Your registered nurse (RN) resume should highlight your ability to provide quality patient care, collaborate on multidisciplinary health teams, and uphold care standards.
This guide provides tips and examples to help you create a standout RN resume, whether you’re just starting your nursing career or have years of specialized experience.
Select an easy-to-read template with distinct sections for your summary, key skills, professional experience, education, and certifications. An organized template will help employers see your relevant qualifications.
Your resume summary should give the three to five main reasons you’ll excel in your target RN position. Highlight your years of experience, patient care strengths, and any major achievements. For example, mention specific certifications or any recognition or awards you’ve won. This section sets the tone for your resume, so make it impactful and concise. (Note: Most job seekers find it easier to write this section last.)
“Compassionate RN with five years of experience in ICU and emergency care settings. Skilled at managing complex patient cases, leading nurse teams, and improving patient outcomes. Certified in ACLS, with a record of enhancing patient satisfaction and reducing hospital readmissions.”
“Experienced nurse looking for a job in health care. Good at working with patients and administering care. Seeking a position in a reputable hospital.”
Your work history should emphasize not just your duties but the results you achieved. Use relevant numbers to quantify your impact in past RN roles. For instance, have you reduced readmission rates, improved patient satisfaction scores, or introduced successful care protocols? If so, how did you generate those results? Use bullet points to set off your most impressive career details.
Managed care for around 10 post-surgical patients per shift, reducing post-operative complications by 20% and increasing patient satisfaction by 15%
Responsible for taking care of patients after surgery
Detail your nursing education, including your degree, institution, location, and optionally your graduation date. Also, include any relevant certifications and the organizations that issued them. Credentials such as CPN, CCRN, or ACLS show your strong knowledge base and commitment to professional development.
Include both your hard and soft skills. Hard skills include technical proficiencies like medication administration, patient assessment, and use of EMR systems. Soft skills include teamwork, leadership, and other abilities that reflect your approach to your work and the type of organization you can help build. A balanced mix of these skills will show you can perform the technical aspects of nursing while collaborating with patients, families, and health care teams.
| Hard and soft skills for nursing resumes: | |
|---|---|
| ACLS | Patient and family relations |
| Case management | Patient assessment and monitoring |
| Clinical operations | Patient education |
| Efficiency improvement | Patient-centered care |
| EMR | Task prioritization |
| HIPAA | Team leadership |
| Medication administration | Vital signs monitoring |
| Patient advocacy | Wound care |
Resume.org offers free, HR-approved resume templates to help you create a professional resume in minutes.
Build Your ResumeMichael Johnson
[email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | Baltimore, MD | LinkedIn
Intensive care unit (ICU) nurse with a Master’s degree in nursing and expertise in assessing patients, implementing care plans, and communicating with family members. Certifications include Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).
ICU Registered Nurse
Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD | January 2020 to present
Critical Care Nurse
University of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA | June 2017 to December 2019
The following verbs can help you emphasize your active role in patient care, teamwork, and health care management:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Administered | Maintained |
| Assessed | Managed |
| Clarified | Monitored |
| Collaborated | Oversaw |
| Coordinated | Prevented |
| Created | Provided |
| Documented | Reduced |
| Earned | Reported |
| Educated | Streamlined |
| Evaluated | Updated |
| Implemented | Verified |
| Improved | Won |
One great way to customize your resume is by adding brief descriptions of the health facilities you’ve worked in, in [brackets] right next to or below the organization name. These descriptions let you show any similarities between your past employers and the one who posted the job. For example, maybe you’ve worked for hospitals of a similar size, region, or patient population. By adding these details, you can make your resume more relevant to the RN job opening at hand.
Most RNs should use the combination (or hybrid) format. True to its name, this format combines two important features of other resume formats: the chronological format’s experience section and the functional format’s profile section. (The resume examples on this page all use combination format.)
By fusing these two features, a combination resume offers the best of both worlds. The experience section lets you outline your recent work history – essential information for most employers. At the same time, the profile section lets you display your career highlights at the top, regardless if they’re from that work history or another part of your background. As a result, you can present yourself both clearly and strategically. With this format, you give nurse managers the best view of your experience and relevant strengths, so they can make an informed decision to call you for an interview.
Career Coach
Irina Pichura, founder of Resumeology, is a renowned career coach with over 10 years of recruiting experience at Fortune 500 companies like Goldman Sachs and ADP, as well as startups such as Investopedia. With a degree in Psychology from Fordham University in New York City, Irina offers a unique perspective on what it takes to stand out in a competitive job market.
Resume.org offers free, HR approved resume templates to help you create a professional resume in minutes. Choose from several template options and even pre-populate a resume from your profile.
