How to Write a Strong Nurse CV Template

As a nurse, you know a lot about taking care of people and helping them be healthy.

But when it comes to resume writing, maybe you could use a little help of your own.

Are there specific resume strategies that nurses should follow?

Just how detailed do you need to be when describing your medical skill set? And how do you highlight all those certifications you might have?

We’re going to walk you through the entire process of creating a nurse resume step-by-step!In this guide, we’re going to cover:

A nurse resume example that is proven to work
How to write a nurse resume that will get you invited to interviews
How to make your nurse resume stand out [with top tips & tricks]

Here’s some inspiration to get you started:

A nurse resume example, created with our very own resume builder:

Now, read on to learn how to create a resume that looks as good (or better) than the above example!

How to Format a Nurse Resume

The first step to creating your nurse resume is to decide on a format.

Just like any other career, hiring managers want specific information to jump out at them when reviewing resumes. So nurses need to make sure their resumes are formatted properly.

In 2025, the most common resume format remains the “reverse-chronological” format. So this is your best bet.

Of course, there are other resume formats you can try…

Functional Resume – This format is a lot more about your skills as opposed to professional experience. It’s good if you don’t have a lot of experience, are transferring to a new industry, or have gaps in your employment history.
Combination Resume – As the name suggests, a combination resume is a mix between “Functional” and “Reverse-Chronological.” Meaning, it focuses both on skills AND work experience. You can use a combination resume if you have a lot of work experience or changing industries.

Once you’ve decided on the format, you need to get your right.

Here’s what we recommend…

Margins – One-inch margins on all sides
Font – Pick a font that stands out, but not too much. Do: Ubuntu, Roboto, etc. Don’t: Comic Sans
Font Size – Use a font size of 11-12pt for normal text and 14-16pt for headers
Line Spacing – Use 1.0 or 1.15 line spacing
Resume Length – Don’t go over the 1-page limit. Having trouble fitting everything into one page? Check out these one-page resume templates.

Pro Tip:

As a nurse you have probably earned some certifications for different areas of medicine. Create a dedicated section for your certificates so these stand out in your resume.

Use a Nurse Resume Template

Are you used to creating your resume in Word? Painful isn’t it?

It’s easy to spend more time tinkering with formatting than it actually takes you to fill in the contents.

Then, you decide to make a single, small layout change, and BAM! Your entire resume layout falls apart.

There’s a better way than using Word: use a nurse resume template.

What to Include in a Nurse Resume

The main sections in a nurse resume are:

Contact Information
Resume Summary
Work Experience
Education
Skills
Certificates
Awards & Recognitions

If you want your resume to stand out more, you can also try these optional sections:

Conferences & Courses
Professional Affiliations
Languages
Interests & Hobbies

Now, we’re going to go through each of those sections, and explain how to write them.

Not sure which sections to use?

How to Get Your Contact Information Right

Maybe you’ve created the perfect resume with amazing content on your skills and experience. But if you mess up the contact section, you won’t be getting a lot of interview invitations (mainly because they won’t be able to call your misspelled phone number).

For your contacts, include:

Name
Title – For nurses, your best bet is likely “Registered Nurse”.
Phone Number – Double-check, triple-check this. One typo can really mess up your chances of an employer contacting you.
Email Address – Make sure to use a professional email address (firstname.lastname@gmail.com), and avoid that email you created back in 5th grade (sirlaughsalot@gmail.com).
(Optional) Location – Applying for a job abroad? Mention your current location.

How to Write a Nurse Resume Summary or Objective

Fun fact – recruiters spend less than 6 seconds reviewing each resume. This isn’t that surprising, though. You can’t expect them to read the hundreds of resumes they receive from end to end.

So, if the recruiter doesn’t see that you’re relevant for the job in a single glance, your resume won’t even be read.

Now, the question is, what can you do to hook the recruiter the moment they look at your resume.

The answer is simple: use a resume summary or objective.

