Registered Nurse / Nursing Resume Examples & Template

Tell me, on a pain scale from 1 to 10, how painful is it to write a nurse resume?

Thought so, but let me tell you, it doesn’t have to be this way. I’ve prescribed some painkilling advice to soothe your resume writing experience right away.

This guide will show you: 

• A nursing resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a nurse resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a registered nurse resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a nurse to get any job you want.

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Jump to these chapters:

1. Lay Out Your Nurse Resume Contents
2. Write About Your Nursing Achievements
3. Include Your Educational Background
4. Match Your Nursing Skills With the Job Ad
5. Add Extras to Make a Better Impression
6. Convince You’re the One in Resume Summary or Objective
7. Attach a Nursing Cover Letter for More Impact

Nursing Resume Template

Now, here’s the job-winning nursing resume formula:

1. Lay Out Your Nurse Resume Contents

Provide holistic care by creating a layout that makes it easy for the hiring manager to read your resume.

Let’s go one by one:

• Design a heading with your personal information: full name, phone and email details.
• Divide the page into sections: summary/objective, experience, education, skills, and leave some room for additional information.
• Choose a font that’s easy to read, like Calibri or Arial, and size it between 10 and 12 font-size points. You can make the section heading slightly bigger than the rest of the content.
• Set margins to 1-inch on all sides and 1-1.15 line spacing. 
• Left-align the text.
• Write in reverse chronological order to highlight the most recent positions at the top. 
• Make sure that you stay on one page.
• Export your resume file to PDF or Word format, depending on what the recruiter says in the job description.

That’d be it for the technicalities of your nurse resume. Now it’s time you showed off your nursing career.

Read more: Resume Layout

2. Write About Your Nursing Achievements

To impress the charge nurse, you’ve got to set aside the idea of writing about responsibilities on your resume.

Why?

A registered nurse knows what a registered nurse does. 

So, instead, you need to show them how well you do it because only that can set you apart from your competition. 

And the “how” behind that is:

• Read the job description and mark the qualifications and qualities they require from a registered nurse. Those are the keywords you’ll be referring to in your resume.
• Now list all the achievements you’ve made that match those requirements. That is how you stay relevant to the needs of your prospective employer.
• Pick the most recent position and write about 4 to 6 bullets about those achievements. Going further back, reduce the number of bullet points to 3 maximum. 
• Start each statement with an action verb (completed, provided, assisted, delivered, etc.) and add numbers to your achievements (20 students, 40+ individualized health care plans, etc.).
• Follow the PAR formula (Project—Action—Result) when creating your achievement statements.
• Single out your key achievement under each entry.

Now see these instructions in action:

Nursing Experience Resume Example

Ouch.

The difference between these two is striking, right? 

The first example clearly states your position, which only complements the achievements in the bulleted list. There are power words, quantifiers, and a key achievement singled out from the rest—it’s perfect.

And what about the other example?

Well, it says nothing about your position, and you can’t tell from the list of mere responsibilities what it is you’ve been hired for. Plus, it lacks the resume keywords a registered nurse needs to get noticed by the ATS.

You see, it’s not recruiters who first lay their hands on your application. It’s the Applicant Tracking Software—it scans your resume and assigns it based on your score. It means the hiring manager may not see your nurse resume at all!

Now let’s take a closer look at what experience you can refer to as an entry-level nurse:

Nursing Resume Examples for Little to No Experience

As a graduate nurse, it’s easy to focus on what you don’t have instead of what you have already accomplished. You don’t have to look far to find relevant experience; it doesn’t have to be quantifiable for every bullet you want to write.

Find ways to incorporate as many keywords as possible that showcase your skills and qualities. Avoid bland statements about assistance, but tell how much you’ve learned throughout your clinicals.

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.

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3. Include Your Educational Background

The registered nurse position in Canada is impossible to take on without confirming your credentials. Plus, it takes blood and sweat to achieve a registered nurse license.

So to ensure your hiring manager has no doubts about your eligibility and give yourself enough credit, include your educational accomplishments. This is how:

• If you have enough nursing experience, write the highest degree you completed, the place, and the dates.
• If you’re beginning your nursing career, add academic achievements and extracurricular activities to prove you’ve been a successful student.

Take the vital signs of the below example:

Nurse Resume Example: Education

That’s so fit!

Relevant courses are an excellent choice because they leave your resume with more relevant keywords for the ATS. Plus, for a student nurse, it’s a great way of saying what you’ve learnt to date.

What else can you add?

• GPA higher than 3.5
• Dean List’s placement
• Club presidency or membership
• Tutoring
• Volunteering.

4. Match Your Nursing Skills With the Job Ad

You passed NCLEX, but you know it’s not enough to impress employers. They require a particular set of skills that will enable you to perform various duties—charting, coding, and administering medications are only a specimen of the everyday tasks.

So how do you convince recruiters that you have what it takes to care for the patients holistically? 

