The Perfect RN Resume

There’s no doubt about it – nursing is one of the best career paths in the health care field today. But landing a dream RN job not only takes education and experience – applicants also need a first rate nursing resume and cover letter.

According to Job Bank USA, the nursing field is characterized by a strong demand for skills. Newspaper want ads contain rows and rows of positions open for skilled and experienced nurses. In fact, the crunch for nursing talent is so intense, many organizations actively recruit from foreign countries to get the people they need.

That said, a good RN resume should accentuate your strengths from the get go.

Johns Hopkins School of Nursing will help you conceptualize this with their sample RN resumes.
Or, you can follow these rules for writing nursing resumes by Graham Lavery:

- Point out your qualifications

When you start writing your resume do not pass over any rewards, like academic honors, grants, or scholarships during your studies.

If you completed clinical rotations as a nurse, put them on paper.

If you are just starting out and your experience is not that impressive, talk about your courses and the grades you earned. Don’t enumerate your grades, but you can include your GPA.
- Talk about your skills

Along with the qualifications, your experience recommends you best. Present a list of your skills and point out all of your nursing specializations, without leaving anything behind.

Do not forget about the duration of time spent in each field of expertise.

Even if you are a beginner, you still must present a list with your clinical rotations and nursing mentorships.
- Present details about your activity

Usually the job position is for a certain field of activity, so present detail on your activity in that specific field. This includes details like specialization, the type of the facility you worked in and the average caseload.

If you don’t have enough experience, stick to clinical rotations and mentorships.

- Use a cover letter to convince them you are worthy

If you want your resume to be a winner, then you will have to prove you are a top performer. Use your cover letter to discuss how you helped your previous employers in their activity. If you did something important that passed beyond your basic responsibilities or if you provided additional help to patients and their families, do not hesitate to talk about it.

- Proof read

Before you send an RN resume and cover letter, give them a thorough reading, editing and revision. Read them out loud a couple of times and make changes where words sound awkward or unnatural.

Remember, your RN resume should carry the tone of a competent, intelligent, and natural communicator.