Do You Need An Objective Or Summary On Your Nursing Resume
When crafting your nursing resume, you have the option to use career objectives and summaries.
When to include a career objective in your resume:
- You can use an objective when changing or modifying your career.
- For instance, if you plan to change from a surgical assistant registered nurse to an emergency room registered nurse, you’d use an objective to highlight that you’re pursuing a new subfield within nursing.
When a summary is right for your resume:
- Use a summary to highlight your most valuable experience and skills. These are ideal when you have vast experience in nursing.
- For example, if you’ve worked in a health setting for 10 or more years, you can include a summary.
When not to use objectives or summaries:
- Unclear objective example: “Looking for a nursing job to apply my skills and knowledge.”
- This lacks specificity and reads “I just need a job to pay the bills.” While that may be true, employers want to know you’re passionate about your work and will improve your workplace.
When objectives or summaries are worth including:
What To Include In Your New Grad Nursing Resume Summary
- Summary of professional experience: Provide an overview of the type of work you have done in the past and the impact you have made at previous employers.
- Relevant skills: Include your skills which are hyper relevant to newly graduated Nursing jobs to instantly show your suitability.
- Essential qualifications: Showcase your level of education with a quick mention of any qualifications that are essential for the newly graduated Nursing roles you are applying to.
Quick tip:Choose from hundreds of pre-written summaries across all industries, and add one to your resume with one click in our Resume Builder. All written by our recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset.
Add A Detailed Nursing Education Section
Writing your resumes education section as an entry-level nurse is different from writing the education section of your resume in other industries.
This is because medicine has many different specializations and educational requirements that entry-level nurses need to include in their education section.
For example, your education section should include the following information: education, relevant coursework, and licenses and certifications. These three parts make up your overall educational background, and because youre a fresh nursing school graduate, employers will want to immediately see them when reviewing your entry-level nurse resume.
Below, weve included examples of a well-written education section for an entry-level nurse, complete with relevant coursework, licenses, and certifications:
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New Nurse Resume Tips
You may have heard reports about the nurse shortage happening throughout the world. And then you hear of new nursing grads remaining unemployed after getting their license or you may be one. Being employed as a nurse means you have to craft a resume that stands out form the rest. Here are some Registered Nurse Resumes you can use as a guide in making your resume.
- Highlight your educational honors. Being a new grad means you dont have much experience. You can counter this lack of work experience with academic honors. It is also a good idea to put your GPA when it is 3.5 or higher. Dont forget to include the honors you received at your graduation.
- Put in your work experience. You may have worked as a nursing aid. Put that in your resume. Even when you have worked other jobs not related to nursing, you can put that there too. You have gained nursing-relevant skills while working on them also.
- Tweak your resume content to match the job you applied for. You need to put keywords that are related to the job. You may need to check Nurse Job Description Samples to see the responsibilities and duties needed. Putting in words you see on there on your resume will surely be noticed.
Nursing Resume Writing Guide
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
A resume often serves as an organizations first impression of you. It tells the recruiter or hiring manager objective information about you which can be used to decide if an interview is the appropriate next step. For this reason, your resume should professionally communicate the most important information about you so the reviewer can make an educated decision. No two resumes are the same, but there are some guiding principles that you can follow.
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Use The Resume Objective To Share Your Story
Who doesnt love a good story? Most certainly, not the HR Officer. Your new grad Nursing resume objective can be a powerful tool. If you dont have work experience, tell the recruiter why you want to get started on this career path.
Here are good examples of storytelling within an objective statement:
I come from a family of nurses caring for people has come naturally for me. I hope to be given the opportunity to fulfill my calling as a Registered Nurse in your hospital.I grew up inspired by the idea that a humble job as Nursing can make a powerful difference in peoples lives. If given the opportunity, I hope to be able to use my skills to help your patients regain their health, and most importantly, reclaim their lives.
The objective statement is best kept short 3 to 4 sentences at most. However, when properly put together, it can deliver big results for your resume.
Structuring Your Job Descriptions
Its easy to overwhelm readers when writing about a job you have been doing for years or even months.
Break the information up like this to keep it simple for recruiters to understand.
Job outline
Begin each job with a short summary of who the organization is, where you sit within it, and what the main goal of your position is.
Key responsibilities
Next, write up a punchy list of your daily duties and responsibilities, using short bullet points.
Describe how you apply your skills and contribute to the running of the employers business highlighting skills which are applicable to your target jobs.
Key achievements
Show employers the value you can bring to them by adding a few achievements to your jobs.
