Registered Nurse Resume Examples and Templates for 2025
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.
Key Takeaways
- Detail quantified achievements: Use relevant numbers and outcomes to illustrate your impact in past nursing roles. Emphasize your achievements, such as reducing patient readmission rates, improving patient satisfaction scores, or implementing successful patient care plans.
- Use keywords for applicant tracking systems (ATS): Include relevant nursing skills and keywords from job postings. This step helps your resume pass through ATS and reach hiring managers.
- Tailor your resume to each role: Customize your resume for each job application by focusing on your most relevant skills and experiences. This tailored approach shows you’re a strong fit for the role.
- Select a professional template: To make a strong impression, use a clean, structured format that emphasizes your capabilities, experience, and education.
Registered Nurse Resume Examples and Templates (Download in App)
Entry-Level Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Entry-Level Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Sarah’s resume effectively highlights her ability to provide patient-centered care while demonstrating strong collaboration and educational skills. Her experience section includes quantifiable achievements, such as improving patient satisfaction scores and reducing readmission rates, which showcase her impact in previous roles. Additionally, her certifications in pediatric, medical-surgical, and critical care nursing reinforce her qualifications as a well-rounded RN.
Key Tips:
- Showcase measurable achievements: Sarah’s ability to reduce readmission rates and improve patient understanding makes her stand out as a results-driven candidate.
- Highlight versatility: Her certifications and experience in different nursing settings demonstrate adaptability, making her a strong candidate for various RN roles.
For more tips on structuring your resume, visit How To Write a Resume With No Experience.
Experienced Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Experienced Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
David’s resume stands out due to its detailed performance metrics, leadership experience, and advanced education. His ability to mentor junior nurses and develop hospital policies highlights his leadership and expertise. Additionally, his experience managing patient care for over 1,000 individuals and improving efficiency by 30% demonstrates his direct impact on patient outcomes and hospital operations.
Key Tips:
- Emphasize leadership roles: David’s experience training new nurses and revising policies strengthens his qualifications for senior RN positions.
- Include quantifiable results: His resume uses clear metrics to showcase improvements in patient care and hospital efficiency, making his contributions tangible.
For more strategies on optimizing your resume, visit Best Resume Formats.
Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Michael’s resume effectively showcases his expertise in ICU nursing, emphasizing his critical thinking and emergency response skills. His use of dynamic action verbs such as “implement” and “improving” highlights his proactive approach to patient care. Additionally, his experience in documenting patient data and applying life-saving techniques further reinforces his competency in ICU settings.
Key Tips:
- Use strong action verbs: Michael’s resume effectively conveys his contributions using verbs like “conduct,” “implement,” and “apply.”
- Highlight specialized training: His critical care certifications, including PALS and ACLS, make him a highly qualified candidate for ICU nursing roles.
For more resume writing insights, visit How To List Promotions on a Resume.
Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Jenn’s resume presents her as a skilled medical-surgical nurse with expertise in post-surgical care, patient education, and staff training. Her achievements, such as reducing readmission rates and developing patient education materials, showcase her ability to improve both patient outcomes and hospital efficiency. The inclusion of multiple certifications in medical-surgical, oncology, and pediatric nursing further solidifies her expertise.
Key Tips:
- Showcase expertise in specialized nursing fields: Jenn’s combination of certifications and experience in medical-surgical care strengthens her qualifications.
- Highlight patient education impact: Her success in reducing readmission rates through education demonstrates her commitment to patient well-being.
For more strategies on refining your resume, visit How To Build a Resume.
Critical Care Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Critical Care Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
John’s resume effectively demonstrates his expertise in intensive care, highlighting his ability to manage critically ill patients and respond to emergencies. The detailed work history showcases his progressive experience in high-acuity settings, making him a strong candidate for ICU roles. Additionally, the inclusion of certifications like ACLS and CCRN reinforces his qualifications.
Key Tips:
- Showcase specialized skills: John lists key ICU competencies like ventilator management and sepsis care, which are essential in critical care nursing.
- Use strong formatting: This resume follows a clear and structured layout, making it easy for hiring managers to assess qualifications at a glance.