As a quick intro, both the resume summary and objective are sections that go on top of your resume, just under the contact information section.

The main difference between the 2 sections is that…

A resume summary is a 2-4 sentence summary of your professional experiences and achievements.Nurse Resume Summary Example

Trauma Certified Registered Nurse with more than five years experience working in emergency care. Compassionate, ethical health-care provider with a proven ability to stay calm during crises. Hold a Master’s of Science in Surgical Nursing.

A resume objective, on the other hand, is a 2-4 sentence snapshot of your professional goals and aspirations.Nurse Resume Objective Example

Patient-focused nursing student with 2 years of healthcare experience. Pursuing internships as part of career goal to become Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse.

So, which one do you pick? A summary, or an objective?

As you can see from the above examples, the key difference between the two is that a Resume Objective is better-suited to those who are new to a field (student, graduate, or switching careers). Always go for a Resume Summary if you have already established your career path.

How to Make Your Nurse Work Experience Stand Out

Work experience is the most important section in your resume.

Sure, your medical skills are super important, but so is your professional experience. Here’s how to structure your work experience section…

Position name
Dates
Company Name
Responsibilities & Achievements

Here’s what it looks like in practice:

Nurse

Brooklyn Hospital

01/2015 – 06/2019

Obtained and recorded patients’ vital signs, intake and output and blood glucose
Worked in the cardiatric and oncology wards of the hospital
Used EHR software to record patient information

Now, if you really want to stand out, you should focus on talking about your achievements instead of responsibilities.

Instead of saying:

“Screen patients upon arrival at emergency ward.”

Go for:

“Administered emergency ward intake evaluations for up to 25 patients each hour by measuring vital signs and prioritizing cases accordingly.”

So, what’s the difference between the two?

The second one is more specific. You know exactly what the person did, and you can say that he/she can work efficiently.

The first example, on the other hand, is too generic. Screening patients could be as basic as checking whether they have health insurance and entering their personal information into the hospital system. There is also no mention of how many patients this person is used to handling.

What if You Don’t Have Work Experience?

Maybe you’re a current student trying to land an internship or a recent graduate looking for your first full-time nursing job?

Fortunately, nursing students or graduates gain plenty of practical experience as they navigate their way through their studies. Only so much of the medical field can be taught in the classroom.

By the time you are in your second year of school, chances are high you’ve been in a health-care facility helping evaluate and treat patients. You may not be a registered nurse at this point, you can absolutely include the skills and procedures you’ve learned in school on your resume.

If you’re a recent graduate, you might want to check out our guide on how to make a student resume!

Use Action Words to Make Your Nurse Resume SHINE!

“Responsible for”

“Created”

“Worked in”

These are the most common words you’ll find on ANY resume.

And since you want YOURS to stand out, we’d recommend avoiding them as much as possible.

Instead, use some of these power words to make your responsibilities and achievements stand out:

Administered
Measured
Devised
Refined
Analyzed
Led
Oversaw
Specialized
Treated

How to List Education Right

The next section in any Nurse resume is the “Education.”

This one’s pretty straightforward. Simply list out your education entries, and you’re gold!

Degree Type & Major
University Name
Years Studied
GPA, Honours, Courses, and anything else you might want to add

Here’s a practical example:

MSc in Nursing

University of Southern California

2014-2018

Relevant Courses: Radiological Nursing, Advanced Surgical Procedures, Oncological Diagnostics
GPA: 3.6

Clear? Good!

Before we move on, here are some of the most frequent questions we get about education on a resume (and their answers!):

What if I haven’t finished college?

Whether you’re still a student, or you dropped out, you should still mention your degree. All you have to do is include the years studied, and you’re good.

Do I list my high school education?

Only if you don’t have a higher education. No one cares about your high school education if you have a B.A.

What goes first, education or experience?

If you have any relevant work experience, then experiences go on top. If you don’t, though, then education.