Nursing Student Resume

As an essential part of the health care system, nurses have a stable job outlook and plenty of employment opportunities.

But in the competitive world of health care, securing a job as a nurse can still be tough – especially if you don’t have experience yet.

If you want to stand out from other nursing students when applying for internships, you need a great resume that highlights your dedication and skills.

Excited to start getting experience as a nurse but unsure where to start? Our video breaks down all the necessary sections you’ll need to include in your nursing resume:

To build on our video’s advice, here are three tips for writing a nursing student resume that lands you a job:

Highlight your nursing resume skills

If you’re like most nursing students, then you don’t have much work experience yet. To impress employers, you need a strong resume skills section that highlights the expertise you’ve picked up in school.

Show hospitals you’re the right person for any nursing position by showcasing some of these nursing skills on your resume:

• Medical software (Epic Systems, MEDITECH software)
• Office suite software (Microsoft Office, Google Workspace)
• Technical skills
• Time management skills
• Organizational skills
• People skills
• Problem solving
• Critical thinking
• Communication skills

Also be sure to highlight any certifications you might have, such as: 

• First aid
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• Basic life support (BLS)
• Advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS)

Don’t forget to include a mix of hard and soft skills on your resume. Medical knowledge is important, but so is the way you handle patients, and employers want to know that you can do both.

Write a strong nursing education section

While hospitals don’t expect students to have an extensive professional history, they do want to know that you’re making the most of your education. That’s why writing a detailed resume education section is essential for nursing students.

Details you can add to your education section include your GPA (if it’s above 3.5), honors or awards, when you plan to graduate, relevant coursework, and even extracurriculars.

Here’s an example of a strong nursing student resume education section:

Education section example

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, Arlington, TX
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Expected 2022 (3.7 GPA)

• Serving as a current president of the student nursing association

This example works because after reading it, an employer knows roughly how far along the candidate is in their education, that they’re an excellent student, and that they have leadership skills from their experience with the student nursing association.

Open with a strong nursing resume summary

One of the simplest ways to make your resume stand out from the hundreds of other nursing students out there is by starting it with a convincing resume summary.

Think of a resume summary as the highlight reel of your resume. It condenses your most impressive accomplishments, skills, and experience into 2-3 sentences at the top of your resume and explains why you’re the best candidate for the position.

Hiring managers only spend a few seconds on each application. If you can show off your qualifications without making the employer hunt through your resume, it’ll immediately help you stand out.

For reference, here’s an example of a great nursing student resume summary:

Summary example

Upcoming nursing graduate with excellent educational credentials and hands-on patient care experience. Possesses fundamental knowledge of medical terminology, healthcare policies, and patient care values. Aspiring to combine ongoing nursing education and experience to secure a nursing internship in dynamic healthcare settings.

Notice that this summary clarifies the candidate’s experience level, shows off what they know, and highlights their “hands-on” experience along with their education. After reading this, any employer knows exactly who they are, and what they can do for their hospital or clinic.