Hi readers!
Welcome to another informative article about Registered Nurse – this time we are focusing on registered nurse resumes.
By the end of this article, you will be able to understand the types of resumes available, resume-creating skills, and how to make a resume for an RN job that helps you succeed in applying for RN jobs.
Through this article, you will gain insight about:
- Types of resumes
- What are resume skills
- Do’s and Don’ts of a resume
- How to make a resume for an RN job
- Registered Nurse resume samples
So, if you are interested in knowing the tips and tricks to create your resume for registered nurses’ applications, read along.
Registered Nurse
Before we move into the details about registered nurse resume details, let’s take a quick look at the core of registered nursing.
Most of us know who a nurse is or a specialized nurse is, so the term registered nurse may sound unfamiliar.
But, like a nurse, a registered nurse has similar responsibilities.
A registered nurse is a nurse who has done BSN and is certified by the state to practice healthcare at healthcare facilities or hospitals.
After completing the bachelor’s degree, the nurse also has to go for an associate degree, and after that, they can sit for the state exam to get certified to serve as a registered nurse.
These nurses provide nursing care to the patients and be a part of a healthcare team where they are working.
It is also a nurse’s job to help the patients feel better by taking their vitals and helping the doctor state a diagnosis.
At times the registered nurse also makes care plans for critical care patients. This is a supervised task and needs to be approved by a superior.
They also have the responsibility to educate patients and the public about various health conditions or diseases.
What skills should RN have?
Healthcare is a profession that puts a lot of responsibilities on the care provider’s shoulders.
Nurses specifically have a lot on their plate regardless of the healthcare system.
It is an important question: What nursing skills should the nurse have to be a good professional?
There are a lot of skills that are considered important for critical care and patient care.
The nursing job is based on rotation mostly, so this requires the registered nurse to have both; soft and hard skills.
Soft skills are related to dealing with humans – It includes dealing with colleagues and patients.
Registered nurses who are friendly and open to their patients feel much more confident in the treatment they would get.
Interpersonal communication skills come in handy here.
Nurses who are friendly and jolly by nature are easily spotted as the favorite among the patients and their healthcare team.
On the other hand, nursing students or people training to become nurses or registered nurses are taught hard skills.
These skills are taught in nursing education; skills like taking care of a critical patient, working in an ICU, etc.
Types of resumes
Applying for a job and making the perfect resume are two different things.
For example, a nursing student might be looking to apply for jobs in different hospitals or healthcare centers, but a few recruiters are looking for a specific GPA, nursing skills, etc.
Everyone has a perfect resume according to their certifications and years of experience.
You just need to understand what you have to state and what will be the format of your resume.
Online, there are innumerable resume templates available.
But while you are formatting a resume, you need to understand what skill sets are better and more worthy for the job you are applying for.
The job description of the announced place can help in this manner.
It is also advised not to make only one type of resume and keep submitting it to every place you want to apply.
Instead, do a bit of research for each healthcare facility or hospital, or organization and tweak the resume as per their requirements if you want your resume to stand out.
It is better to give a resume summary on some resumes, especially if the resume is long.
However, having an abundance of nurse resume templates available, it is also a hard decision to find the right one for your job search.
There are also many nurse resume samples available online and in books to help the resume builder develop a resume to optimize their chances of getting the job.
Registered nurse resume samples may differ in terms of details.
It is because they sit for an exam that is by the state to attain a license to practice as a registered nurse.
They can further continue as nursing students and get more nursing education to become nurse practitioners.
The registered nurse resume examples are also easy to find online.
This will help the resume builder better understand how a registered nurse’s resume is different from a regular resume.
Coming to the resume, the objective is to get a hold of recruiters’ attention.
Tell them about your special skills and shed light on your achievement that may benefit their organization if they hire you.
- Nurse Resume Templates: The nurse resume templates provide the maker with a guideline on how to write, what format to use, etc.