Whether youve saved the company money or improved an internal process, let recruiters know
Add some numbers to give readers a real scale of the impact, e.g. reduced call wait time by 10%
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Search Terms For Hospitals
When searching for a new nurse, hospital nursing position, it might be helpful to use the following search terms:
- Registered Nurse
Most hospitals and medical centers today have a searchable careers website, where the candidate can enter job search terms. When doing so, less is often more as broad terms such as intern or “nurse” will turn up a large number of results to parse through. For those just starting out, this is likely preferred. Job candidates can narrow search terms as needed by adding “intensive care” to “nurse.”
Large hospital systems, meaning one large company with many hospitals, will often allow for a user profile to be created based on the resume. This profile can be used for multiple positions.
The sought-after new nurse graduate positions in hospitals include:
- Medical-Surgical
New Grad Nursing Resume Tips & Examples
There are specific standards on how to write a new grad RN resume to make the shortlist of candidates and get invited to an interview. Each word of the resume should bring a sense. You need to avoid any useless phrases, inaccurate expressions, or unprofessional words. To better understand what would be useful to write in a resume, check our tips for each section below.
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New Graduate Nurse Resume Examples
Average Rating for this template
Nursing school taught you everything a nursing student needs to become a professional healthcare provider, except the first step writing your resume.
To help you secure your first nursing job, you need to create a compelling new graduate nurse resume that will highlight your training, skills, and potential in the healthcare industry. You need to ensure that all the information you include in your application is updated and relevant to the job youre applying for.
Thats why we created a breakdown of a nursing resume example for newly licensed nursing students to help you write a new grad resume, get your file right on top of the applicants list, and kickstart your nursing career.
Nursing Skills And Areas Of Expertise
It is a common mistake to list hard skills last on a resume. With the popularity of ATS this mistake could cost you an interview. This is especially true in nursing as the profession requires very specific skills. List skills within the top of the resume. Your hard skills should be directly targeted to the role as it is expressed in the job description.
Is the employer asking for a specific EMR that you are experienced with? List it! Are you an expert at starting IVs because of your five years of experience in the emergency room? List it!
This should not be a generic list of skills, but a specific list that is as quantified as much as possible. Its possible that if you are a newer nurse or are making a specialty pivot that you may not have hard skills to include. In that case, its okay to omit this section and highlight your transferable soft skills within your job history.
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Should You Add Projects Interests Or Hobbies To Your Nursing Resume
Most of the time, you don’t need to include projects or interests/hobbies on your resume. However, you may be able to add them depending on your level of experience and the type of role you’re seeking.
If you’re an experienced nurse, you’ve likely gained tangible experience that’s more important than undergraduate projects you’ve completed. Instead, you should highlight your key areas of experience and show your new employer how you’ll impact their business.
In the same vein, you may not need to indicate your hobbies or interests unless it’s encouraged. However, you can gain an advantage over the competition if you have strong qualifications and hobbies that match the company culture.
To help you determine whether or not to include hobbies, visit the company’s website and read the “About Us” section to gauge whether they have a unique cultural fit.
If you’re an entry-level candidate or a recent graduate, listing hobbies and projects can help you fill space and showcase your personality. However, it’s always good to review the job description to ensure these additions are relevant. Either way, keep the project and hobbies lists short and at the bottom of your resume.
Examples of hobbies/interests:
- Work experience bullets
To recap, each job description comes with different skill requisites. Furthermore, remember to note keywords you can use within the body of your resume and cover letter.
New Grad Nursing Resume Example
Below is a sample resume a new graduate could use to get a job in nursing:
Megan Smith555-555-5555megansmith@email.com
Recent graduate looking to join St. Claire’s Hospital as your newest registered nurse. I have a proven ability to handle medical emergencies, strong communication with patients and a passion for helping people. I recently completed a clinical rotation at New York Medical Center and I am fluent in both English and Spanish.
Certifications:
Registered Nurse, New York State Board of NursingLicense #1234567
Preceptorship Nurse / New York Medical, New York, NY – 2017 to 2019
-
Kept organized files on patients, including their medications and conditions
-
Ordered diagnostic tests based on observations of patients
-
Worked with other healthcare professionals to create treatment plans
Work Experience
Office Assistant at Hoboken Associates / Hoboken, NJ – 2015 to 2017
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Provided general assistance to a small doctor’s office
-
Answered phones and provided information to patients
-
Learned to keep accurate information in regards to medicine and patient care
Volunteer Experience
Community Blood Drive Volunteer / Hoboken, NJ – 2015 to Present
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Helped donors fill out paperwork before donating
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Monitored donors after donation to ensure they were comfortable
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Kept a record of donors and their contact information
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Certified Nursing Assistant Resume
Use this template
Why this resume works
- Much like applying for an RN role, you should include your license right in your resume title . This effectively alerts the employer that you’re qualified for the role .
