 Crossover Health, Boise, ID Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievements
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Wrong |
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Registered Nurse July 2017-June 2019 Crossover Health, Boise, ID Key Responsibilities
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The right example clearly demonstrates that this candidate knows patient care like the back of their hand.
The wrong example is a little like that TV doctor taking a snooze on a gurney when they should be on call.
And to think that both of these examples come from the same candidate! See what a difference specific examples make?
But what if you’re just starting out as a registered nurse?
If you have an entry-level registered nurse resume, you need to show that you have the knowledge and skills to do a great job.
Take a look at these resume examples without experience (technically!):
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Nursing Student Dec 2018-Feb 2019 Georgia Department of Public Health, Brunswick, GA Key Responsibilities:
Key Achievement
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Wrong |
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Nursing Student Dec 2018-March 2019 Georgia Department of Public Health, Brunswick, GA Key Responsibilities:
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As you can see, even short, entry-level experience gained as a nursing student can speak volumes when presented correctly. Now that's what a resume should look like!
The wrong example is so vague that it could have been written on the basis of watching Grey’s Anatomy.
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
Read up further on describing work experience on a resume: Tips for Making a Stellar Work Experience Section for a Resume
3
The right degree is absolutely essential for registered nursing. Yet you don’t need to list your entire education.
List only your relevant, highest degree.
Here’s what your education section should look like:
Right |
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Bachelors of Science in Nursing University of Washington, Seattle, WA Completion: 2016 |
Though it may be tempting, refrain from adding your GPA on a resume unless it’s higher than your own blood pressure. If you’re an experienced RN, leave out your GPA completely.
For inexperienced RNs who were the smartest nurse in the room, it might be a good idea to add your magna cum laude on your resume.
This is what it would look like:
Right |
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Bachelors of Science in Nursing, magna cum laude University of Washington, Seattle, WA Completion: 2016 |
Super simple!
You may be wondering where the rest of your credentials should go. We’ll discuss them in the next section.
Educate yourself more on listing your education: How to Put Your Degree on a Resume
4
The hiring manager has 99 problems, but finding your credentials shouldn’t be one.
Nursing is quite unique in the fact that it’s not enough to just have a higher education. There’s also a number of certificates, renewable licenses, and credentials registered nurses need in order to practice nursing.
Now that may seem a little overwhelming, but thankfully the American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC) has come to the rescue with a universal format to list all this information cohesively.
List registered nursing education and credentials in this order:
Let’s take a look at how that should look on a registered nurse resume:
Right |
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Registered Nurse, Oregon, license # 12345678 Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers (BLS) Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) CPR Certification |
See that? Easy peasy.
And here's a pro tip: add your RN credentials after your name in the resume header.
Read more: How to List Licenses and Certification on a Resume
5
Although the demand for nurses is rising, the growth in specific specializations isn’t uniform, with demand growing much faster in specializations such as medical-surgical, OR, ICU, or ER.
Healthcare recruiters don’t need to sift through another pile of vague resumes from candidates who cared for patients. They’re looking for specialized nurses and fast.
So how to pinpoint the key skills that make your resume stand out?
Follow these tips:
Take another look at your experience section. Does it prove the skills you just listed? Make sure these two sections compliment each other like scrubs and a lucky surgical cap.
The following registered nursing skills will help you compile your list:
If you’re looking for more skills specific to nursing, check out this great guide: Key Nursing Skills
Now that you’re well stocked in nursing skills, let’s look at a sample of skills that you might want to list on your resume.
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Remember to use the job ad requirements as a guide to which key skills hiring managers are in dire need of.
Read more about adding skills to resumes: 99+ Skills to Add to a Resume and Core Competencies and Qualifications
6
It takes months to recruit an experienced RN. Months.
Cut down that time by showing the hiring manager that not only are you skilled in saving a life, but that you have a passion for living it as well.
How?
Lots of RNs are going to have the same skills and similar experience to you. You can stand out through your interests and passions. A well-crafted additional resume section will have recruiters breathing a sigh of relief and saying “This is the one!”