For more insights on optimizing your resume format, visit Best Resume Formats.
Pediatric Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Pediatric Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Sarah’s resume highlights her ability to provide specialized pediatric care, combining technical skills with patient-centered approaches. Her experience includes detailed metrics, such as improved vaccination compliance and faster emergency response times, showcasing her impact. The resume is well-structured, with certifications reinforcing her qualifications for pediatric nursing roles.
Key Tips:
- Include measurable achievements: Sarah highlights her role in improving vaccination compliance and reducing emergency response times, which demonstrates her contributions to patient outcomes.
- Emphasize collaboration: By showcasing her work with pediatricians and child life specialists, she illustrates her ability to work in a multidisciplinary setting.
For more tips on structuring your resume effectively, visit How To Build a Resume.
Neonatal Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Neonatal Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Emily’s resume effectively highlights her expertise in neonatal care, showcasing specialized NICU skills and quantifiable achievements such as reduced infection rates and improved family confidence scores. Her work history is well-organized, and the certifications reinforce her qualifications in neonatal nursing.
Key Tips:
- Highlight measurable improvements: Emily includes numbers to show her impact, such as reducing hospital stays and stabilizing high-risk newborns.
- Showcase specialized skills: By mentioning surfactant therapy and ventilator management, she demonstrates her ability to care for critically ill infants.
For more tips on structuring your resume effectively, visit How To List Your Education on a Resume.
Emergency Room Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Emergency Room Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Miguel’s resume effectively demonstrates his ability to thrive in high-pressure emergency settings. His experience includes quantifiable achievements, such as reducing wait times and improving survival rates, which highlight his direct impact on patient care. His certifications further validate his expertise in trauma and emergency nursing.
Key Tips:
- Use numbers to show impact: Miguel quantifies his contributions, like reducing wait times by 25% and decreasing mortality rates through protocol improvements.
- Highlight specialized skills: Emergency nursing requires quick thinking and technical proficiency — mentioning trauma care, ACLS, and rapid triage assessment showcases his preparedness.
For more guidance on resume formatting, visit Best Resume Formats.
Oncology Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Oncology Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Jessica’s resume highlights her deep expertise in oncology nursing, emphasizing her ability to provide both technical and compassionate care. She includes quantifiable achievements, such as reducing hospital readmissions and improving patient education effectiveness, which demonstrate her impact in oncology care.
Key Tips:
- Showcase specialized knowledge: Jessica’s resume highlights her expertise in chemotherapy administration and palliative care, making her a strong candidate for oncology nursing roles.
- Use measurable outcomes: She provides numbers to show the success of her patient education program and hospital readmission reduction efforts.
For more insights on structuring a strong resume, visit How To List Promotions on a Resume.
Cardiovascular Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Cardiovascular Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
David’s resume showcases his expertise in cardiac nursing, with a strong emphasis on patient monitoring, post-operative care, and education. He includes measurable achievements, such as reducing adverse cardiac events and improving medication adherence, which highlight his ability to enhance patient outcomes.
Key Tips:
- Demonstrate specialized experience: This resume clearly presents his expertise in telemetry monitoring and cardiac post-op care, making him a strong candidate for cardiovascular nursing roles.
- Quantify impact: He provides clear numbers, such as reducing adverse events by 20% and improving medication adherence by 35%, demonstrating his contributions to patient care.
For more advice on optimizing your resume, visit How To List Your Education on a Resume.
Advanced Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Lauren’s resume effectively highlights her broad medical-surgical expertise, emphasizing her ability to manage high patient volumes and improve patient outcomes. She includes quantifiable achievements, such as reducing infection rates and improving early ambulation, which showcase her impact.
Key Tips:
- Demonstrate adaptability: Lauren’s resume shows her ability to care for a diverse range of patients, from post-operative recovery to chronic illness management.
- Quantify success: By including measurable improvements in infection control and patient mobility, she proves her effectiveness in improving patient outcomes.
For more advice on optimizing your resume, visit Best Resume Formats.
Advanced Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Intensive Care Unit Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Brandon’s resume highlights his ability to work in high-pressure ICU environments, showcasing expertise in critical care procedures and life-saving interventions. His measurable accomplishments, such as improving code blue survival rates and reducing VAP, demonstrate his impact on patient outcomes.
