New Grad Nursing Resume Examples

New Grad Nursing Resume Sample

Amanda K. Stevenson

Address:            27 S. Garfield St., Pierre, SD
Phone:                (605) 871 2565
Email:                [email protected]

Objectives for a New Grad Nursing Resume

• Graduated from a 4-year course in Nursing and received my professional license as a Registered Nurse (RN) in 2015. Dedicated, motivated and compassionate with a great love for providing health care, I hope to start my career in this honourable profession with the Avera Medical Group.
• Detail-oriented nursing graduate with a positive and friendly disposition is seeking work with the Good Hope Hospital as a Registered Nurse. I have ACLS Certification, extensive exposure to the different areas of the hospital, and I am confident of my ability to provide assistance to doctors and other healthcare workers.
• A dynamic and soft-spoken nursing graduate is interested in acquiring an entry-level nursing position at Sunshine Hills General Hospital. My strong skill sets are in the areas of post-operative patient care, surgical assistance, and pharmaceutical oncology. Likewise, I am efficient in collecting fluid samples.
• Seeking a position for a nursing graduate at the West Allen Healthcare Center. I have acquired specialised training in the following areas: Intravenous Infusions, Dialysis, and Cardiac Care. I am also particularly effective in establishing rapport with emotionally unstable patients.
• Dedicated and energetic new nursing graduate is interested in becoming a Registered Nurse for First Care Georgia Hospital. If considered, I hope to contribute my knowledge and expertise in Critical Care, ER, and Oncology.

Skills That You Can Put in a New Grad Nursing Resume

• Professionally Licensed Registered Nurse.
• Bachelor’s Degree; Nursing.
• Compassionate.
• Effective Communicator.
• Ability to handle stressful situations.
• Empathetic to the needs and concerns of patients.
• Effective communication; ability to articulate procedures to patients and their families as well as openly listen to questions and concerns.
• Critical thinking skills; ability to address emergency situations and come up with effective solutions.
• Keen observational skills; can detect emerging symptoms through sight or smell.
• Physical fitness; the strength and resolve to work long hours and move patients and equipment throughout the hospital grounds.
• Pleasant and positive disposition.
• Ability to remain composed during emergency situations, maintain composure, and make sound judgment calls.
• Understanding and patient.
• Cultural awareness; being cognisant of a patient’s religious beliefs, preferences, and orientation.
• Professional approach to the job.
• Punctual at work.
• Strictly adhere to all guidelines and policies.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Highly-organized; collects and regularly update patient information.
• Excellent time-management skills.
• Flexibility and having the ability to adapt to any situation.
• Ability to manage stress.
• Consistently maintain a high level of focus.
• Dedicated to the profession; regularly updates knowledge on new techniques, procedures, and the latest technology.
• Ability to make quick informed decisions.

Duties And Responsibilities To Put On A New Grad Nursing Resume

• Perform preliminary tests on incoming patients to identify and record symptoms.
• Document patient care services by updating patient records.
• Oversee nursing supply inventory by regularly checking stock and anticipating turnover of supplies.
• Update technical and fundamental knowledge by attending workshops and seminars conducted by industry organizations.
• Cultivate a professional and cooperative relationship with other nurses and healthcare professionals through proper communication and by promptly responding and attending to requests.
• Conduct regular checks of equipment to ascertain operating condition.
• Perform troubleshooting procedures on faulty equipment.
• Provide counsel to patients and their families.
• Address all concerns and questions from patients and their families.
• Prepare and submit notes and reports to the attending physician.
• Assist the Head Nurse in the performance of duties in whatever capacity is required.
• Follow all infection-control policies and procedures to ensure the safety of doctors, nurses, patients, and hospital visitors.
• Establish strong personal rapport with current and incoming patients in order to have a greater understanding of their healthcare requirements.
• Provide emotional, spiritual, and psychological support to patients who will undergo surgery and precarious treatment.
• Conduct routine checks to patients and confirm if they have been administered medication.
• Coordinate with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to design customized patient care plans and protocols.
• Conduct research intended to improve current nursing procedures.
• Apply multi-faceted team strategy in order to resolve patients’ conditions.
• Perform laboratory work and submit results to the attending physician.
• Teach and orient patients and their families on how to administer certain treatments and medicines.

