Staff Nurse Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this Staff Nurse resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
As a nurse, you’re the one who helps doctors and other medical staff deliver care to patients. You play a crucial role in the healthcare system, helping people feel better when they’re sick or injured and ensuring that they receive the treatment they need.
If you’re interested in a career in healthcare but aren’t sure where to start, being a nurse is the perfect place to land. But before you can begin your new job, you need an amazing resume to help you get hired. Here are some tips and an example to help you write yours.
How to Write a Staff Nurse Resume
Here’s how to write a staff nurse resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most effective way to showcase your experience and qualifications. But rather than simply listing your responsibilities, you can make your resume more interesting by using bullet points to describe specific examples of your work.
For example, rather than saying you “provided patient care,” you could say you “provided care for 15 patients in the emergency room during a busy shift, ensuring all patients received timely care and all necessary procedures were performed according to hospital protocols.”
The second bullet point paints a much more detailed picture of what exactly you did and the results of your work. And it provides a quantifiable measure of how many patients you cared for during a shift.
Related: What Is a Staff Nurse? How to Become One
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you submit your resume online, it’s likely that it will be scanned by an applicant tracking system (ATS) for certain keywords. These programs look for certain terms related to the job opening in order to determine whether or not you have the skills and experience necessary to perform the duties of the role. If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right keywords, your application might not even make it to a recruiter.
The best way to make sure your resume includes all of the right keywords is to read through job postings and take note of the terms that are used most often. Then, use those same words throughout your resume. Here are some of the most commonly used keywords for nurse staff nurse roles:
- Nursing
- Healthcare
- Healthcare Management
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- Patient Safety
- Hospitals
- Nursing Education
- Patient Care
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
- Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
- Inpatient Care
- Clinical Research
- Advanced Life Support (ALS)
- Wound Care
- Patient Advocacy
- Patient Satisfaction
- Healthcare Information Technology (HIT)
- Medication Administration
- Home Care
- IV Therapy
- Nursing Management
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
- Patient Care Management
- Medication Teaching
- Phlebotomy
- Critical Care Nursing
- Emergency Nursing
- IV Insertion
- Trauma Nursing
- Urgent Care
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As a Staff Nurse, you will be expected to be proficient in a range of technologies in order to effectively care for your patients. This might include experience with electronic health records (EHR) systems, patient monitoring systems, or medical devices. Additionally, nurses are increasingly using technology in their work, so it is important to be familiar with telehealth technologies and how they can be used in the hospital setting.
Hiring managers are also looking for nurses who are comfortable with technology and are willing to embrace new ways of working. For example, many hospitals are now using 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.
Related: How Much Does a Staff Nurse Make?
Remember The Basics
As you draft your resume, there are a few basic rules to keep in mind.
Make Sure Your Resume Is Easy to Scan
There are a few things you can do to make your resume easier to read and understand quickly. Aligning everything to the left, using a standard font type and size, and keeping bullets under 2 lines will help make your resume more skimmable. You should also try to leave some white space on the page to help the recruiter easily scan through your information.
Be Concise
There is no set or ideal length for a resume, but a one-page resume is generally preferred. That way, you can concisely communicate your professional experience and skills without taking up too much of an employer’s time. However, if you have more than 10 years of experience in your field, you may want to use a two-page resume to elaborate on your qualifications and experience. When trimming down your resume, focus on removing irrelevant information and making the content concise and straightforward.
Proofread
Proofreading your resume is important in order to make sure it looks professional and error-free. Spell checking is a must, as are punctuation and grammar checks. It is also helpful to have someone else proofread your resume for you, as they may catch mistakes that you have missed. Beware of easily confused words, and make sure that your tense is consistent throughout the resume.
Use a Summary
A resume summary statement can be a great way to put your experience and future goals in context. They don’t need to be terribly long—just a couple of sentences detailing who you are, what you do, what your best trait or skill is, and what you’re looking to do next. When executed well, they can help to paint a fuller picture of what you bring to the table.
If you’re looking to make a career change, or you’re new to the workforce, a resume summary statement can be a great way to introduce yourself to potential employers. It can also be a helpful way to highlight your most relevant skills and experiences, and explain how you see your experience translating into the role you’re hoping to land.
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