Hello travel nurses! In this fast-paced world of healthcare and technology, your ticket towards your dream job lies in your strong resume. If you think that you have plenty of experience in your field and you will get hired easily, well think again because the world of healthcare has changed. There are modern technologies and innovations, and now a days most of the companies refuse physical applications to save time and money. People are using online resumes to apply for jobs. Lots of companies are using ATS system to review applicants. ATS (Application tracking system), which means they process their candidates using an automation system rather than reading each resume individually which will cost them a lot of time and energy. In this blog we will give you tips on how to write a strong nursing resume so that you do not miss out on opportunities.
How do I write a standout Nursing Resume?
Here we will guide you on how to write a standout resume, so you can get the job you need.
Contact information:
Your name and contact information should be in 5 individual lines and not one single line for example. To your name add your credentials, location, contact information and email address.
Rachel Green
RN, BSN
90 Bedford Street, New York, NY 10014
(555-333-444)
Rgreen@email.com
Tips:
- Contact information should be clear, concise, and professional. Name should be largest and most used fonts are arial or Times New Roman.
- Some employers might prefer to text, adding phone number will help them contact you directly through text.
- Make sure your email is professional.
Nursing resume summary:
Write a summary about your experience, show case your skills and align your career goals with the nursing role you are applying for. If you do not have any experience, you can write an objective nursing resume which will highlight your goals for the future.
If you do have an experience, then write a summary which will highlight your experience. Summary gives a quick snapshot of nurse’s experience and goals.
For example:
Compassionate registered nurse with over 8 years’ experience in acute care settings include ICU. Skilled in-patient assessment and critical care with knowledge of advanced technologies, seeking to use these skills in advanced patient care.
Tips:
- Highlight what experience or training you have.
- Writing resume summary includes the year of experience.
- It should consist of experience, key skills and career goals.
Education:
List your education in reversed chronological order which means list from most recent to the oldest. List your degree, institution name, location name and the date of month or year of your education. The education section in nursing resume shows the highest education achieved by the nurse.
For example:
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing May 2015
University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing 2012-2014
License and certification:
Nursing resumes or RN nursing resume also include the license and certificate information. This includes the name, state, expiration date, license number, organization and more. The license and certification in nursing resume highlights qualifications that are important for the role for which you are applying.
RN
Registered nurse
Louisiana
Expires January 2025
License # RN123127
ACLS
Advance Cardiovascular Life support
American heart association
Expires January 2025
BLS
Basic Life Support
American Heart Association
Expires 2025
NIH Stroke Scale
American Heart Association
June 2025
Tips:
- If you have 2 or more licenses, put them after your degree.
- Include the following about your license number, type, name, state, and expiration date.
- Include the following about your certificate, name, and the acronym e.g., Certified Critical Care Registered Nurse (CCRN), organization, expiration date and certification number.
Work Experience:
Writing an experience is another part of strong nursing resume. Make sure that it is easily scannable with easily distinguishable headers. These headers should be in all CAPS. To write about the work experience should be in reverse chronological order such as from most recent to the oldest job. The work experience in nursing resume highlights key achievements and career growth.
For example:
Intensive Care Unit nurse (ICU)
City hospital- city, state
May 2020- present
- Provided high level care for seriously ill patients and knowledge of using equipment such as ventilators.
- Can monitor and interpret patient vitals.
- Trained 10 plus new nurses in ICU procedures.
Tips:
- Quantify your experience.
- Be descriptive.
- Include the unit type you have worked in.
- Add the following for giving the information about the place you have worked and experienced you have gained. Add job title, organization, location, dates of employment and key responsibilities and achievements.
Skills
Include the skills that are relevant to the job you are applying for in your nursing resume. These skills can be both soft and hard skills. The skills section in nursing resume highlights relevant nursing abilities that nurse possess that is beneficial for the job.
Soft skills:
- Communication.
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Empathy
- Teamwork.
Hard skills:
- Equipment proficiency
- Using technologies and equipment’s
- Clinical skills like taking vital signs.
- Patient management and more.
Other details:
- Volunteer work: Include volunteer work details if there is any but it is optional.
- Professional affiliations: Include membership in nursing association if there is any.
- Awards and honors: List awards or recognitions if any.
Tips for writing strong Nursing Resume
- Contact information always comes first.
- Section headers such as career highlights, skills, experience education etc are all in CAPS.
- Always have the blank line before and after headers and job entries.
- Use consistent formatting.
- Keep your sections separated so everything is clear and understandable without any confusion.
- Never omit employment date, add month and year of the position.
- Your nursing resume should be in reverse chronological order that is from the newest to the oldest.
- Bold important key words.
What is an ATS system?
ATS system means Applicant tracking system, it is a software that helps in managing hiring process. It saves time and money for the companies as they do not have to read each application instead it gets filtered by the ATS. There for it is important that your resume should have all those elements that are needed to pass the ATS system.
Conclusion
The key to success and getting a dream job is to have a well-structured resume that is tailored for ATS software. By organizing your information, using relevant key words, clear and professional format in your nursing resume, your chances of being seen are high. Make sure to follow the tips and tricks that are mentioned above so you do not miss your big opportunity.
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