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[H1771]How To Write A Nursing Resume

by Laura Adams, Lau

Recent labor studies have predicted that nursing positions will continue to grow faster than the national average for at least the next five years. Though this trend is good news for nurses on the job market, it does not diminish the fact that competition will remain tough for the most desirable nursing positions. Nurses need to pay close attention to the presentation of their credentials, as detailed in their resume, in order to ensure that they can compete in the tough medical profession.

To write a solid resume tailored specifically to the nursing profession, consider the following guidelines:

Highlight your Educational and Licensure Qualifications

In addition to including the details of your nursing degree (school name, when you graduated, your degree), you should mention any academic honors, grants, scholarships, or fellowships awarded during the course of your studies.

If you are an experienced nurse, you may wish to make reference to any completed clinical rotations in this section. This tactic is especially beneficial if one or more of these rotations is in line with your current career objective.

If you are a newer nursing graduate or have limited nursing experience, a list of related courses and clinical rotations will provide detail of your medical knowledge to prospective employers. Graduates who completed their degree with an impressive grade point average should highlight this fact by including their GPA in the Educational section of their resume.

All nurses who have completed the process to get licensed will need to provide details of their license(s) in this section. Include the state(s) in which you are licensed and the date that your license went in effect. Since your employer will ask for a copy of your license once you are made an offer, you do not include your licensing number on your resume.

Emphasize your Nursing Expertise and Key Skills

A quick 10-second scan of your resume should reveal important keywords that summarize your nursing experience and give managers an overview of your qualifications. The most effective way to do this is to incorporate a section of your resume dedicated to nursing expertise and key skills. Include a bulleted list of your nursing specializations (such as pediatrics, cardiology, oncology) and any pertinent nursing skills, such as JCAHO standards/compliance or medication administration, that will enhance your resume presentation.

If you have several years of nursing experience, it may beneficial to list your years of experience in each area.

Entry-level nurses and nurses with limited experience should also include this section in their resume, highlighting those areas and schools acquired from schooling, clinical rotations, and nursing mentorships.

Detail Your Nursing Experience

Since most manager hire nurses based on their previous experience in (or knowledge of if you are a new nurse) a particular area of nursing, employers need to know the details of your nursing experience.

If you are an experienced nurse, you should detail your specialization, the type of facility you work in (acute care, outpatient, rehabilitation), and your average caseload for each of your previous employers.

If you are an entry-level nurse just out of school or a nurse with limited work experience, you should detail any clinical rotations, mentorships, or other unpaid work you were involved in during your schooling.

Demonstrate You're a Top Performer

Employers love to hire top performers. Your resume will be more memorable and better received if you can detail specific contributions you made to each of your previous employers. What have you done that was above and beyond your basic responsibilities? How have you helped make a positive impact on your patients and their families, your co-workers, your employer, or even your community?

Consider your possible involvement in:

o Committees or review boards
o Patient or family health education
o Mentorship programs
o Training of coworkers on advanced topics of interest to nursing
o The launch of a new facility or program
o Community health screens
o Outside education

The more details you can provide about your involvement in the medical community and your accomplishments, the better job you will do at impressing your value as a team member to potential employers.

Every employer is looking for a specific set of skills and expertise from job-seekers that match the skills necessary to perform a particular job.
Basically a resume should contain your full name, campus and permanent address, telephone numbers and email addresses. Apart from that a nursing resume should include the following information:

- A clear cut career and job objective which shows your sense of direction to the employer.
- Your resume should have the names of each of your employers and your corresponding job titles.
- Give a brief description about the employer like what they are doing, if they are not well known.
- The number of staff that you manage(if applicable)
- Mention your education, training and licenses as well as academic honors, scholarships and extracurricular activities.
- As a specialized professional nurse, demonstrate what type of individual you are and give as much details as possible of your skills and experience.
- Mention your interactions with other departments, external agencies and health care professionals.
- Highlight your duties and responsibilities as a registered nurse, including planning, assessing and evaluating patient care, record keeping, the type of work or ward and routine tasks carried out etc.
- Present a narrative statement of your value like: experienced with a comprehensive background like pediatric, oncology, long-term care and ICU/ER, knowledge of Medicare home health regulations and JCAHO standards/reimbursement requirements, registered nurse with 10 years of track record providing quality, patient centered care in home, hospital, nursing home, hospice and private office settings etc.
- Highlight any other achievements that have benefited to your department and obviously your organization in general.

Article Source : Pg. 25

About Author

Both Laura Adams & Robert Goldsmith are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Laura Adams has sinced written about articles on various topics from Affiliate Programs, Cover Letter and Family. . Laura Adams's top article generates over 110000 views. to your Favourites.

Robert Goldsmith has sinced written about articles on various topics from Engagement Rings, Phone Bills and Cover Letter. Robert is a Freelance Writer For ResumeHowTo.com. They Specialize In All Kinds of Different Issues. They have information on various Types Of. Robert Goldsmith's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.