Resume example
Registered nurse resume example
Nurse recruiters check licensure and certifications first, then unit experience, then evidence of quality patient care. This example shows a registered nurse with five years of medical-surgical and telemetry experience, followed by advice on presenting clinical skills clearly.
Sample registered nurse resume
Grace Thompson, RN, BSN
Registered Nurse, Medical-Surgical and Telemetry
Summary
Registered nurse with 5 years of experience on 32-bed medical-surgical and telemetry units. Skilled in cardiac monitoring, patient education and EHR documentation. Charge nurse for 2 years and a unit preceptor for 9 new graduates.
Experience
- Provide care for 4-5 telemetry patients per shift, including cardiac rhythm monitoring and titration of medications per protocol.
- Serve as charge nurse 2 shifts a week, coordinating 8 nurses and managing admissions, discharges and bed flow.
- Precepted 9 new graduate nurses; all completed orientation and 8 remain on the unit after one year.
- Led a unit falls-prevention project that reduced patient falls by 40% over 12 months.
- Cared for 5-6 post-surgical and medical patients per shift, including wound care, IV therapy and pain management.
- Educated patients and families on discharge plans, contributing to a 15% drop in 30-day readmissions for the unit.
- Maintained accurate documentation in the EHR, with 100% compliance in quarterly chart audits.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Greenfield University, 2020
Skills
- Telemetry and cardiac monitoring
- Medication administration
- IV therapy
- Wound care
- Patient and family education
- Care planning
- EHR documentation (Epic)
- Charge nurse
- Precepting
- BLS and ACLS certified
Recommended template: ATS Minimal. Open it in Resume Studio and replace the sample content with yours.
Put licences and certifications where they are seen
Add your credentials after your name (for example RN, BSN) and include a short licences and certifications section near the top. List your licence type and state or region, and active certifications such as BLS, ACLS, PALS or specialty certifications with their expiry dates if the employer asks for them.
Many hospital applicant systems filter on these terms, so spell them out once in full and once as the abbreviation, such as "Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)".
Describe your units and patient load
Nurse managers want to know where you have worked and at what intensity. State the unit type, bed count, typical patient ratio and patient population. These details help a manager picture you on their unit immediately.
- Unit type: ICU, ED, med-surg, telemetry, labour and delivery, paediatrics, OR
- Patient ratio and acuity
- Specialist procedures and equipment you are competent with
- EHR systems used
Show quality and leadership
Beyond tasks, show outcomes: lower falls or infection rates, better patient satisfaction scores, quality improvement projects, charge nurse duties, precepting and committee work. These separate a strong candidate from someone who lists job duties.
Nursing keywords for ATS
- Patient assessment, care planning, medication administration, patient education
- Specialty terms from the posting, such as telemetry, critical care or triage
- BLS, ACLS, PALS, NIHSS, TNCC and other required certifications
- EHR names such as Epic or Cerner, and quality terms such as infection control
Common mistakes
- Missing or hard-to-find licence information
- Copying a job description of duties without any outcomes
- Using patient identifiers or confidential details, even in passing
- Leaving out clinical rotations if you are a new graduate
Frequently asked questions
How should new graduate nurses format their resume?
Put education and licensure first, then clinical rotations with unit type and hours, then any healthcare jobs such as CNA or patient care technician work. Include your capstone or preceptorship unit in detail.
Should I list my licence number?
Many nurses list the licence type, state or region and expiry rather than the full number. Employers verify it during hiring, so follow the application's instructions.
Is a one-page nursing resume enough?
For most nurses with under 10 years of experience, yes. Experienced nurses with leadership, education or multiple specialties may use two pages.
Should I include soft skills?
Show them through examples, such as patient education or precepting, rather than listing words like compassionate. Bullets with context are more convincing.