Let’s look at the most common nursing skills you should consider for your resume:

Nursing Skills on a Resume

• Computer skills
• MS Office (esp. the use of spreadsheets in MS Excel)
• CPR
• Diagnostic tests
• Technical skills
• Taking vital signs
• Wound care
• Safe patient transfers
• Basic life support
• Administering and monitoring medications
• Patient safety
• Care planning
• Stress management
• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Decision making
• Counselling
• Active listening
• Organization
• Stamina
• Teamwork
• Ethics
• Confidentiality
• Leadership
• Foreign language knowledge
• Research
• Multitasking
• Mentoring

Knowing which skills come up most often in job advertisements helps you grasp what employers are looking for. But do you know how actually to match the employer’s expectations?

Follow the below actionable steps to create a specialized skills section:

• Use the job description to look for the keywords directly related to the required skill set, e.g., empathy, clinical assessment, accredited RN degree, etc.
• Make a master list of your own skills gained throughout your education and professional experience.
• Match 5 to 10 most relevant skills in your resume skills section.
• Include both soft and hard skills.

Now that you know the most common nursing skills and how to create a skills section, let’s look at a sample of nursing skills on a registered nurse resume:

Sample Nursing Resume: Skills Section

Remember to weave your skills in the experience section to make the most of your application.

5. Add Extras to Make a Better Impression

There’s no SOP for how to make an impression on the employer. But there are procedures you can follow to arrest your employer’s gaze on your registered nurse resume.

For example:

1. Certificates & Licenses

Develop your skills and show that to the hiring manager. Prove that you take extra care of your skillset and that nursing isn’t just an adverse effect of your life choices.

2. Languages

You've made the cut if you’re bilingual or speak another language on a native or proficient level. You’ll be an asset to the team of nurses when talking to worried family members or taking patient history.

3. Hobbies & Interests

Not every hobby or interest should make it to your resume. Nobody wants to know you’re an animal lover. However, it's okay if you love everything about fitness and health. You let your employers know that you positively stimulate your brain outside work with such passions.

4. Volunteering

This is self-explanatory as it proves your helper syndrome, which is much needed as a nurse.

5. Memberships

There are several associations in the Canadian community of nurses you could join to grow professionally (and use it to your advantage in the recruitment process), e.g., CNPS, CASN, or the Canadian Indigenous Nurses Association.

Have a look at the below example to see what I mean by extras on a nursing resume:

Nurse Resume: Additional Sections

6. Prove You’re the One in Resume Summary or Objective

So you know what you accomplished academically and professionally, what credentials you have, and what qualifications are necessary for the job. Now it’s time you used all that to create a painfully good personal statement that’ll make your hiring manager’s heart beat faster.

You can go either for a resume summary or objective. It depends on the level of experience you hold.

Use a resume summary if you’ve got years of relevant experience to summarize in two to three sentences. Do that at the top of your registered nurse resume. 

It could include your certifications, licensure, and your most significant accomplishment. But it has to include a statement describing what you’re trying to accomplish in a new workplace.

Have a look at the below resume summary example to see theory in practice:

Experienced Nurse Resume: Summary

It has it all: the accomplishment, how many years of experience you have, and what you’ll bring to the position. Follow that example, and you’ll end up more than fine.

Now see how not to write a resume summary:

The resume objective is a statement dedicated to less qualified candidates who are only beginning their career or changing it. It’s shorter and speaks mainly of the candidate’s objective towards joining the organization or institution. 

Mind, though!

It’s not about the candidate as much as it is about meeting the employer’s expectations of one.

See what I mean in the below example:

Nursing Resume Objective

The candidate clearly demonstrates why they’re a good fit. 

Firstly, because of the skills and qualities required to be a nurse (empathy, reliability, passion). And secondly, because they’ve already had some practical experience (80 hours, 15 hours) in nursing where they wish to grow (Vancouver Community Care).

To ensure you respond to your employer’s needs, tailor your personal statement to what’s inside the job description.

7. Attach a Nursing Cover Letter for More Impact

You don’t have to write a cover letter, no. But resume and cover letter go together as Florence and Nightingale—separately, they are random. And it’s the exact opposite of what you’re trying to accomplish.

To get deserved attention from recruiters, write a nursing cover letter following these simple rules:

• Create a heading with personal information so they can quickly get back to you.
• Format your cover letter before you put down your thoughts.
• Address it directly to the hiring manager, using their name.
• Use one of your proudest achievements to capture the reader’s attention.
• Mention the experience and qualities you bring to the table.
• Call to action and sign off with a formal sentiment.

Read more: Nursing Cover Letter Example 

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:

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Key Takeaways

Here’s how to write a nursing resume step by step:

• Lay out your contents to create enough white space to rest the eyes on.
• Write the resume summary and objective last.
• Use the PAR formula and power words to tailor your experience to the job ad.
• Mention your accredited degree.
• List your nursing skills in the skills sections and work them into your experience.
• Add your qualifications and interests so that they boost your relevancy.
• Include a cover letter in your job application.

Thanks for reading my guide! Now I’d love to hear from you: 

• What are the biggest challenges of writing a nurse resume? 
• What part do you struggle with the most? 

Let me know. Let’s get the discussion started!