A nurse resume is screened for licenses and specialty before anything else — so those cannot be buried at the bottom.
Recruiters and their software look for RN, an active state license, and the certifications the unit requires. Put them high, name your specialty and patient load, and let outcomes do the rest.
What recruiters look for
Skills worth highlighting
Hard skills
Soft skills
ATS keywords for a registered nurse resume
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against the job posting. Weave these terms in where they are genuinely true — never pad with skills you don't have.
Bullet points, before and after
The pattern is the same every time: start with an action, add the detail, land on a result. Here it is on real registered nurse lines.
Before
Took care of patients on the floor.
After
Managed care for up to 6 med-surg patients per shift while holding a 98% medication-administration accuracy rate.
Before
Charted patient information.
After
Documented assessments in Epic for a 32-bed unit, cutting audit-flagged charting errors by 30%.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Burying your license and certifications at the bottom of the page
- Leaving off your specialty, unit, or typical patient load
- Listing duties every nurse does with no outcome or number
- Forgetting to name the EHR system you used
How to structure it
Header, then a Licenses & Certifications section right up top — this is the one resume where certs lead. Follow with a short summary, clinical experience labeled by unit and patient load, then education and skills.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I put my nursing license?
Near the top, in its own Licenses & Certifications section, with the state and (optionally) the license number. Recruiters and ATS filters look for it first; do not make them hunt.
I am a new grad with only clinical rotations. What goes in experience?
List your clinical rotations with the unit, hours, and hospital, and treat them like experience — the skills and settings are what matter. Add BLS and any certifications prominently.
More resume guides
Build your registered nurse resume in HubKit
Start from a clean, ATS-safe template and fill in the sections as you read. The preview matches your PDF export exactly, and it's free to start.