Nurse Resume Example

Nursing resumes are screened for license status and certifications before anything else — put your RN/LPN license number (or "available upon request"), state, and expiration directly under your name, followed by BLS/ACLS certifications.

Example experience section

Registered Nurse — Medical-Surgical Unit, Regional Hospital (2021–Present)

• Managed care for 5–6 patients per shift on a 32-bed medical-surgical unit
• Reduced medication administration errors by implementing a double-check handoff protocol
• Trained 4 incoming graduate nurses during unit onboarding over 18 months

Skills recruiters check for

Active license and state, BLS/ACLS/PALS certifications, EHR systems used (Epic, Cerner), specialty experience (ICU, ER, med-surg, pediatrics), and patient-to-nurse ratio experience.

Common mistakes on a nurse resume

Writing "compassionate and caring" with nothing to support it — every nurse's resume says this, so it reads as filler rather than a differentiator. Omitting your specific unit type and patient ratio, which tells a hiring manager immediately whether your pace and acuity experience match theirs. Leaving certifications off the top of the page where a fast scan can miss them entirely.

Build yours

Pair your resume with a cover letter that speaks to the unit or specialty you're targeting — clinical hiring managers read both closely.

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