Operating Room Nurse Resume
Operating room (OR) nurses are instrumental throughout the surgical process. Follow our OR nurse resume template and writing tips to show hiring managers your invaluable perioperative nursing skills.
Not convinced this template is right for you? Download a different free, HR-approved resume template.
Related Resume Samples
View All Resume SamplesResume
Operating Room Nurse Resume Template
An expertly arranged resume format showcases your top achievements and talents.
Copy-paste Operating Room Nurse Resume (Text Format)
FIRST AND LAST NAME
Email: your.email@email.com
Phone: (123) 456-7891
Address: Street, City, State
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yourprofile
Summary
Patient-focused operating room nurse with 5+ years of experience delivering intensive patient care services. Known for addressing patients’ needs, performing diagnostic tests, enforcing health care tactics, offering physical and emotional support, and observing their recovery status. Skilled at controlling patients with high-acuity conditions while educating them about disease prevention and care. Approachable individual with ability to train staff members and maintain excellence in health care practices as a Head Operating Room RN at UCHealth.
Professional Experience
Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital, Littleton, CO
Nurse Supervisor – Operating Room, April 2020–Present
- Administer patient cases before, during, and after operations by prepping patients, managing surgical instruments, delivering CPR and blood transfusions during emergencies, developing individualized treatment plans, and reviewing lab results
- Coordinate with 10 physicians and other multidisciplinary caregivers to provide diverse medical aid to patients and attendants in facilities across Littleton
- Gain valuable insights about quality and compassionate patient care by participating in 5 monthly meetings with hospital administrators
- Evaluate staff abilities and delegate shift assignments to 15 nurse assistants
SCL Health, Lafayette, CO
RN, Acute Care Medical Unit, September 2017–March 2020
- Responded to life-threatening complications, executed diagnostic tests, and monitored patients’ status to maximize their well-being at all stages of the operating process
- Assisted 10+ patients with mobility needs weekly by identifying and fulfilling ambulation and physical therapy needs
- Mentored and educated 30+ nursing students regarding quality improvement approaches in patient-care functions
- Guided family members or guardians about the severity of patients’ diseases, prognosis, and care
- Administered medications, oversaw wound care, and delivered various treatments while complying with intensive health care standards
Additional Skills
- Certified Rehabilitation RN (CRRN), Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN), ID 12345678
- Basic Life Support (BLS) training, American Heart Association (AHA), ID 12345678
- Fluent in English and Spanish
Education
Lamar University, Joanne Gay Dishman School of Nursing, Beaumont, TX
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, August 2017
Honors: summa cum laude (GPA: 3.8/4.0)
Average operating room nurse salaries in the US
The following table includes information from O*NET Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data is presented based on the top states in the United States.
Average OR nurse annual salaries by state
State | Salary / Year |
---|---|
California | $133,990 |
Texas | $85,110 |
New York | $104,570 |
Florida | $80,960 |
Pennsylvania | $82,780 |
Illinois | $82,470 |
Ohio | $79,940 |
Georgia | $83,620 |
North Carolina | $79,580 |
Michigan | $81,710 |
National Average | $86,652 |
How to write your operating room nurse resume
Operating room (OR) nurses belong to one of the most in-demand nurse specialties. Also known as perioperative nurses or surgical nurses, OR nurses help patients and doctors at different stages of the surgery process.
Several types of perioperative nurses exist, including:
- scrub nurses
- circulating nurses
- RN first assistants (RNFA)
- post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) nurses
- medical-surgical nurses
- operating room directors
Need a quick refresher on what to put on your nursing resume? This quick video breaks down all the sections you should add to your resume and how to write them well so you can stand out to healthcare employers:
No matter your OR nurse specialty, follow our five tips to write an outstanding operating room nurse resume:
1. Make a good first impression with proper formatting
In the health care profession, traditional resume formats and resume templates are more likely to pass reviews by applicant tracking systems (ATS), which automatically toss out resumes with layouts, images, or fonts they can’t interpret.