License

Registered Nurse (RN)
Professional License Number: RN4309, expiration date 21 June 2020
Issuing Body; South Dakota Board of Nursing, Member, Nursing Licensure Compact
Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing
Augustana College
Sioux Falls, SD
2017-2015; GPA 3.8

High School
TF Riggs High School
Pierre, SD
2016-2017; GPA 3.6

Clinical Rotations:

Avera St. Mary’s Hospital
Sioux Avenue, Pierre, SD

June 2016 – December 2016
Total Hours: 1,232
Emergency Room RN
Function: Assisted doctors and hospital in administering first aid procedures and preparing patients for emergency surgery.

St. Mary’s Healthcare Center
Pierre, SD

November 2015 – April 2016
Total Hours: 1,056
Senior Healthcare and Rehabilitation
Function: Attended to daily needs of senior patients which included rehabilitation exercises, medication, cleaning and personal hygiene, meal preparation and conducting diagnostics tests.

Avera Gettysburg Hospital
Garfield Avenue, Gettysburg, SD

June 2015 – October 2015
Total Hours: 880
Medical Surgical Unit
Function: Provided first aid procedures and counseling for children involved in accidents, trauma and experiencing severe illness.

How To Write A Good New Grad Nursing Resume

After years of studying, taking exams, rotating shifts at the laboratory and other areas of a hospital, and getting licensed, you have finally graduated as a Nurse. Congratulations! Once the diploma has been set aside, it is time to look for work.

The challenge facing new Nursing graduates is to be considered for the position without having work experience. Your first point of contact is your new grad Nursing resume. If you believe in the saying that “first impressions last” then you must write a good one!

Consequently, the question you must be asking yourself is, “How do I get the interest of the recruiter if I don’t have work experience?”

To answer that question, you must first change the way you look at a resume. It is not just a piece of paper with details about your education, work experience, and contact information.

In the context of a job search, the resume is your marketing brochure. It is tasked to market your strongest or most sellable points.

If you remember the movie “The Wolf of Wall Street”, the main character Jordan Belfort would start out his sales seminar by pulling out an ordinary ball pen. Belfort would pick out a member of the audience and say, “Sell me this ball pen.”

Unlike Belfort, you will not be scamming the HR officer. Quite the contrary, you have to be very truthful! You only have to present or highlight key pieces of your information that would pique his interest and line you up for the job.

Here are our 6 tips on how to write a good new grad Nursing resume that would sell your qualifications to HR.

1. Highlight Your Professional License

The “Contact Information” section is an important and strategic area in your resume. First and foremost, it is located in the top third section which means it will be seen by the recruiter.

Second, it contains all the key details that will qualify you for the job. On top of the list is your Professional License as a Nurse. This should be indicated right below your full name.

For example:

Name: Amanda K. Levins
RN License No: 9023465

Having your RN License included in your Contact Information automatically puts you in the running.

Last but certainly not the least, use a professional-sounding email address:

Professional Email Address: [email protected]
Not a Professional Email Address: [email protected]

2. Include Your Accomplishments

What you lack in work experience, you can make up for with your accomplishments.

Good examples of relevant accomplishments:

• High test score in the Nursing exam
• Academic excellence awards
• Goals that were accomplished in socio-civic projects
• Citations, commendations, and awards from the local community.

Giving the HR group a summary of your accomplishments shows that you are results-oriented. It will encourage the hospital or clinic to invest in your additional training as a Nurse.

3. Use the Resume Objective to Share Your Story

Who doesn’t love a good story? Most certainly, not the HR Officer. Your new grad Nursing resume objective can be a powerful tool. If you don’t have work experience, tell the recruiter why you want to get started on this career path.

