Registered Nurse Resume: Your Complete Guide

A well-written registered nurse resume will help you impress recruiters and get more invites to interview.

Your resume should be tailored to the health center and team in question, as well as highlighting your experience, skills and education. Plus, it needs to be machine-readable and professionally presented.

Writing a stellar resume isn’t easy, which is why we recommend using a template. A good template will have the ideal registered nurse resume format. You can quickly update it with your own details and start applying for jobs.

Keep reading as we explain what you need to include in your registered nurse resume and how to adapt a template, along with essential registered nurse resume tips.

General Tips for Registered Nurse Resumes

Before we dive into the essential sections of a registered nurse resume, let’s cover some best practices.

Your resume needs to be tailored to the job posting so that you can stand out from other applicants. Don’t forget to use keywords from the advert so that you make it past the applicant tracking system.

Keep your experience and education sections brief. Include only the most relevant information so that it doesn’t get overlooked in a long list of past retail roles and babysitting jobs.

Good formatting is essential. Use standard margin sizes and spacing along with a conservative font, such as Times New Roman or Arial size 11 or 12.

Essential Components of a Registered Nurse Resume Template

Whether you’re using a resume template for registered nurse (which we strongly recommend) or building your resume from scratch, it needs to include several key sections. You can use this sample registered nurse resume as a model.

Ann Example

ann.example@gmail.com (012) 345-6789

Objective Statement

Experienced registered nurse with excellent triaging and clinical skills looking to move into ER nursing.

Skills

• Triaging
• Clinical documentation
• Vital signs measurement
• Patient education

Education

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), 2021

Experience

Registered Nurse, Pennsylvania Hospital, September 2021–present

• Triage patients
• Administer medication and treatments

Certifications and Licenses

Registered Nurse (RN) License, Philadelphia State Board of Nursing License Number: 0100000000, Expiry Date: 06-30-2024

Volunteer and Extracurricular Activities

Blood Service Volunteer, American Red Cross, 2022–present

• Take donors’ medical history
• Perform venipuncture

Tips for Writing Each Section of the Registered Nurse Resume Template

The registered nurse resume examples above, along with our recruiter-approved templates, will help you get started in building your resume. However, each section requires honing if you want to increase your chances of catching a recruiter’s attention.

Registered Nurse Resume: Objective Statement

The registered nurse resume objective statement should be a two to three sentence summary of who you are and what your career goals are.

On some registered nurse resume templates, you might see the objective statement called a registered nurse resume summary instead.

When writing a professional summary for resume registered nurse, remember to consider how your career goals and professional skills align with the job posting.

Registered Nurse Resume: Skills Section

Not all registered nurse resume templates have a dedicated skills section. A chronological resume registered nurse template, for example, won’t have one.

However, the registered nurse skills list for resume is one of the most important parts of your resume. It’s your chance to demonstrate that you possess the skills required for the role. A registered nurse skills and abilities resume is one of the most popular resume formats because of how well it presents job hunters’ skill sets.

You should include four to eight skills in a bullet-point list. Look at registered nurse resume skills examples and the job advert to help you select your skills.

Registered Nurse Resume: Education Section

List your qualifications in chronological order, from most recent to oldest. Include the school and degree title. You don’t need to mention your GPA.

Registered Nurse Resume: Experience Section

Your registered nurse resume sample format might have the education section below the experience section. If you’re writing a new grad registered nurse resume, we recommend leading with the education section and using an entry level registered nurse resume sample. Alternatively, if you’re writing an experienced registered nurse resume, you should move the experience section above the education section.

Underneath your past roles, include bullet-point lists detailing your responsibilities and accomplishments. Start each point with a strong verb such as “advocated” or “monitored.”

Registered Nurse Resume: Certifications and Licenses

This is where you should include your nurse license and other certifications on your registered nurse resume. Make sure to state the title, awarding body, license number and license expiry date.

Registered Nurse Resume: Volunteer and Extracurricular Activities Section

Include volunteer activities on your registered nurse resume if they’re relevant to the role, e.g. volunteering in sexual health clinics or vaccination drives. Otherwise, you can skip this section.

How to Customize Your Registered Nurse Resume Template for Specific Jobs

A resume template is an excellent starting point for building your resume. However, it’s essential that you customize the template to the specific registered nurse job description resume. Pay close attention to the required skills and experiences. Look at registered nurse resume examples specific to your specialism for inspiration, too.

For example, for an ICU registered nurse resume, you could include “working well under pressure” in your skills section. You could also customize the experience section of your critical care registered nurse resume to highlight your past work in this department.

Similarly, for a medical surgical registered nurse resume, you could add your passion for surgical interventions to your objective statement.

Additional Tips and Tricks for Crafting a Strong Registered Nurse Resume

Once you’ve written your resume and customized it to the specific role, you’re almost ready to send off your application. But before you do, take the time to proofread it. Confirm that your phone number and email address are correct. Double-check for typos. And make sure your file name is appropriate.

