Nurse Resume Example and Writing Tips

Key Sections To Include in a Nurse Resume

Each nurse resume is unique, but they all contain the same key elements, such as work experience and education. You can see these in our nurse resume template above.

Let’s walk through these sections and how to optimize each one, reviewing a few nurse resume examples to show you best practices in action.

How do you list these elements most attractively? Check out our resume templates and choose the best one to display your nursing career achievements.

Header

Your resume header is where you put crucial contact details. This information is how employers will get ahold of you if they’re interested in your application, so this section must be clear and correct.

Here’s are nurse resume example contact details:

• Full name
• Job title
• Phone number
• Email address
• LinkedIn URL
• Location

Note that for most job applications it’s recommended to simply list city and state as you seldom need to provide your full address.

Let’s take a look at example contact details for a nurse resume:

David Lee
Registered Nurse
555-6643
davidlee@example.com
linkedin.com/davidlee/
Richmond, Virginia

Resume summary or objective

Your resume summary should be a 3- to 4-sentence introduction to who you are, what your top qualifications are, and what you hope to achieve. It’s fast, concise, and easy to read.

A clear resume summary catches a recruiter’s attention fast, drawing their eye to your experience and skills even through a quick scan. This is essential when hiring managers only spend a few seconds reading each resume.

An efficient summary shows respect for the recruiter’s time at the same time as it increases your chances of landing your dream role.

Work experience

Work experience is the most vital element in your nurse resume – nearly every role prioritizes work history over every other qualification.

For example, if the employer is looking for a labor and delivery nurse, it’s much more likely they’ll choose a candidate who has a successful history in L&D nursing roles.

Here’s how to structure each entry in your work experience section:

• Job title
• Dates
• Company name
• Company location
• Achievements in the role

Here’s an example of nursing experience:

Labor & Delivery Nurse
2012–2016
Lakeview Specialty Care
Lynchburg, Virginia

• Provided outstanding care to more than 200 families through labor and delivery
• Collaborated with a diverse healthcare team, ensuring well-coordinated patient care
• Educated patients on the best newborn practices, including postpartum care and breastfeeding techniques

Education

Listing your education is important for all healthcare providers as most medical roles require some type of higher education or certificate. It typically goes after work experience, but if you’re targeting a nursing internship, you may want to list it first. You can learn more about this on our resume examples page.

Education is quick and straightforward to list on a nurse resume and takes up very little space:

• Name of degree
• Name of institution
• Dates attended
• GPA (if it’s higher than 3.5)

For more insights, read our guide on how to list education on resumes.

Hard skills

You must list key nursing skills to catch the recruiter’s eye. There are plenty of general nursing skills, such as health assessment, but there are also specialty skills that help you stand out from the crowd. For example, if a clinic regularly conducts telehealth visits and issues wearable medical devices, experience with Healthtech is critical to list.

Here are some registered nurse resume examples of hard skills:

• Monitoring vital signs
• Urgent and emergency care
• Health assessment
• Pain management
• Patient education
• Lab testing
• Surgery preparations

Soft skills

Soft skills are crucial for nursing positions. Nurses work closely with teammates and patients, so they need empathy, emotional intelligence, and solid communication skills. They also need time management and organization to keep their complicated schedules in order.

Here are some of the top soft skills for nurse resumes:

• Empathy
• Emotional intelligence
• Communication
• Time Management 
• Organization
• Attention to detail
• Critical thinking

Optional sections

These elements are optional but can provide a lot of value to your nurse resume. Sections such as certifications, languages, and volunteer work speak volumes about your professional history.

Certifications are particularly important. Nurses may want to list their CPR certification, critical care certification, or pediatric nursing certification.

It’s also a great idea to list languages if you’re bilingual. Many healthcare facilities are on the lookout for nurses who can communicate with a wider range of patients.

Tips for Writing a Nurse Resume

Now you know the basics, so let’s get to the tips that make your resume shine. This is your chance to provide a little more than your peers and really stand out.

For more tips and tricks that help you build the ideal resume, browse our resume articles.

Tailor your resume to each position

Each resume you build must be unique to the job post you're targeting. Personalizing your resume per application ensures you add the most relevant skills and experience. It also enables you to address the company by name in your resume summary.

Customizing each resume helps applicant tracking systems (ATS) find your resume. An ATS resume should contain all relevant keywords and use the same language as your chosen job ad.

Quantify achievements

Quantifying your work accomplishments tells a hiring manager much more about your work. This is the practice of adding numbers and data to your achievements.

Quantified achievements sound much more impressive than just listing responsibilities. Here’s a quick nurse resume example of quantified achievements vs. standard responsibilities:

• Standard responsibilities: Communicated with patients
• Quantified achievement: Focused on compassion, connecting with more than 200 patients

List your technical skills

The future of healthcare is technological and nearly every nursing professional must know basic tech skills. Most clinics use electronic health records, electronic scheduling, and telehealth conferences.

Don’t forget these crucial skills, alongside your technical nursing skills and soft skills.

Create a Nursing Resume for Your Dream Job

Building the right nurse resume is essential for showcasing your experience and skills correctly. Show recruiters that you’re qualified for the position by listing your specialty skills, quantifying your achievements, and detailing your work history.

Ensure you carefully read the job posting so you tailor your resume to the employer’s exact needs. They won’t know you perfectly fit the description unless you tell them.

Are you ready to build the perfect nurse resume? Head over to CVwizard’s Resume Builder to create a registered nurse resume in minutes.