- In addition to your title, if you have any certifications or additional licenses, include them on your resume in a designated section.
Example Nursing Graduate Resume
Now that weve discussed each piece of the nursing graduate resume, lets put it all together in this example resume using a simple format:
Nancy A. Mazin RN, BSNSeattle, WA 98052 555-5555
Registered Nurse InternCaring, patient-focused nursing graduate seeking entry-level nursing position at a large public hospital. Skilled communicator and technically proficient in electronic medical records. Proven ability to establish rapport with patients and staff in fast-paced setting. Adaptable and able to learn skills / procedures quickly.
Education:
Bachelors of Science in Nursing , Smith & Brown University, City, ST 2022
Associates Degree in Nursing , Charleston Community College, City, St 2018
License: Registered Nurse, Active Ohio, #55443322 expiration 01/2023
Certification: Basic Life Support , American Heart Association, expiration 11/2024
Experience
University Hospital, Seattle, WA, March 2018 to August 2019
Registered Nursing Student-Non-Intensive Care Unit
- Performed blood draws for needle-wary patients in a high-volume setting.
- Provided wound care to 12 patients per shift, including those with diabetes, pressure sores, and other slow-to-heal sores.
- Calmed down upset patients enabling them to receive needed treatments.
Cook Medical Center, Seattle, WA January 2017 to March 2018
Registered Nursing Student-Intensive and Surgical Care
Skills
Technical Skills
Epic and Cerner Alaris IV pumps, Microsoft Office / 365
Other
Willing to travel
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What To Include In A Nursing Resume For A New Grad
As opposed to resumes for other industries, a new grad nursing resume tends to focus on your education rather than your experience in the field. Despite this, it’s still important for your resume to include certain elements so hiring managers can get a better idea of who you are, what you know and what you can do. As you write your nursing resume as a new grad, make sure to include the following elements:
Related:Entry Level Nurse Resume
Why Is A Nursing Resume New Grad Template Important
When you’re applying for a job as a recent nursing grad, a resume template can help you highlight your background successfully. For example, it can show you how to format your qualifications to get the hiring manager’s attention, all while maintaining your professionalism. In addition, following a template ensures you include everything you want hiring managers to know about your qualifications.
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Relevant Skills & Related Certifications
If you have competencies not listed in the previous sections but are significant to the position, be sure to include them here, too. These can be hard skills like basic life support or soft skills like patient empathy.
You can include certifications not required by the hiring company, but are relevant to you as a registered nurse, like training on specific medical equipment or credentials on new patient care techniques here. When you are trained for relevant skills and positions, that could make you the default choice for the hiring manager.
Entry Level New Nursing Grad Resume
If you shifted careers and applying for your first-ever Nursing job, use the Combination format as we suggested for your entry level new Nursing grad resume. What is important is that your requirements such as Nursing license and clinical rotations are complete.
If you are an immigrant applying for a nursing position as a new grad, you should include certifications that are required under the guidelines of immigration authorities.
These certifications may include:
- Proof of qualification from agency-approved credentialing organization.
- Certification of competence in oral and written English.
- Health and fitness test.
Check with your local city state for the complete list of requirements for foreign-born new Nursing grads.
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Add Work And Volunteer History
If you have any work history that applies to the job you’re applying for, you can list that as well. The job doesn’t have to be directly related, but you should highlight the related skills you had to use. For example, if you worked in customer support at a retail chain, you could talk about your problem-solving skills and your ability to deal with customers.
The same goes for any volunteer experience. If you volunteered at a nursing home in your spare time, this is a great thing to list on your nursing resume. Any volunteer work you did is great to list, but if you can relate it specifically to the job you’re applying for in some way, that’s even better.
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How To Write An Exceptional New
Writing a new-grad nursing resume is a daunting task for most new-grads. The fear of having no experience and being unqualified leaves many wondering what details to include. Moreover, many new-grads wonder how to structure their nursing resume in a way that best conveys their current skill-set and value to prospective employers. As former recruiters, we reviewed thousands of new-grad resumes. In this blog post, well draw on that experience to provide a comprehensive guide to creating an amazing nursing resume for new-grads.
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