Registered Nurse Resume Example & Writing Guide
View a professional registered nurse resume example with proven bullet points, key skills, and expert tips. Copy what works and customize with your own experience.
Professional Summary Examples
Start your resume with a compelling summary. Here are proven examples you can adapt:
Compassionate registered nurse with 5+ years of experience in acute care settings. Skilled in patient assessment, medication administration, and care plan development. Recognized for reducing patient readmissions by 20% through enhanced discharge education.
Dedicated RN with expertise in critical care and emergency nursing. Managed care for 6+ patients per shift in high-acuity ICU. Strong background in ventilator management, hemodynamic monitoring, and family communication.
Patient-focused registered nurse specializing in pediatric care. Experience in neonatal intensive care and pediatric oncology. Known for creating supportive environment for young patients and their families during difficult treatments.
Work Experience Bullet Points
Use these achievement-focused bullet points as inspiration. Replace the numbers with your own metrics.
- Provided comprehensive nursing care to 6-8 patients per shift in 40-bed medical-surgical unit with 95% patient satisfaction scores
- Administered medications, IV therapies, and treatments while maintaining 100% accuracy in documentation and compliance
- Reduced patient readmissions by 20% through implementation of enhanced discharge education and follow-up protocols
- Mentored 8 new graduate nurses through 12-week orientation program, achieving 100% retention rate
- Collaborated with interdisciplinary team including physicians, pharmacists, and social workers to develop individualized care plans
- Responded to rapid response and code blue situations, providing life-saving interventions following ACLS protocols
- Implemented fall prevention initiative reducing unit fall rate by 35% over 6-month period
- Educated patients and families on post-operative care, medication management, and lifestyle modifications
- Maintained accurate electronic health records using Epic, ensuring continuity of care across shift changes
- Served as charge nurse for 40-bed unit, coordinating patient assignments and managing staffing challenges
Key Skills for Registered Nurse Resume
Include these skills on your resume to pass ATS screening and impress recruiters:
Recommended Certifications
These certifications can strengthen your registered nurse resume:
Tips for Your Registered Nurse Resume
- Quantify your achievements: Use specific numbers, percentages, and dollar amounts to demonstrate impact.
- Use industry keywords: Include terms from the job description to pass ATS screening.
- Lead with action verbs: Start bullet points with strong verbs like developed, implemented, increased, reduced.
- Keep it concise: Aim for one page unless you have 10+ years of relevant experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should a new grad nurse include on their resume?
Focus on clinical rotations with patient populations, skills learned, and preceptor feedback. Include nursing school GPA if strong (3.5+), relevant certifications (BLS, ACLS), and any healthcare experience like CNA work. Highlight capstone projects and clinical achievements.
How do I make my nursing resume stand out?
Quantify your impact: patient satisfaction scores, readmission rates, number of patients managed, and quality improvement results. Include specialty certifications relevant to your target unit. Highlight specific EHR systems you have used (Epic, Cerner, Meditech).
Should nurses include soft skills on their resume?
Yes, but demonstrate them through achievements rather than listing them. Instead of 'excellent communication', show 'Educated 200+ patients monthly on post-operative care, achieving 95% comprehension scores on teach-back assessments.'
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