So avoid using overly bright graphics or colors on your nursing resume. To demonstrate professionalism to hiring managers, blacks and blues, along with dark greens and burgundies, are the best colors for your resume.
2. Customize your resume to the operating room nurse specialty
If you’re applying to multiple types of surgical nursing roles, customize your resume for each type.
For example, notice how a scrub nurse and PACU nurse differ in these snippets from their work experience section, skills section, and certifications section:
Work experience: Efficiently and thoroughly sterilize operating room and tools following strict surgical aseptic technique, respond quickly to surgeon and OR nurse needs and questions, perform risk assessment, and devise and implement life-saving measures during complications
Skills: Surgical instrument and sponge counts, adaptability, teamwork skills
Certification: Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR)
Work experience: Comfort post-op patients and family members, calmly and directly discuss post-op procedures, answer questions with empathy and patience, and closely monitor vital signs and side effects including pain and nausea
Skills: Active listening, interpersonal skills, vital signs, documentation
Certification: Certified Post-Anesthesia Nurse (CPAN)
If the job posting doesn’t specify the perioperative specialty, check the duties description and preferred qualifications section. Then show how you can fit the job’s needs.
For example, you should write a scrub and circulating nurse resume in response to general perioperative nurse postings that include “Ability to scrub and circulate” in the preferred qualifications section.
Additionally, customize your resume to your area of medicine so employers know you have the relevant experience they seek for specific nursing roles. For example, an RNFA in neurosurgery has different technical skills than an RNFA in oncology has.
3. Emphasize your OR nurse work experience and certifications
As shown by job ads that specifically bar nurse graduates from applying, perioperative nursing is a relatively high level of nursing. As a result, your experience and credentials count more than your education, so place them higher and give them more space on your resume.
But if you have less than the preferred amount of work experience, you can add more details in your resume’s education section, including your:
- GPA
- relevant coursework
- rotations, internship placements, and other learn-by-doing experiences
- academic accomplishments
You may also choose to include additional sections at the bottom of your resume for information such as:
- language skills
- accomplishments and awards
- volunteer work
But remember that the standard resume length is one page. To write a one-page resume while highlighting your work experience first and foremost, you can abbreviate information from these extra sections and add it to your operating room nurse resume’s skills section.
4. Correctly list your OR nursing credentials and licenses
There are two places you can list your accreditations on your OR nurse resume — in your certifications section or in your skills section.
Certification section
In your certification section, include the:
- name and abbreviation of the certification
- granting body or state
- issue date
- expiration date
- credential ID number
For example, note how an applicant lists one of their OR nurse certifications:
Skills section
If you put your credentials in the skills section of your resume, just list the name of the certification, the certifying body, and your license number. Including the number lets hiring managers easily look up your qualifications in state and national nursing databases.
5. Include soft skills throughout your OR nurse resume
Possessing excellent soft skills, or skills related to how you work with people, distinguishes good nurses from great nurses. And giving examples of your soft skills on your resume differentiates your application from those of other candidates.
Important soft skills to describe on your operating room nurse resume are:
- problem-solving
- critical thinking
- teamwork skills
- time management skills
- active listening
- interpersonal skills
- communication skills
- versatility
- adaptability
- attention to detail
Operating room directors also need soft skills in leadership, instructing and learning strategies, and high-level decision-making.
While your technical skills can be communicated through certifications, soft skills are best shown in your work experience section with resume adjectives and action verbs that make your resume more engaging.
For example, here’s a work experience entry from an operating room nurse’s resume. We’ve emphasized the resume adjectives (underlined in yellow) and action verbs (underlined in green) that demonstrate soft skills specifically:
Build your resume in minutes
Use an AI-powered resume builder and have your resume done in 10 minutes. Just select your template and our software will guide you through the process.
Make a resume in minutes
Pick your template, fill in a few details, and our builder will do the rest.
Click to rate this article
4.2 Average rating