The headers are useful to highlight the core capabilities to bring the hiring manager’s attention to the attributes one wants to highlight.
- Free resumes: Free resumes are also available online; you just have to download them and fill out the resume
The resume format on the free resumes states the certifications, licensure, work experience, soft skills & hard skills, etc.
These templates use a format based on bullet points to keep the nurse’s resume short and less time-consuming to go through.
- Chronological Order: In this type of resume, the writer writes all their achievements, qualification, years of experience, etc., as per the events that occurred
For example, first would come their earliest education like BSN or any certification they achieved before anything else in the nursing education.
- Reverse Chronological resume format: In this resume, the work experience, licensure, certifications, degrees, affiliations, associate degrees, etc., are written by the dates.
Reverse chronological means to write the most recent event first and then go towards the least recent achievement.
What are resume skills?
As we know by now, resumes are made to highlight skills and shed light on the applicant’s capabilities so that it is easier for the hiring manager to decide if the applicant is suitable for the job.
The skills section in the resume is considered the most important section.
An experienced RN’s resume will show more polished skills than a newbie RN.
Their nursing programs would be the same, their nursing license might be the same, and so might be their nursing education, as these things are academically based, but their skills will make the difference in the eyes of the recruiter.
So what are resume skills? Resume skills are the skills that you mention on your resume.
There are a lot of concise lists available on google that you can add to your resume.
The resume skills will also affect the nurse position you are applying for.
Apart from degrees and certifications, the hiring manager might focus more on the skills section.
The skills are similar for all nurses, but a few would differ between different types of nurses.
For example, the skills of an LPN would be different from that of an RN.
So one should put skills in the skills section related to their job search and nurse posting.
If the resume builder fails to put related skills, the recruiter might not find the resume attractive enough to call the applicant for an interview or further the hiring process.
Do’s and Don’t of Resume
Putting together a good resume will lang you to 20x more interviews than a regular resume.
That is why it is important to focus more on putting the right things on your resume.
Resumes are important to get the recruiter or the hiring manager to notice you.
To get noticed or make a top-notch resume, you will have to understand the right things to put on your resume and what should be avoided.
Firstly, there are different sections on the registered nurse resume.
Sections like skills section, experience section, academic, etc. these sections will make the resume look precise as the recruiter can find exactly what they are looking for.
It is also advised to make the resume in bullet points.
This format is easy for the recruiter and more attractive as they don’t have to spend much time looking for the information they need.
For example, if you are applying for a nurse assistant post, you will have to state your experience in the bullets.
Mention the place you worked previously, the time you were there, etc.
There are other things as well that the applicant wants to focus on to make the resume worth noticing. Those things are:
- Fonts: The font on the resume is vital – The font will make it easy or difficult for the recruiter to read the resume
The font should be an adequate size, a readable type like Calibri, and should be black preferably. The heading should be underlined and in bold.
- Header: The header is important as it would mostly carry the applicant’s name – The name is the identification you are providing the recruiter with
Along with the name, there are a few things you want to mention in the header which will serve as the crux of your resume.
- Sectioning: You will have to decide how you would segment your resume
Which sections are most appropriate, for example, academic, skills, etc.
- Bullet points: To make it look concise and easy to read. Usually, recruiters don’t have time to go through the resume.
Therefore, it is important for the registered nurse to put all the main points in bulleted form.
- Don’t make long resumes: As stated before, the hiring managers or the recruiters don’t have time to go through the hundreds of resumes they receive
The more concise the resume, the better.
- Work history: If you have years of experience, make sure to make that experience visible
If the experience is related to the job you are applying for, it is important to let the recruiter know about your experience.
How to make a resume if you are RN
There are a lot of things that go on the resume.
Starting with the header all the way to the resume summary.
Every part of the resume is equally important and should be put forward with a tone of confidence.
The tone of a resume is also equally important to the text that goes on the resume itself.