Key Tips:
- Highlight high-acuity experience: Brandon’s resume emphasizes critical care skills such as ventilator management and hemodynamic monitoring, which are crucial for ICU nursing.
- Include quantifiable results: His achievements, like reducing VAP cases by 25% and improving patient survival rates, showcase his contributions to patient care.
For more tips on optimizing your resume, visit How To Build a Resume.
Operating Room Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Operating Room Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Stephanie’s resume effectively highlights her expertise in surgical nursing, emphasizing her ability to support a wide range of procedures while ensuring patient safety. She includes quantifiable results, such as reducing surgery start-time delays and improving compliance rates, which showcase her efficiency in the OR.
Key Tips:
- Emphasize procedural expertise: Stephanie’s experience in multiple types of surgeries demonstrates her versatility as an OR nurse.
- Show efficiency improvements: By highlighting workflow optimization and safety improvements, she proves her value to surgical teams.
For more strategies on refining your resume, visit Best Resume Formats.
Telemetry Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Telemetry Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Christophers’ resume highlights his expertise in telemetry nursing, demonstrating his ability to monitor, assess, and respond to cardiac conditions. He quantifies achievements, such as reducing readmission rates and improving arrhythmia detection, to showcase his contributions to patient care.
Key Tips:
- Emphasize specialized skills: Christopher’s knowledge of telemetry interpretation and emergency response makes him a strong candidate for cardiac nursing roles.
- Include measurable improvements: His impact on reducing readmissions and adverse cardiac events strengthens his resume.
For more guidance on resume structuring, visit Resume Objective Examples.
Psychiatric Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Psychiatric Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Mark’s resume effectively highlights his expertise in psychiatric nursing, emphasizing crisis intervention skills and patient care strategies. His measurable achievements, such as reducing patient aggression incidents and improving therapy engagement rates, showcase his impact in mental health care.
Key Tips:
- Demonstrate crisis management skills: Mark’s experience with crisis intervention and suicide prevention makes him a strong candidate for psychiatric nursing roles.
- Quantify patient care outcomes: His ability to improve medication adherence and reduce aggression incidents highlights his effectiveness in mental health treatment.
For more insights on resume building, visit Best Resume Formats.
Labor and Delivery Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Labor and Delivery Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Emilia’s resume effectively highlights her expertise in labor and delivery nursing, showcasing her ability to handle routine and high-risk births. She quantifies her impact, such as reducing emergency C-sections and improving breastfeeding rates, demonstrating her contributions to patient care.
Key Tips:
- Showcase specialized maternity skills: Emilia’s expertise in fetal monitoring and obstetric emergencies makes her a strong candidate for labor and delivery roles.
- Include measurable success metrics: Her achievements in reducing complications and improving patient education strengthen her resume.
For more strategies on optimizing your resume, visit How To List Promotions on a Resume.
Dialysis Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Dialysis Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Sophia’s resume highlights her expertise in dialysis nursing, emphasizing both technical skills and patient education. She includes measurable achievements, such as reducing infections and hospitalizations, demonstrating her direct impact on patient care.
Key Tips:
- Showcase specialized renal care expertise: Sophia’s knowledge of vascular access management and dialysis administration makes her a strong candidate for dialysis nursing roles.
- Quantify improvements in patient outcomes: Including metrics like reducing hospitalizations by 25% and lowering infection rates strengthens her resume.
For more tips on optimizing your resume, visit Best Resume Formats.
Public Health Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Public Health Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Olivia’s resume effectively highlights her expertise in community health nursing, showcasing her ability to lead vaccination programs and provide outreach education. She quantifies her impact with metrics such as increased immunization compliance and improved patient adherence.
Key Tips:
- Demonstrate public health expertise: Olivia’s experience in community outreach and case management makes her a strong candidate for public health nursing roles.
- Use measurable results: Including statistics on immunization compliance and engagement rates strengthens her impact.
For more resume structuring advice, visit Resume Objective Examples.
