Registered nurses (RN) are a profession in very high demand. In addition to a hiring rush during COVID-19, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts a 12 percent growth in demand for RNs through 2028.
Nursing is a tough enough profession in its own right. So, don’t be discouraged if you’re struggling to draft your nurse cover letter or write a resume that puts your best foot forward.
We’re here to help with five great RN resume samples that guarantee success in the challenging world in 2023. It doesn’t matter if this is your first job out of nursing school or if you’re a seasoned vet; these resumes are a great starting place when writing or updating your own.
Why this resume works
- There is a lot of debate about whether to include a resume objective on your RN resume. It’s the two sentences that sit beside or below your name. Only consider including one on your RN resume if any of the following are true:
- You’re undergoing a career change,
- You just finished nursing school and this is your first RN job, or
- You’re going to customize it to the nursing job description.
- If none of those are relevant to you, skip the objective!
- RN licenses are state-specific, so be sure you include what state(s) you’re certified in.
- Two other relatively common requirements for RN positions (though certainly not all positions) are Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) and Basic Life Support (BLS). Explicitly mention those in your resume if you have them.
Why this resume works
- A lot of new grads have expressed uncertainty around whether to include a hobbies and interests (or “Activities,” in this case) section on their resume.
- If the activities are related to healthcare or show you in a professional, positive light and you need some help filling out your new grad RN resume, then include one or two.
- Color is one way to show some personality on your resume while still portraying professionalism. Try a strong accent color while keeping the color basic everywhere else, as seen in many of our resume examples.
- A lot of tiny mistakes can add up to leave a poor impression. The most common silly mistake we see is inconsistent use of punctuation. Either end all of your bullet points in a period or none of them. Don’t mix and match.
- P.S. You can catch this mistake easily when you take advantage of our resume builder and its AI-powered tips.
Why this resume works
- In your Med Surg RN resume, pay attention to your resume skills, which is a critical section. You don’t want to create a long and unrealistic laundry list, but you do want to pass through automated Applicant Tracking Software (ATS), which is looking for specific keywords. Try to keep it between 5-10 skills.
- Pay attention to the skills, qualifications, and responsibilities listed in the job description to gain ideas on what you should include in your skills section.
- RNs can work in a ton of different areas in medicine. If you’re applying to a specific job (like Med/Surg Nurse) and you have experience in that area, be sure to match your job title to that of the job description.
- White space is a commonly overlooked factor in resume design, and if it’s a concern for you, try simplifying the process by picking one of our free resume templates.
Why this resume works
- When discussing your past work experience, demonstrate what an impact you made. An effective way to accomplish this is by starting each bullet point with a strong action word (“Established,” “Evaluated,” “Communicated,” etc.)
- Check your resume to ensure you’re using action verbs that propel your bullet points forward and keep hiring personnel engaged.
- Another way to demonstrate impact is by quantifying it, that is, tying the outcome of your work to a number. By linking a number to your claims, proof of impact becomes clear.
- Ultimately, nursing is a profession involving people. So if you can show that you’re comfortable with the human aspects of the job (patient care, plans of care, family interactions, etc.), speak as much as possible concerning that experience in your ICU RN resume.
Why this resume works
- As you gain more and more experience as an RN, try your best to show a progression in responsibility and ownership on your experienced RN resume.
- With years of experience comes the conundrum of trying to fit your resume onto one page.
- Here’s the trick: Keep a master copy of every job and a working list of job description bullet points for each. Then, pull from this master list and customize it according to the specific role for which you’re applying now.
- Two other quick things you can do to fit more content are to reduce vertical spacing and reduce page margins, which is a simple click of a button in our resume maker.
- RNs with experience have exactly that: experience. So if you’ve had jobs in widely different areas of healthcare (like in this resume, which went home health to hospice) then don’t be afraid to lean into this and show that you thrive in different environments.
