You’ve worked diligently to complete nursing school, and you can’t wait to start your first job as a nurse. But you have one more assignment before you enter the world of work: You need a new grad nursing resume.
All resumes have standard components, but nurse resumes have a few extras to add, particularly as a new grad nurse. Read about the key resume sections and the unique parts for nurses, and then look at the sample resume for a new nurse grad to get started on yours. And don’t forget to check out our new grad nursing cover letter.
Here are tips for each standard resume section and a few optional sections that may apply to you.
Your resume header includes your name and credentials (RN, LPN, etc.), city and state, email, phone number, and LinkedIn ID. If you don’t have a profile on LinkedIn, you might want to create one. It’s good exposure and a way to keep in touch with professional contacts now and throughout your career. Be sure to upload your resume to LinkedIn too.
Use the resume summary section of your new grad nursing resume to highlight your skills and personality traits that make you a good job candidate. These two or three sentences give a prospective employer a snapshot of who you are. If you completed a clinical rotation in the specialty area you’re applying for, be sure to include those hours. Bonus if you worked at the same facility where you are applying.
Include your primary active license and the state of issue, along with any special certifications you’ve earned. List Basic Life Support (BLS) if you have it, as it will enable you to start work sooner.
Nurses with a couple years of experience may opt to put their education at the end of their resume. But it works better in a new grad nurse resume when it’s up top. Include your school and its location, plus your degree and graduation date.
Rather than including all of your clinical rotations on your resume for a new grad nurse, tailor your experience to the job you’re applying for by including the most relevant clinical rotations. For example, if you’re applying for labor and delivery nurse jobs, you can include antepartum, postpartum, labor and delivery, and NICU rotations.
Summarize your accomplishments for each job with two to four bullet points. Turn your tasks into accomplishments by using numbers and powerful verbs. For example, instead of writing, “Worked in the obstetrics unit for a semester,” write, “Completed 50 clinical hours in the 40-bed obstetrics unit.” If you worked with an electronic medical record (EMR) system (EPIC is a common one), be sure to include that in this section too.
Include non-clinical jobs in the work history section of your new grad nurse resume. Jobs related to health and wellness are particularly desirable, such as a certified nursing assistant or medical assistant. Follow the same format as clinical experience for these entries.
Some optional new grad nursing resume sections to consider are:
Use bullet points to include an outstanding GPA, membership in honor societies, and scholarships.
Volunteer work looks great on a resume, mainly if it is related to health and wellness.
Participating in extracurricular classes, sports, community service, or other activities while in nursing school shows that you are active and can juggle multiple tasks.
Reagan Marshall, RN
Springfield, OH | 555.555.5555 | reagan@email.com
LinkedIn.com/rmarshallrn
Energetic and compassionate nursing school graduate with clinical experience in pediatrics and PICU. Maintained a 3.8 GPA during rotations while minoring in human development.
The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, Ohio
Bachelor of Science in Nursing, [MONTH YEAR]
Minor in Human Development
Student Nurse
Pediatric Unit, Hospital One, City, State
XX/XX/XXXX
Student Nurse
Obstetrics Unit, Hospital Two, City, State
XX/XX/XXXX
Student Nurse
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Three, City, State
XX/XX/XXXX
Server, Restaurant One, Columbus, OH
XX/XX/XXXX – XX/XX/XXXX
Clerk, Store One, Worthington, OH
XX/XX/XXXX – XX/XX/XXXX
The average RN salary is $94,480 per year, but you can expect to earn on the lower end when you’re first starting out. In addition to your years of experience, your salary can be impacted by your level of education, facility type, and location. To find out what you might earn where you live, look at some new grad RN jobs on IntelyCare.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 6% job growth for registered nurses in the next 10 years, which is faster than the average for all other jobs. The top five states employing the largest number of registered nurses are:
Your new grad nursing resume can help you land your first job. Ready to start looking? Check out all the available graduate nurse jobs on IntelyCare right now and apply today.
