Nurse Resume Examples & Template (RN, BSN, NP)
Hospital recruiters scan for credentials first, then patient outcomes. Your license, certifications, and EHR experience need to be at the top — buried at the bottom and you'll be screened out by the ATS before a human ever sees you.
Nurse resume example
Jordan Patel, BSN, RN
Registered Nurse · Med-Surg / Telemetry · 5 yrs
BSN-prepared RN with 5 years on a 32-bed cardiac telemetry unit. BLS, ACLS, PALS certified. Epic super-user.
- Cared for 5–6 acuity patients per shift on a fast-paced telemetry unit; maintained a 0% medication-error rate over 24 months.
- Reduced unit fall rate 38% by leading a hourly-rounding initiative across 12-nurse team.
- Trained 9 new graduate nurses as preceptor; 100% passed 90-day competency on first attempt.
- Charge nurse 2x/week — coordinated admissions, discharges, and bed management for 32 beds.
ATS tips for nurse resumes
Top skills for nurse resumes
Hard skills
Soft skills
Best templates for nurses
Common nurse resume mistakes
- Forgetting to include license number and state — most hospital ATS filter this out automatically.
- Listing duties from the job description instead of measurable patient outcomes.
- Leaving off your EHR experience — it's a top-3 ATS keyword in every nursing job posting.
- Using a fancy two-column or graphic template that hospital ATS portals can't parse.
Nurse salary insights
Entry-level
$62k – $78k
Mid-level
$80k – $105k
Senior
$110k – $145k+ (NP, CRNA, leadership)
U.S. base salary ranges, 2025 BLS + Indeed Salary data.
Frequently asked questions
Should new grad nurses include clinical rotations?
Yes. List each rotation with hospital, unit, hours, and one measurable outcome or skill demonstrated. Treat it like real experience.
How do I show I'm a strong candidate for travel nursing?
Highlight float pool experience, multiple unit competencies, fast onboarding stories, and any compact-state license you hold.
Do I need a cover letter for a nursing job?
For staff positions, often optional. For magnet hospitals, leadership roles, or specialty units (ICU, ED, OR), a tailored one-page cover letter measurably improves callback rates.
Ready to build your nurse resume?
Start with our ATS-tested template and let our AI suggest the bullets that get nurses shortlisted.