Nursing Resumes: Writing a Nurse Resume

The prevalence of Managed Care and the trend of integrating smaller medical facilities into larger institutions are but two of the factors contributing, in recent years, to major shifts in the healthcare industry: changes that have created an extremely competitive environment for job seekers.  Confronting increased competition, healthcare practitioners in nursing are challenged to respond with well-crafted resumes for nursing professionals.

In structuring resumes for Registered Nurses (RN’s) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN’s), applicants must provide employers with more than their employment histories and credentials encompassing education, licensure, and, when applicable, certifications.  While many RN’s and LPN’s share the same general responsibilities concerning the assessment, treatment, and education of patients, resumes for nurses must highlight the factors that set candidates apart from their colleagues.  Nursing resumes should therefore include elements such as the type or types of healthcare environments in which the nurses have maneuvered, the patient populations to which they have ministered, and the number of beds in the institution or unit.  Information such as this establishes the overall tone for nurse resumes, indicating the level at which the applicants work and excel.

If possible, nursing resumes also should emphasize tangible accomplishments.  In preparing resumes for nurses, it may be possible to include references to, for example, a specific initiative designed to improve unit efficiency or patient satisfaction.  Although applicants may not have conceived programs or trained others in new policies and procedures, they may have served as integral members of teams charged with implementing new initiatives, in accordance with the institution’s mission and standards of quality.  In “making or breaking” resumes for nursing professionals, this is the type of information that will prompt employers to schedule face-to-face interviews, leading to greater opportunities for employment.