Nursing (Entry-Level)
Resume Example

Entry-level nurses have an advantage over other professionals in other industries when building their resumes for the first time because of the extensive internship and resident experiences they’re required to complete to graduate.

Nurses writing their resume for the first time first have to write customized career objective, explaining their educational background and desired position within an institution or organization. For the full rundown on crafting an effective career objective, check out our page that outlines the ins and outs of writing a great nursing resume objective.

These educational residence experiences are similar to professional work experience listed on experienced nurse resumes so starting with the education section first on entry-level nursing resumes is not only logical but simple to do.

1. Know & Include Common Skills for an Entry-level Nurse

2. Write an Effective Nursing Education Section

Writing the education section for an entry-level nurse is a little bit different than writing that of a general resume from another industry.

This is because medicine has so many different specializations and educational requirements that applicants must pay particular attention to detail. Below is an example of a perfectly written education section complete with relevant coursework and licenses and certifications sections.

The beginning of an entry-level or nursing student resume can be broken down into three distinct sections, covering three areas that employers will want to see immediately when reviewing a resume. These three sections are the education, relevant coursework, and Licenses and Certifications sections. Each contributes to making the resume more attractive in unique ways.

Education

In the education section you will want to include university-specific educational specifics such as the year of graduation, GPA average (only if above 3.0), and academic affiliations. For example:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing, May 2013

• GPA: 3.7/4.0

• Student Nursing Association, Member 2011-2013

Relevant Coursework

In the relevant coursework section, detail the coursework most applicable to the position you are applying to. For example, if you work on the radiology ward, include radiology-related coursework in this section to indicate how you are qualified for this specific position. For example:

• Observational methods

• Principles of teaching applied to nursing

• Pharmaceutical oncology

• Qualitative analysis

Licenses & certifications

Licenses and certifications are vital resume builders and should always be included when writing a resume in the medical industry since organizations are legally required to employ only licensed and certified individuals.

Not listing the correct license or certification could get a resume rejected instantly. Make sure to specify your individual license number and the issuing organization.

For example:

• Registered Nurse: New York State Board of Nursing, License #0000000

• Basic Life Support (BLS) certified by the American Heart Association

Including licenses and certificates is critical for gaining employment and can directly impact compensation.

3. Include Clinical Experiences and Other Work Experience

While your entry-level or nursing student resume should be heavily focused on medical-specific educational and internship experiences, there is often room for notable non-medical related work experiences as well.

Most of your work experience section should be focused on preceptorships, residencies, and internships because these will most likely be the most relevant experiences for the position you’re applying to. Some key things to include:

Three things you should avoid in your clinical experience section:

Finally, don’t discredit non-medical related work experiences automatically. If you held a position that required the use of transferable skills, consider adding it because employers appreciate universal employability traits such as management, communication, and organizational skills.

4. Implement Relevant Action Verbs

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