General Nurse Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this General Nurse resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
If you’re looking for a job that allows you to make a difference every day, consider becoming a general nurse. General nurses work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, and more. They work alongside other healthcare professionals to provide routine care to patients and help them manage their health.
When writing your general nurse resume, you’ll want to emphasize your experience working with a variety of patients in different situations. You might have experience working as part of a larger care team or you might have worked independently as a solo nurse. Either way, your resume should reflect the skills and qualities that make you a great candidate for the job.
How to Write a General Nurse Resume
Here’s how to write a general nurse resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
The best way to make your resume stand out is to use specific examples and numbers. Rather than saying you “provided patient care,” you could say you “provided critical care for trauma patients, resulting in a 98% survival rate.”
This level of specificity will help recruiters understand not only what you did but also how well you did it. And that can make all the difference when it comes time for a hiring manager to decide between two candidates.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a general nurse role, your resume is likely to go through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This program will scan your resume for certain keywords related to the position, like “patient care” or “endoscopy.” If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right terms, the ATS might automatically reject your application.
To increase your chances of getting an interview, use this list of general nurse keywords as a starting point and make sure to include them throughout your resume:
- Nursing
- Healthcare
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Patient Safety
- Inpatient Care
- Hospitals
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Patient Education
- Clinical Research
- Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
- Medical-Surgical
- Acute Care
- Wound Care
- Informatics
- Patient Advocacy
- Phlebotomy
- Nursing Education
- Medical Records
- IV Therapy
- Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
- Medicine
- Public Health
- Health Education
- Medication Administration
- Mental Health
- Respiratory Therapy
- Community Outreach
- Outreach
- Patient Care
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a nurse, you are expected to be proficient in the use of technology in order to provide care to patients. This might include familiarity with electronic health records (EHR) systems, patient monitoring systems, or medical devices. Additionally, many hospitals and clinics now use telehealth systems to provide care to patients in remote locations, so nurses who are familiar with telehealth technologies will have an advantage in the job market.
In order to show that you are a valuable candidate, be sure to list all of your relevant technical skills prominently on your resume. This will show that you are familiar with the essential tools and systems used in your field.