Nursing Student Resume Examples | The Ultimate Guide With Writing Tips, Skills + More

But first, you need a nursing student resume that sets you apart from the other candidates. Writing an outstanding resume is not always an easy task for everyone.....

We have created this easy-to-follow guide to help you craft the perfect resume. Our resume examples and HR-approved resume templates are great tools for creating your resume. Here are some of the topics we'll cover.

• The most valued skills for a nurse student.
• How to add your nursing experience to your resume
• The right format and layout for your resume.
• A nursing student resume example that is easy to follow and understand

Additional Information On Nursing Student Salaries and the Job Market

Nursing students work towards becoming registered nurses. According to the U.S Bureau of Statistics, employment of registered nurses is projected to grow 9 percent from 2020 to 2030.

The industries with the highest levels of employment for Registered Nurses include:

• General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
• Offices of Physicians
• Home Health Care Services
• Outpatient Care Centers
• Nursing Care Facilities(Skilled Nursing Facilities)

The average salary for a new graduate registered nurse is $65,000. The typical range is between $59,000 to $75,000, depending on your education level, experience, and skills.

How to Make a Nursing Student Resume

Creating a student resume can be overwhelming because you don't have much experience. However, there are many opportunities in the medical field that can help you get your foot in the door.

The jobs will vary, so ensure that you create a new entry-level nurse resume for each position. You'll also need to summarize your qualifications in one page because most hiring managers will not read anything more than that.

The resume format, layout, and structure are also essential. Let's look at each of them.

The best resume format

Choosing a resume format is key to ensuring that your qualifications are properly represented. There are three resume formats to consider. They include:

• The reverse-chronological format which focuses on your professional experience. This format is perfect for you if you've worked as a student nurse for some years.
• The functional resume which focuses on your skills. If you're a recent graduate or changing careers to become a nurse, this format is for you.
• A hybrid/combination resume which mixes the best features of the two other formats. It's suitable for candidates with the perfect blend of skills and experience.

The resume layout consists of font, font size, margins, and the overall design of the resume. Choose a simple design that's easy to read and understand. Fonts such as Helvetica, Georgia, Arial, Times New Roman, and Calibri are the best because they're easy to read. Use a font size of 10-12pt.

The structure of your nursing student resume should have the following sections:

• The header section
• Professional summary/objective
• Work experience
• Education section
• Skills section
• An additional section with the following -interests, computer skills and certifications, languages, and awards/honors.

The Header Section Of Your Resume

The first section of your resume, called the header, contains your contact details and personal information. It's always advisable to recheck this section before sending your resume to the recruiter to ensure that all the details are correct. The details you'll add to this section include:

• Your full name
• Job title
• Phone number
• Professional email address
• Location
• A link to your LinkedIn profile.

Photo or No Photo

A photo is unnecessary on your resume unless a recruiter has asked you to attach one. Always leave it out because it can cause you to be discriminated against and cause unconscious bias.

Prove Your Experience As A Nursing Student

This section summarizes your employment history. As a student, it may be challenging to fill out this section because you don't have much experience. However, you cannot leave it blank because it's a crucial part of your resume.

If you don't have much experience, add any relevant volunteer experiences and clinical rotations

to show the hiring manager what you can do. When listing them, start with the name of the hospital or clinic, your job title, and the period you worked at each hospital.

Under each workplace, add three to five job responsibilities and include figures and facts to quantify your results. As you add the responsibilities, incorporate the right keywords and action verbs to ensure that your resume gets past the applicant tracking systems. This is also a great way to set yourself apart from the other nursing students looking for the same opportunity.

A question that most nursing students ask is whether they can add experience that isn't related to the healthcare industry. It's always advisable to stick to the relevant clinical experience related to the job. If you want to mention other jobs, focus on the duties and responsibilities and show the hiring manager how the skills you gained will be helpful in the new position.

Describe Your Educational Qualifications

The education section is crucial for you as a student. This is where you'll summarize the academic qualifications that have prepared you for the position.

Start with your most recent qualification going backward. If you're working on your Master's degree or have completed it, you can leave out the high school diploma.

As you list your academic qualifications, you'll include the name of the degree/diploma, the name of the school, and the year of completion/expected graduation date. To make your resume stand out, you can add three to five courses that are relevant to the position.