The tone you set will build the trust and attention of the hiring manager from the job search you are doing.
Being an RN, you will have to put in a lot of achievements and skills related to your job to attract the right type of recruiter to your resume.
Other factors contribute to the success of your resume.
If you want your registered nurse resume to stand out from the rest of the resumes received by the hiring manager, you should consider the following things.
- Include a cover letter: A cover letter serves as a catching point
You must include it on your resume. Make sure to mention two main points in your cover letter.
- Why you are the best RN that they can hire among the candidates who have applied for the same nurse position
- Why you are passionate about joining their healthcare team
These points will instantly make them decide whether they want to take the hiring process further with you or not.
- Do not state vague ambitions: it is always applauded if the applicant states a quantifiable ambition.
But, for example, if your state, I see myself growing in the healthcare industry in the next 5 years, this won’t leave the same impression as I aim to see myself as a nurse practitioner in your organization in the next 5 years.
- Mention your skills clearly: make sure to mention all the mention-worthy skills
For example, suppose you have been awarded basic life support, or you have any specific certification in ACLS (advanced cardiovascular life support).
In that case, these things should be made prominent in your resume.
- Make the resume in reverse chronological order-This makes the most recent achievement get the most attention.
This must be on the top if you have done a CNA (certified nurse assistant) course.
These things add value to your worth as RN.
This also makes the resume stand out.
- State action verbs – This makes you sound definite about your worth; stating you are a good listener increases your worth as a nurse
If you work in the pediatric department as RN, your listening skills will be appreciated as kids want friends and are afraid of medical staff.
- Don’t make unrealistic objectives and promises – It is humanly impossible if you state something that sounds unrealistic, like doing full-time volunteer work and a full-time job, as it will ring a bell in the recruiter’s mind.
So, make achievable objectives and don’t make you sound over-enthusiastic.
Registered Nurse Resume Samples
Now it is time to see what you have read so far. We are sharing a few samples that will make you better understand what your resume as a registered nurse should look like.
These are samples, and you can use them as a guideline to make your registered nurse resume to end your job search and land your ideal job and nurse position.
In the above sample, we are clarifying the outlook of your resume.
The resume should look concise yet contain all the crucial information.
The lengthy the resume will be, the lesser the recruiter’s interest will be.
The above sample is a resume made by a nurse. The things mentioned in the resume are in reverse chronological order, just as we advised you.
This is more attractive to the resume reader, who can potentially have to power to hire the applicant.
Conclusion
It is easy for the applicant to apply for a job in today’s world and easy for the recruiter to hire for a position.
A resume plays the most important role in this process.
A registered nurse’s resume should be attractive enough to gain the hiring manager’s attention.
Certain factors like the applicant tracking system have also made it easy to find the right employee.
For example, the registered nurse needs to be present on social media and virtual reality to exist for the tracking system.
This will make a better reach for the applicant RN and the organization to find the best match.
FAQs
How long should an RN resume be?
Top hiring managers and recruiters from all industries, including the healthcare industry, are advised to keep their resumes concise and to the point. The resume should ideally be only 1 page long. But if due to years of experience and certifications and specializations, it shouldn’t be longer than 2 pages.
Can you make an RN resume on nursing resume templates available for free?
Yes. You can make a resume for RN using a template available online. But before using any template, it is advised to make a rough list of sections and details that you want to add to your resume. Then pick the closest template to the sections and lists you want to add.
What is a good objective for a Registered Nurse Resume?
A registered nurse is a trained nurse who knows how to deal with stressful situations. So the objective should reflect the enthusiasm you have as a registered nurse to treat your patients and help them in their difficult times.
What skills are important to state on the RN resume?
Being an RN, there are a lot of responsibilities that fall on your shoulders. Most of those responsibilities make your skills polished. These skills are worthy of being known to your selected organization’s recruiter or hiring managers. You should pen down skills like basic life support, ACLS, communication skills, interpersonal, etc.
