Licensed Practical Nurse Resume Examples and Templates for 2024

Licensed Practical Nurse Resume Templates and Examples (Downloadable)

• New Grad LPN
• Entry-Level LPN
• LPN

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DOCX

Google Docs

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Google Docs

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Experienced LPN

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A well-crafted licensed practical nurse (LPN) resume can help set you apart from the competition during the job search. Use this opportunity to illustrate the most impressive aspects of your experience as a medical professional. Brand yourself as an advocate who places the patient at the center of care delivery. This guide features resume examples and expert advice to help through each step of the resume writing process.

Key takeaways:

• Emphasize your clinical expertise: Focus on your unique ability to support clinical operations and deliver compassionate care to diverse patient populations.
• Detail quantifiable achievements: Incorporate data and hard numbers to demonstrate your success in driving patient satisfaction and positive clinical outcomes.
• Use keywords for ATS: Feature a mix of clinical terminology and soft skills in alignment with the job description to ensure compliance with applicant tracking systems (ATS).

How To Write a Licensed Practical Nurse Resume Example

To write an eye-catching LPN resume, you need a template that allows the hiring manager to easily navigate your content. Your document should always include the following sections:

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

1. Share your contact information

Provide your full name, phone number, email address, location, and a link to your online professional profile. Carefully review the accuracy of your contact information to ensure potential employers can easily contact you for an interview.

2. Write a compelling profile summarizing your LPN qualifications

Lead your resume with an engaging opening summary that paints a concise image of your nursing qualifications and background. In the first sentence, mention your years of experience and three relevant skills the employer is looking for. Round out your paragraph with unique insights that convey the most impressive aspects of your health care background.

For example, if you have a strong history of maintaining a 92% patient satisfaction rating in high-volume hospital environments, you might include this in the profile. If you have a strong background in patient advocacy, emphasize how you’ve helped to align treatment plans with the cultural, emotional, and physical needs of diverse patient populations.

3. Add an accomplishment-driven professional experience section

To build an eye-catching professional experience section, craft bullet points that emphasize your career achievements rather than simply detailing your daily job responsibilities. Show potential employers how you’ve made a positive impact on the lives of patients. Demonstrate your ability to enhance clinical operations and improve the quality of patient care delivery. Create an engaging picture of how your nursing background would be an asset to the organization you’re applying to.

Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience

Bolster the impact of your bullet points by featuring compelling numbers and clinical data. Draw attention to your satisfaction score and the nurse-to-patient ratio of the hospital. Incorporate clinical metrics to show hiring managers how you’ve successfully contributed to positive patient outcomes throughout your career. For instance, you might mention that your efforts helped contribute to an overall reduction in patient complication rates.

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

Customize your LPN resume for each individual job opportunity. Review the posting and identify key qualifications that the hospital is looking for in nursing candidates. What is the hospital looking for in an LPN? How does your health care background align with the organization’s values and needs? By aligning your resume with the job description, you’ll greatly increase your chances of advancing to the next stage of the hiring process.

What if you don’t have experience?

It’s not possible to pursue a career as an LPN without any hands-on experience. At the entry level, prominently feature your externship, as this is a requirement for becoming a licensed LPN. These programs typically last for roughly eight weeks, allowing you to gain valuable experience in direct patient care.

4. Include relevant education and certifications

Feature your college degrees, licenses, and industry certifications to show hiring managers that you have the necessary qualifications for the position. LPNs are expected to have an associate degree in nursing at the bare minimum, though a bachelor’s in nursing can be highly beneficial for your long-term career prospects.

Following the completion of an externship and the NCLEX exam, you’ll receive your state license. This is a strict requirement for any LPN job application. As you grow within the nursing field, you can also consider obtaining certifications in specific care areas to further demonstrate your clinical expertise, such as a Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN) or Certified Hospice and Palliative Licensed Nurse (CHPLN) credential.

5. List pertinent LPN key skills

Most hospitals and health care organizations utilize ATS to expedite the hiring process. The initial screening process involves the use of sophisticated software algorithms that parse your LPN resume for specific keywords from the job description. To ensure ATS compliance, it’s important to feature a mix of clinical terms and soft skills that the organization is looking for. Below is a list of potential key terms to consider adding to your LPN resume:

Resume writer’s tip: Use strong action verbs

Incorporating action verbs is a great way to help hiring managers visualize your nursing achievements and daily responsibilities. Tactical use of proactive language can transform the way readers interpret your bullet points, placing a greater emphasis on the role you played in patient-care delivery. That said, it’s easy to repeat the same verbs, which negatively impacts the appeal of your content. Below are verbs you can use to build the professional experience section of your LPN resume:

How To Pick The Best Licensed Practical Nurse Resume Template

Selecting the right template for your LPN resume can seem overwhelming, given the sheer number of options available online. The most important thing to consider when choosing a resume template is whether or not the format allows the hiring manager to easily navigate your content. If the template is cluttered with unnecessary graphics or makes poor usage of page space, this can negatively impact the overall reading experience. Choose a well-organized format with an elegant font that prioritizes your qualifications over visual elements.

Licensed Practical Nurse Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

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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.