Travel Nurse Resume Examples and Templates (Download in App)

  • Entry level
  • Midlevel
  • Senior level

If you’re looking to work as a travel nurse, start by crafting a resume that displays your credentials, skills, and willingness to travel. From patient relations to key medical specializations to your specific state licenses and certifications, share what makes you the ideal candidate. Follow the examples and tips below to elevate your resume.

Key Takeaways 

  • Emphasize specializations: Travel nurses are in high demand and it’s often for their specific skill sets. Be detailed about which patient populations you have worked with and the types of nursing care you have done, as well as specializations and certifications.
  • Detail quantifiable achievements: Paint a picture of your travel nursing accomplishments with data and numbers. It could mean sharing patient satisfaction scores, positive patient outcomes, or the number of nurses you trained.
  • Use keywords for ATS: Crafting your resume carefully with keywords that may get you through Applicant Tracking System (ATS) screenings is important. Look at job descriptions and include some of the same verbiage.

How To Write a Travel Nurse Resume Example

As a travel nurse, it’s important to highlight your commitment to excellent patient care as well as your expertise in various areas of nursing and skills transferable to different roles. Your travel nurse resume should include the following sections:

  • Contact information
  • Profile
  • Key skills
  • Professional experience
  • Education and certifications

1. Share your contact information

Your resume should have your most up-to-date information so recruiters can contact you for potential work opportunities. Provide your full name, current contact information (phone number, email address, and city/state location), and a link to your online professional profile.

Example

Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation Zip Code
LinkedIn | Portfolio

2. Craft an outstanding profile with a summary of your travel nursing qualifications

The start of your resume should summarize your background and qualifications. In two to three sentences, share the highlights of your nursing career, specializations like emergency medicine or pediatrics, and any relevant certifications. The goal is to capture the reader’s attention and illustrate why you’re a good match for the job you’re seeking. Nursing specializations can also help you stand out from competitors.

Senior-Level Profile Example

A seasoned travel nurse with an expansive educational background and diverse experience from leading pharmaceutical companies. A strong combination of advanced clinical knowledge, leadership, and communication skills, plus supervisory roles managing health care teams, delivering advanced patient care, and mentoring junior nurses. Handle intricate travel logistics and regulations, ensure the implementation of comprehensive treatment plans, and administer complex procedures with a track record of improved patient outcomes.

Entry-Level Profile Example

A flexible and dedicated travel nurse with a registered nurse (RN) license providing high-standard patient care in varying medical facilities. Demonstrates expertise in adapting to new environments and working conditions, harnessed during assignments across premier health institutions like UnitedHealth Group and Albany Medical Center. In addition, a Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) certification brings a robust and comprehensive understanding of health care community trends and practices.

3. Showcase your travel nursing experience

This section of your professional resume will describe your work history and take up the bulk of your resume. Start with your most recent job and work backward. For each position, include the employer name, location, start and end dates, and bullet points that describe your most relevant accomplishments and duties. When possible, quantify your contributions, whether it’s talking about patient outcomes, patient satisfaction, or infection prevention data.

Senior-Level Professional Experience Example

Senior Travel Nurse, Johnson & Johnson, Durham, NC | June 2022 – present

  • Leverage advanced clinical knowledge and skills to handle complex patient cases and administer advanced procedures, contributing to improved patient health outcomes
  • Oversee and manage the performance of the nursing team to ensure a high standard of patient care, resulting in 96% patient satisfaction scores during the last year
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary health care teams to develop and implement comprehensive treatment plans for patients, ensuring cohesive care coordination

 
Lead Travel Nurse, Roche Holding AG, Philadelphia, PA | May 2019 – May 2022

  • Mentored and trained 12 junior travel nurses, familiarizing them with the hospital system and equipping them with the necessary skills for efficient service delivery
  • Utilized stellar interpersonal and communication skills to build and maintain excellent relationships with patients, colleagues, and other health care professionals
  • Oversaw travel logistics and ensured compliance with travel regulations among the travel nursing team

Entry-Level Professional Experience Example

Travel Nurse, UnitedHealth Group, Philadelphia, PA | June 2023 – present

  • Provide quality care to a diverse patient pool, monitoring vital signs, administering medication, and assisting with recovery
  • Adapt to constantly changing environments and teams as assignments vary
  • Consistently follow contract terms and conditions, fulfilling agreed-upon responsibilities and remaining at each assignment for the full duration

 
Staff Nurse, Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY | January 2023 – May 2023

  • Delivered patient-centered health care in a fast-paced hospital ward
  • Utilized electronic health record (EHR) systems for accurate record-keeping and streamlined patient care
  • Earned Basic Life Support Certification and continuously expanded knowledge in specialized nursing areas

Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience

Organizations are interested in the value that you can bring and appreciate candidates who can share metrics and data about their workplace achievements. You might include patient satisfaction scores, the number of patients you cared for, the nurse-to-patient ratio in your unit, and other indicators of quality work.