Since you may not have much experience as a nursing student, you can start your resume with this section and then add ¿your skills and work experience sections.

Correct example

The Best Nursing Skills For Your Resume

The skills section is another vital section on your nursing student resume. You may not have much experience, but this section can help you stand out. Nursing jobs vary, so it's important to check the job description and determine the skills the HR manager is looking for.

Adding the right skills to your resume also ensures that it gets past the applicant tracking system. The right blend of hard and soft skills will help you go a long way. Hard skills are the technical skills you've learned at school or on the job that help you take good care of patients. Soft skills are character traits that help you interact well with patients and colleagues.

Each job may require different skills, so ensure that the skills you add are relevant to the job. Also, list the skills using bullet points to ensure they are more visible as the recruiter reads through your resume.

Here is a list of skills you should consider for your nursing student resume.

Hard skills

• Wound dressing
• Medical terminology
• Electronic Health Records
• Budgeting
• Patient case management
• Rheumatology
• Phlebotomy
• Measuring patient vitals

Soft skills

• Organization skills
• Time management
• Multitasking
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Critical thinking
• Attention to detail
• Decision-making skills

A Nursing Student Resume Summary

The second section of your resume is the professional summary which works as an introduction to your resume. It's suitable for candidates who have a ton of experience, accomplishments, and skills. This section is essential because it determines whether the recruiter reads your resume or not. It should be interesting, capturing the top achievements that will get the recruiter's attention.

Professional Objective

The professional objective introduces your resume if you don't have much experience. It summarizes your career goals and how they align with the hospital's goals and expresses your interest in the position. If you're using a professional objective, you won't use a professional summary because they serve the same purpose.

An Additional Section for Your Resume

Writing a resume that stands out as a student can be challenging because you have the same qualifications as most of the other candidates. An additional section is a great way to set yourself apart from all the other job seekers.

This section hosts the extra qualifications that allow you to stand out. It's also the best way to highlight the skills you don't want the recruiter to miss. Hiring managers only take a few seconds on each resume and can easily miss some of the qualifications.

Here are some of the qualifications you can add under this section.

Computer Skills and Certifications

You may need basic computer skills when you're working as a nurse. However, it's easy for the recruiter to miss this qualification if it's in the general skills section. Add it here to make it easy for them to see it.

Certifications are essential for every nurse to show they have some additional training. Instead of adding it to the education section, it's better if you add it under this section. Let's look at some certifications that will help your nursing student resume stand out.

• Neonatal Resuscitation(NRP)
• Acute/critical care Nursing(CCRN)
• Trauma Nursing Core Course(TNCC)

Interests

The interests section should have your hobbies to give the recruiter insight into who you are outside work. Use this section to highlight interests that help you build on your skills that can be useful at work. Interests such as hiking and CrossFit that build on your physical stamina are great. This is because your work as a student nurse will involve a lot of standing and moving around.

Languages

Language skills are some of the sought-after skills in most professions. Being a bilingual candidate is a major plus as a nurse because you interact with patients from different cultures. Use the official language reference as follows:

Tips and Tricks to Enhance Your Resume

• Always proofread your resume before sending it to the recruiter.
• The right resume format is key to ensuring that your qualifications are well-represented.
• Prioritize the relevant experience and skills on your nursing student resume.
• Start with education and skills, especially if you don't have much experience.
• List your skills using bullet points to make it easy for the hiring manager to see them.
• Use a professional objective to summarize your career goals and show the recruiter how they align with the company/hospital’s goals.

Summary: Making a Professional Resume for a Nursing Student

• The first section of your resume should have your contact details which must be accurate.
• Keep your resume short, summarizing all your qualifications on one page.
• The resume summary/objective should be captivating to get the hiring manager's attention.
• Quantify your results with a fact or figure as you list your job duties to stand out.
• Tailor each nursing student resume to match the requirements of the hr manager.
• List your educational qualifications in the education section and include any relevant coursework.

Complement Your Resume with a Cover Letter

A cover letter is an essential part of your application. Cover letters describe your qualifications further and allow you to showcase your writing skills and great personality. If you don't know how to get started, check out our cover letter examples which have the perfect ideas. If a recruiter asks you not to accompany your resume with a cover letter, you shouldn't send one. However, if this is not the case, you should complement your resume with a cover letter.

Frequently Asked Questions