Nursing Resume & CV: Examples, Skills, and Free Template

Hospitals run nursing applications through one of a small number of ATS systems - Kronos/UKG, Workday, Taleo, iCIMS, PeopleSoft. The first thing every system filters on is active license. If your RN license, state, and expiration aren't visible in the top six lines of the resume, the application can be auto-filtered out before a human ever sees it. The second filter is BLS, ACLS, and any unit-specific certifications (PALS for pediatrics, NRP for L&D, CCRN for ICU). These need to be plain text, not embedded in graphics, and they need to use the exact certification acronyms the hospital expects.

After the screen, a nurse manager reads the resume looking for unit fit. A med-surg nurse applying to ICU needs to show the ICU-relevant signals on her resume - vent management, drips, hemodynamic monitoring, rapid response participation - even if those came from a med-surg setting with high acuity. A nurse with the right credentials but the wrong unit experience often gets passed over for the same role.

The third thing nurse managers look for is patient-care outcomes you can quantify. Nursing is a profession where individual outcomes are real and trackable: HCAHPS scores, fall rates, CLABSI rates, medication error rates, patient education completion, hand-off communication. Bullets that include one of these metrics signal a nurse who tracks her own practice and can be trusted to track quality on a new unit.

What doesn't move the screen: "compassionate caregiver," "strong patient advocate," "detail-oriented." These are baseline assumptions, not differentiators. Replace them with bullets that prove the trait under pressure.

Contact + license. Name, phone, email, city. RN license number, state, and expiration date in the contact block - visible on the first six lines. If you hold compact-state licensure or multiple state licenses, list all of them.

Professional Summary (3-4 lines). Years of clinical experience, primary unit, and one quantified outcome. "BSN-prepared RN with 5 years of medical-ICU experience; consistent HCAHPS communication scores in the 90th percentile and led the unit's CLABSI-reduction QI project (zero CLABSIs across two consecutive quarters)" beats "compassionate registered nurse seeking opportunity."

Licenses & Certifications. Active state license(s) with expiration. BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP, TNCC, CCRN, CEN, CMSRN - list all relevant. If you hold a national certification (CCRN, CEN, etc.) put the credential after your name in the resume header.

Clinical Experience. Reverse chronological. Hospital, unit, dates, bed count and acuity if relevant. Lead each role with patient-load and acuity context ("24-bed med-surg unit, 1:5 ratio, mixed surgical and oncology population"), then bullets covering scope of practice, QI/committee work, preceptor work, and any quantified outcomes.

Education. Degree (ADN, BSN, MSN, DNP), school, graduation year. New grads should list clinical rotations with hours and unit type. Drop GPA after 3 years out unless 3.5+.

Continuing Education. CEU hours completed, conference attendance, advanced training (chemotherapy administration, dysrhythmia courses, trauma certifications). Helps for specialty roles.

Professional Memberships. AACN, ENA, AONL, AONN, ANA - these signal investment in the profession and are often noted by manager-level reviewers.

What to leave off. Photos, generic patient-care philosophy paragraphs, tasks every nurse does ("administered medications," "documented in EHR"). Replace with quantified or unit-specific bullets.