Here’s an example of how it could look on your resume:

Do
  • “Coordinated with multidisciplinary teams to improve care delivery, resulting in a 15% increase in patient satisfaction within 90 days”
Don’t
  • “Worked with multidisciplinary teams to provide patient care”

Resume writer’s tip: Tailor your resume for each application

To grab the attention of recruiters and hiring managers, update your travel nurse resume to reflect what each specific employer is looking for. Although the job outlook for RNs is expected to grow faster than average, this will create better alignment between you and the role you’re seeking. For instance, if the job description is looking for someone who has experience with children and you worked in a pediatric clinic, highlight that key experience and skill set in the profile section.

What if you don’t have experience?

If you’re new to travel nursing, share your general nursing or clinical experience. You can include past health care jobs, clinical rotations (if you’re fresh out of school), related volunteer experience, academic achievements, or nursing certifications.

4. Outline your education and travel nurse-related certifications

Hiring managers for travel nursing will need to see that you’ve completed the necessary schooling and are licensed to practice in their state. List each school you attended with degree name and date completed, along with any professional certifications in nursing specializations.

Education

Template:

[Degree Name]
[School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]

Example:

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
University of Albany, Albany, NY | May 2022

Licenses

Template:

[License Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]

Example:

  • Registered Nurse (RN), Arizona State Board of Nursing, 2023

Certifications

Template:

[Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]

Example:

  • Basic Life Support (BLS), National Safety Council, 2023
  • Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Desert Education Solutions, 2022
  • Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Arizona State Board of Nursing, 2015

5. Outline your most useful travel nurse skills and proficiencies

As a travel nurse, you’ve likely acquired a number of skills in your various assignments. Share the ones most relevant for the positions you’re applying for, and make tweaks based on the specific job postings. For example, if you’ve worked in cardiology, surgical units, and with intensive care unit (ICU) patients in the past, and you’re seeking a travel job in a hospital network, note the skills relevant to that opportunity. Include a mix of hard and soft skills as well.

To give you an idea of some possible skills you can include, see our list of common travel nursing skills:

Key Skills and Proficiencies
Communication Emergency medical response
HIPAA compliance Medication management
Patient relations Vital signs monitoring
Travel logistics  

Resume writer’s tip: Use strong action verbs

When creating the professional experience section of your resume, using impactful action verbs can bring your resume to life and elevate your past achievements. To help you brainstorm, here’s a list of action verbs that could work well on a travel nurse resume:

Action Verbs
Administered Advocated
Assessed Collaborated
Diagnosed Documented
Implemented Monitored
Resolved Treated

How To Pick the Best Travel Nurse Resume Template

When selecting a travel nurse resume template, aim for substance over style. In other words, keep it simple, professional, and clean, with clearly labeled sections rather than using templates with heavy imagery and design elements.

Travel Nurse Text-Only Resume Examples and Templates

left
  • Entry level
  • Midlevel
  • Senior level
right

Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation Zip Code
LinkedIn | Portfolio

Profile

An adaptable and dedicated travel nurse with an RN license providing high-standard patient care in varying medical facilities. Demonstrates expertise in adjusting to new environments and working conditions, harnessed during assignments across premier health institutions like UnitedHealth Group and Albany Medical Center. In addition, a CPN certification brings a robust and comprehensive understanding of health care community trends and practices.

Key Skills

  • Fit into different health care environments
  • Basic life support certification
  • Knowledge of EHR systems
  • Patient care
  • Vital signs monitoring

Professional Experience

Travel Nurse, UnitedHealth Group, Philadelphia, PA | June 2023 – present

  • Provide quality care to a diverse patient pool, monitoring vital signs, administering medication, and assisting with recovery
  • Adjust to constantly changing environments and teams as assignments vary
  • Consistently follow contract terms and conditions, fulfilling agreed-upon responsibilities and remaining at each assignment for the full duration

Staff Nurse, Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY | January 2023 – May 2023

  • Delivered patient-centered health care in a fast-paced hospital ward
  • Utilized EHR systems for accurate record-keeping and streamlined patient care
  • Earned Basic Life Support Certification and continuously expanded knowledge in specialized nursing areas

Education

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
University of Albany, Albany, NY | May 2022

Licensing

  • Registered Nurse (RN), New York State Board of Nursing, 2022

Certifications

  • Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN), Pediatric Nursing Certification Board, 2023

Frequently Asked Questions: Travel Nurse Resume Examples and Advice

How do you align your resume with a travel nurse job description?

The nursing profession is projected to grow faster than the average job through 2032, and in some areas, there may not be enough nurses to fill positions. Writing your resume strategically can help you match with potential travel nursing positions that align with your skills. See what a particular travel nurse agency or health care organization is looking for, and bring those related skills and experiences to the forefront of your resume.

What is the best travel nurse resume format?

Using a reverse-chronological resume format is the norm for many professionals, including nurses. It allows recruiters to see how your career has progressed, as well as easily identify your top skills.

Expert advice:

Include a cover letter with your resume

Craft a cover letter to send with your resume to help make the case for why you’d be a good fit for a travel nursing role.

Andrew Stoner

Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach

Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.

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