Hospice Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Hospice Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Daniel’s resume highlights his expertise in hospice and palliative care, emphasizing both technical pain management skills and emotional support. He includes quantifiable results, such as reducing patient discomfort and increasing caregiver preparedness, to showcase his impact.
Key Tips:
- Showcase emotional and medical skills: Daniel’s ability to provide pain relief and family counseling makes him a strong candidate for hospice nursing roles.
- Use measurable success indicators: His achievements in caregiver education and patient comfort improvement highlight his effectiveness.
For more insights on structuring a resume, visit How Long Should a Resume Be.
Correctional Registered Nurse Resume Example
Why This Correctional Registered Nurse Resume Is Strong
Lisa’s resume highlights her ability to provide healthcare in a correctional setting, balancing security protocols with patient care. Her measurable results, such as improving medication compliance and reducing communicable diseases, showcase her impact.
For more resume tips, visit How To Build a Resume.
Registered Nurse Text-Only Resume Examples
David Thompson
[email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | Baltimore, MD | LinkedIn
Summary
Skilled RN with a Master’s degree in nursing from Johns Hopkins University. Extensive experience in managing patient care, mentoring junior nurses, and maintaining compliance with nursing policies. CCRN.
Key Skills
- Patient care management
- Electronic medical records (EMR)
- Team leadership and motivation
- Cross-functional collaboration
Professional Experience
Senior Registered Nurse
Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD | January 2018 to present
- Developed and implemented over 500 personalized care plans, improving patient outcomes and satisfaction
- Mentor and train a team of 20 junior nurses to enhance their clinical skills and compliance with hospital policies
- Led the revision of nursing policies, improving patient care efficiency by 30%
Registered Nurse
University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA | June 2015 to December 2017
- Coordinated with other health professionals to deliver comprehensive care for over 1,000 patients
- Held educational sessions for patients and families to improve their understanding of health conditions
- Maintained 100% compliance with nursing practices
Education
- Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Certifications
- Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN)
- Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN)
- Oncology Certified Nurse (OCN)
How To Write a Registered Nurse Resume
1. Choose the right template:
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.
2. Write a compelling profile summary:
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.)
Strong summary example:
“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.”
Weak summary example:
“Experienced nurse looking for a job in health care. Good at working with patients and administering care. Seeking a position in a reputable hospital.”
3. Incorporate a results-focused work history section:
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.
Strong bullet-point example:
Managed care for around 10 post-surgical patients per shift, reducing post-operative complications by 20% and increasing patient satisfaction by 15%
Weak bullet-point example:
Responsible for taking care of patients after surgery
4. List your education and certifications clearly:
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.
Example:
- Post-Master’s Certificate in Critical Care Nursing, Duke University, Durham, NC
- Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD | 2022
5. List your essential nursing skills:
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 | Case management |
| Clinical operations | Efficiency improvement |
| EMR | HIPAA |
| Medication administration | Patient advocacy |
| Patient and family relations | Patient assessment and monitoring |
| Patient education | Patient-centered care |
| Task prioritization | Team leadership |
| Vital signs monitoring | Wound care |
Resume.org offers free, HR-approved resume templates to help you create a professional resume in minutes.
Build Your ResumeHow To Pick the Best Registered Nurse Resume Template
Choose a professional and straightforward resume template. For registered nurse roles, the focus should be on clarity and the ability to quickly communicate your clinical expertise, patient care experience, and certifications. Avoid overly elaborate designs that might distract from your qualifications. Instead, opt for a simple, clean design that emphasizes your healthcare background, key clinical skills, and the quality of care you provide.
Frequently Asked Questions: Registered Nurse Resumes
1. What are common action verbs for registered nurse resumes?
The following verbs can help you emphasize your active role in patient care, teamwork, and health care management:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Administered | Assessed |
| Clarified | Collaborated |
| Coordinated | Created |
| Documented | Earned |
| Educated | Evaluated |
| Implemented | Improved |
| Maintained | Managed |
| Monitored | Oversaw |
| Prevented | Provided |
| Reduced | Reported |
| Streamlined | Updated |
| Verified | Won |
2. How do you align your registered nurse resume with a job posting?
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.
3. What is the best registered nurse resume format?
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
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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.