Knowledge of a foreign language can really give you a big advantage over other candidates. From gathering patient history to talking through treatment to reassuring worried family members, knowing a foreign language can be a very valuable asset.
No one cares that you love cats, right? Maybe the recruiter doesn’t, but they will be interested in your curiosity about psychology, meditating, healthy eating. These hobbies not only demonstrate you have passions outside of work, but they can also be a positive influence on your work.
Demonstrating membership in a medical or nursing association shows the hiring manager that you take your career seriously and that nursing isn’t just some job for you.
Volunteer work may not carry the same weight as your job experience, but it does demonstrate a passion to help others, one of the crucial attributes of a fantastic registered nurse. And don't forget about your experience shadowing.
For more possibilities when it comes to additional parts of a resume, see this guide: What to Include in a Resume: 20+ Top Examples
7
Let’s go back to the beginning of your resume.
There’s no point in sharing treatment plan and writing out prescriptions, if there’s no set diagnosis.
Your resume "about me" section is the overarching conclusion that lets the recruiter know, in a few sentences, exactly who they’re dealing with.
There are two types of summaries of skills and qualifications: the objective or the summary.
Skim over your resume once again. Look for the skills and achievements that stand out like a Mickey Mouse band aid.
Choose 2-3 of those top achievements that will get the recruiter’s heart racing and write out your heading statement based on them.
Now—
If you have years of experience and quite a list of skills, choose the professional summary.
The resume summary gives a brief, but impressive overview of your accomplishments and experience. This is the definite go to if you could teach Dr. Mike a thing or two.
Take a look at these two registered nurse resume summary examples:
Right |
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Enthusiastic and friendly registered nurse with 6+ years’ experience of providing high quality care to a variety of patients. Feels comfortable working in 20+ bed units and in dynamic environments such as ER or ICU. Looking to leverage wide range of nursing skills and knowledge as a registered nurse at East Orange General Hospital. |
Wrong |
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Experienced registered nurse committed to high quality care looking to effectively fill nursing position at EOGH. |
That wrong example will make the recruiter feel like they’re waiting outside the ER—they’re anxious and are starved for information.
So what if you’re just starting out as a registered nurse?
Use the professional objective. This is the go to when you have little experience and need to lean on your skills and knowledge to show you’re a valuable hire.
Here are two registered nurse resume objective samples:
Right |
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Friendly, compassionate, and positive new RN grad with 80 hours of clinical experience and 15 hours in critical care as a nursing student. Looking to leverage knowledge and passion for elderly patient care as a registered nurse at Roosevelt Care Center. |
Wrong |
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I’ve just finished nursing school and I’d like to use my enthusiasm and hard work to care for elderly patients! |
Both the summary and objective follow the same rules—tailor your objective to the needs of the employer and impress through numbers.
Looking for the full recipe on starting a resume correctly? Look no further: How to Write a Resume Profile: Tips & Examples
8
You don’t need to write a cover letter. Especially if the job ad doesn’t ask for one. Even more so if you want your resume rolled straight into the morgue.
Think of it like a pair of brightly colored, clean scrubs—if the recruiter sees both a well-written resume and cover letter, they’ll know that they’ve got a professional who knows that nursing is more than cleaning bedpans and giving shots.
This is how to write a registered nurse cover letter:
That’s all!
Learn more on how to write a compelling registered nurse cover letter: Nursing Cover Letter Sample
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.
Let’s strip everything down to the bare bones—
Here’s how to write a registered nurse resume step by step:
Okay, that’s it! Now, we’d love to hear from you:
Let’s chat below in the comments, and thanks for reading!
Want to send a cover letter along with your resume? You've got two options: email your cover letter as an attachment, or write an email cover letter. We'll show you how to do both.
How to write a general cover letter? Copy our sample generic cover letter template, adjust and use it to land an interview. Read more!
In this guide you’ll learn *when* and *how* to use a general, universal resume. Plus, you’ll see an easy-to-use template you can copy and tweak in no time.