Mental Health Nurse Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Mental Health Nurse resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
Mental health nurses are highly skilled professionals who are dedicated to helping people live healthier, happier lives. They provide mental health care in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, private practices, schools, and community agencies.
As a mental health nurse, you’ll work with clients to assess their needs and identify goals for therapy. Then you’ll create a treatment plan tailored to their unique circumstances and needs. Finally, you’ll monitor their progress throughout the course of treatment to help them achieve their goals.
If you’re ready to take your skills and experience to the next level or simply want to switch careers into a more meaningful field, it’s time to write a compelling mental health nurse resume that will help you stand out from the crowd. Here are some tips and an example to help you along the way.
How to Write a Mental Health Nurse Resume
Here’s how to write a mental health nurse resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most important part of your resume because they’re the first thing recruiters will read. And since they’re so important, it’s crucial that you use them to your advantage by crafting compelling bullet points that highlight your experience and skills.
The best way to do this is to focus on the results of your work. So rather than saying you “provided patient care,” you could say you “provided patient care to 20 patients with chronic mental health issues, resulting in a 95% satisfaction rate.”
The second bullet point is much more interesting and compelling, which makes it much more likely to catch a recruiter’s attention.
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for a mental health nurse role, your resume is likely to be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. If your resume doesn’t include the right keywords, your application might not make it past the initial screening process.
The best way to identify the right keywords for your resume is to carefully read through each job posting and take note of the terms that are used most frequently. Then, try to use those same terms throughout your resume. Here are some of the most common mental health nurse keywords:
- Mental Health Nursing
- Mental Health
- Nursing
- Mental Health Counseling
- Mental Health Services
- Crisis Intervention
- Psychiatric Nursing
- Group Therapy
- Community Outreach
- Psychotherapy
- Psychopharmacology
- Healthcare
- Program Development
- Interventions
- Clinical Research
- Behavioral Health
- Patient Safety
- Home Care
- Healthcare Management
- Elder Care
- Inpatient Care
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Mental Health First Aid
- Psychiatry
- Psychotherapy Services
- Nursing Education
- Healthcare Consulting
- Teaching
- Patient Education
- Nursing Management
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a mental health nurse, you will need to be proficient in a variety of software programs in order to do your job effectively. These might include electronic health records (EHR) software, patient management software, and clinical decision support tools. Additionally, you will need to be able to use technology to communicate with other members of the healthcare team, including doctors and nurses.
Some of the programs and systems that mental health nurses are typically expected to be proficient in include: electronic health records (EHR) software, patient management software, clinical decision support tools, and drug information resources.