New Grad Nursing Resume Examples and Templates for 2024

New Grad Nursing Resume Templates and Examples (Downloadable)

• Entry level
• Midlevel
• Senior level

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You’ve finally graduated after countless hours of study and training, and it’s time to put those new nursing skills to good use. Your resume must show hiring managers you’ve taken all the necessary steps to succeed in patient care and medical procedures. This guide will provide strategies to help write a new grad nursing resume that proves you have the knowledge and technical skills to deliver great patient care.

Key Takeaways 

• Emphasize specializations: Even if you’re a fairly new nursing grad, share which specialties you’ve worked in during your internships and clinical rotations – especially if you’re seeking work in a similar nursing niche.
• Detail quantifiable achievements: Using data to describe your accomplishments can showcase you as a strong candidate for open nursing roles. Some examples in nursing might be patient satisfaction ratings, the number of patients per shift, or improvements in infection control numbers.
• Use keywords for ATS: Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are set to look for certain keywords and phrases that the employer deems important. As a job seeker, it’s important to read job descriptions and try to match your resume to what the hiring team is asking for.

How To Write a New Grad Nursing Resume Example

To make a strong first impression with your resume, consider using a professional template. Your new grad nursing resume should include these sections:

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

1. Share your contact information

Provide your contact information at the top of your resume to ensure hiring managers can easily reach you to inquire further or schedule an interview. List your full name, phone number, email address, location, and a link to your online professional profile.

2. Write a dynamic profile summarizing your qualifications

A resume profile, often referred to as an objective statement, is your formal introduction to hiring managers. In this short paragraph, you’ll list your most important accomplishments, skills, and experiences directly related to nursing. To engage readers, tailor this section to match the requirements mentioned in the job description.

3. Add a compelling section featuring your new grad nursing experience

This is where you’ll demonstrate the practical application of all the skills and knowledge you’ve gathered during your studies, clinicals, and externships. Think about patient care, medication administration, assisting with procedures, or any specific duties you had. Also, be sure to mention if you made any notable contributions or received recognition.

Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience

When describing your past experiences, use numbers to make your descriptions more tangible and relatable. They help support your claims and add credibility to your resume. Describe how many patients you saw, the number of IVs you placed, or how many procedures you assisted with. This will help hiring managers picture what you could bring to their nursing team.

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

Whether you’re a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) or Registered Nurse (RN), employment for health care professionals is projected to increase over the next decade. Although there will be a steady stream of opportunities, the best jobs will require a new nursing grad resume custom fit for the role.

Identify specific skills, experiences, and qualities you have that the employer is looking for in a nursing professional, then incorporate them into your resume. For example, if a job ad emphasizes emergency care, prioritize your ER rotation or any other relevant experience. If it’s a pediatric position, be sure to describe any work you’ve done with children.

What if you don’t have experience?

Remember, as a new grad, employers don’t expect you to have a long list of professional experiences — they’re interested in quality over quantity. So, highlight any practical experiences where you’ve demonstrated your nursing skills and bedside manner.

Include your clinical rotations, part-time jobs, internships, or volunteer work in health care settings. List your soft skills in communication, time management, teamwork, and empathy. Think about class projects, volunteer work, or part-time jobs where you’ve used these abilities.

4. Include education and certifications relevant to new grad nursing

You’ve likely just completed a specialized nursing program, so list your highest level of education relative to the field. Feel free to include if you’ve maintained a strong GPA (usually 3.5 or higher). Even as a new grad, you likely have some important certifications already, so include those, along with your state-required credentials.

5. List new grad nursing-related skills and proficiencies

As a soon-to-be nurse, you’ve accumulated many technical skills. To highlight these hands-on abilities, create a key skills section that’s easy for hiring managers to scan. Remember, nursing isn’t just about medical know-how — it requires strong communication, too. Include hard and soft skills in your new grad nursing resume to show you can handle all aspects of the job.

Here are some common key skills for new grad nursing:

Resume writer’s tip: Use strong action verbs

Nursing is an active profession. Using dynamic words like action verbs will help you communicate that you’re engaged at work, accomplishing tasks, and achieving results. To create effective bullet points in your professional experience section, use action verbs. Start each description with a verb like those listed below to transform your daily duties into powerful achievements:

How To Pick the Best New Grad Nursing Resume Template

When browsing resume templates, look for ones that are simple and clean. Hiring managers for nursing positions will be most interested in learning about your qualifications and experiences rather than your page design skills. Make sure sections are clearly labeled with ample spacing to make the resume easy to read.

New Grad Nursing Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

Frequently Asked Questions: New Grad Nursing Resume Examples and Advice

How do you align your resume with a new grad nursing description?

The job outlook for nurses is expected to grow faster than the average job through 2032, but some positions may be more competitive than others. To improve your chances of getting noticed by hiring managers, look carefully at each employer’s job description and make necessary updates to your resume to reflect the skills and experiences they are seeking.

For example, if you are trying to get hired for an intensive care position, highlight experiences you’ve had monitoring critically ill patients.

What is the best new grad nursing resume format?

For nursing, a reverse-chronological resume format clearly outlines your nursing background, focusing on your most recent job accomplishments. Hiring managers are comfortable with this format, and are able to scan to find your key attributes and achievements.

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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.