Review the formatting: does your resume stand out visually without being flashy or distracting? Make sure you’re using consistent, conservative fonts with plenty of white space. Use larger fonts for headings so the document is easy to skim-read.

Have you left anything off your resume? Check that you’ve provided examples of the impact of your accomplishments, e.g. “Made Nurse of the Month for excellent patient education.”

Follow up after submitting your resume. It will help your application stand out from all the others, plus it shows good interpersonal skills.

How to Apply for Registered Nurse Jobs

Once you’ve got your registered nurse license and are ready to begin job hunting, it’s time to browse LinkedIn and Nurse.com for registered nurse roles.

Make sure to use a resume template for registered nurse that you can customize to the role in question. We recommend using our registered nurse resume builder: it will talk you through how to structure your resume based on your experience level and qualifications.

Adapt a sample cover letter for resume registered nurse too. Make sure it explains what makes you the ideal fit for the role.

Don’t forget to practice responding to common registered nurse interview questions so you can provide convincing answers. And make sure to prepare your interview outfit the night before!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Registered Nurse Capitalized in a Resume?

You should capitalize “registered nurse” when including it as part of a job title or license name, but not in other areas of your resume. For example, in your objective statement, you could write: “Licensed registered nurse with 3+ years of experience.” However, under the experience section, you might write “Registered Nurse, North General Hospital, January 2022–present.”

How to List Registered Nurse License on Resume

Include your registered nurse license under the certifications and licenses section of your resume. Make sure to include the full name of your license, the abbreviation in parentheses, the state and licensee, license number and expiration date.

What is a Good Objective for a Registered Nurse Resume?

A strong objective statement for a registered nurse resume will tell recruiters who you are and why you’re applying for this role. It should be no more than two to three sentences long, so make sure to only include your most relevant skills and traits.

How to Write a Resume for a Registered Nurse Position

The first step in writing a winning resume is selecting recruiter-approved registered nurse resume templates that you can adapt. Next, customize your chosen template to your skills, background and — most importantly of all! — the job listing.

What to Put on Registered Nurse Resume

Your registered nurse resume should include your contact information, a dedicated skills section, your career history or work experience, education, and certifications and licenses. You can also add a section for volunteer and extracurricular activities if you have relevant experiences.

What to List Under Resume Roles If Registered Nurse

When listing previous experience as a registered nurse on your resume, make sure to include your key achievements and responsibilities. Where possible, use the keywords from the job posting.

What to Write in Skills Section of Resume Registered Nurse

Essential skills for registered nurse resume include triaging, clinical documentation, taking vital signs, patient history taking, patient education, problem-solving, time management, teamwork and communication.

What to Omit From a Registered Nurse Resume

When writing your registered nurse resume, leave out experiences that are from five or more years ago or aren’t relevant to the role. You should also omit a photo, your age, date of birth and other protected characteristics.

What is the Best Resume Template for a Registered Nurse?

Recruiter-approved templates like Rocket Resume’s templates have the best resume format for registered nurse. Plus, they’ll come with key phrasing for skills and accomplishments so that you can beat the applicant tracking system and impress recruiters.

How to Display Registered Nurse License on Resume

When adding your registered nurse license to your resume, make sure to create a certifications and licenses section for it. Include the name of your license in full as well as the abbreviation in parentheses, plus the state, license number and expiration date.

What Do Include in Duties as Registered Nurse Resume?

When mentioning your registered nurse duties resume, prioritize the duties that are mentioned in the job posting or are relevant to the role. Make sure to use the exact same phrasing as the job listing to help you get past an applicant tracking system.

How to State License Registered Nurse on Resume

A certification and licenses section is the ideal place to include your state registered nurse license. Add the name of your license, the abbreviation in parentheses, the state licensing board, license number and expiration date. You can also mention your license in your objective statement.

How to Add Charge Nurse Experience to Resume Under Registered Nursing Position

If you have charge nurse experience in a registered nurse position, include it in the bullet-point list of your accomplishments and responsibilities when in the role. Make sure it’s the first bullet point so that it’s not overlooked.

What Section to List Poster Publications Under in Resume Registered Nurse

Poster publications and presentations can be listed in a publications and presentations section of your resume. Include the poster publication title and the event. If other people presented them with you, their names should also be added.

How to Put Registered Nurse Licenses Pending on Resume

If you’ve already passed your state registered nurse license exam, but have yet to receive your license number, you can write “License Number: Pending” on your resume.

Registered Nurse: What Licensure to List on Resume

You should include your NCLEX-RN state license on your registered nurse resume. Make sure to specify the state, license number and expiration date. It’s a good idea to write out your license number in full and then add the abbreviation in parentheses in case applicant tracking software is being used.