Here are good examples of storytelling within an objective statement:

“I come from a family of nurses; caring for people has come naturally for me. I hope to be given the opportunity to fulfill my calling as a Registered Nurse in your hospital.”
“I grew up inspired by the idea that a humble job as Nursing can make a powerful difference in people’s lives. If given the opportunity, I hope to be able to use my skills to help your patients regain their health, and most importantly, reclaim their lives.”

The objective statement is best kept short – 3 to 4 sentences at most. However, when properly put together, it can deliver big results for your resume.

4. Give Details on Your Education and Training

Nursing students are required to undergo practical training at a hospital. It is a good idea to apply at the hospital where you had your practicum. By doing so, the person reviewing your resume would know you are already familiar with the hospital and its procedures.

If you decide to follow this strategy, you should go into detail on the training you went through with the hospital:

• Describe the work rotations you went through
• Enumerate the different areas that you were assigned Nursing duty at
• Cite specific cases that you were involved with
• Include names of Head Nurses, doctors, and patients that you interacted with
• List the duties and responsibilities that you were asked to manage

5. Showcase Other Relevant and Transferable Skills

Did you learn medical transcription, preparation of nurses notes, medical coding, or medical billing? These skills are relevant and transferable to the practice of Nursing.

Consequently, it would be a good idea to mention these skills in your new grad Nursing resume in order to expand your value proposition.

6. Include Volunteer Work

For the reason that it presents you a venue for applying your skills, your time doing volunteer work can be considered as work experience. Therefore, you can include the details in your resume:

• Identify the organization or agency where you worked as a volunteer
• Describe the tasks that were assigned to you
• Include details such as the length of volunteer service and work schedule
• Cite memorable experiences
• Share the most important lessons that you learned from the experience

New Grad Nursing Duties And Responsibilities

New Nursing graduates must dread writing the work experience section of the resume. After all, this is the area where a recruiter focuses his energies on. The summary of duties and responsibilities will help him gauge if the candidate is qualified for the job or not.

On the other hand, the new Nursing grad is in a quandary. She is looking for her first job as a licensed Nurse. Therefore, she has no work experience. What will she list down in her summary of duties and responsibilities?

First of all, don’t panic! Second, take a deep breath and change your approach toward work experience.

The reason why most entry-level job seekers get intimidated in writing the work experience section is their belief that it refers to “paid work”. To an extent, that is true.

However, if you break down the term “work experience” what it truly means is experience in applying the practical skills and techniques that you have learned and acquired.

If the university gives you the foundation for the fundamental and theoretical principles of Nursing, your practicum provides the experience of applying what you have learned.

Before working on the work experience section, recollect your time running the shifts at the hospital. What were your duties and responsibilities then?

• Assisted the Head Nurse
• Assisted the Registered Nurse on duty
• Performed preliminary examination on patients
• Took blood and other samples of bodily fluids
• Performed first-aid
• Administered medicines
• Assisted the Nurse in cleaning up the patient
• Recorded and kept track of patients’ progress

Once you’ve made the summary of duties and responsibilities, the next step is to add more substance or detail to your job descriptions.

Good new grad Nursing responsibilities example

Holy Trinity General Hospital – 15 June 2019 to 14 December 2019
Practicum – St. Anderson College School of Nursing

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assigned to provide assistance to the Head Nurse and Registered Nurses on duty at the Emergency Room of Holy Trinity General Hospital.
• Performed preliminary examinations on incoming patients; took note of symptoms of trauma, internal bleeding, concussion, poisoning, and various forms of infections.
• Performed First-Aid procedures such as application of a tourniquet, CPR, cleaning and closure of exposed wounds, and the administration of medications as instructed by the Head Nurse or physician on duty.
• Conducted hospital rounds with the Registered Nurse; assisted in various tasks such as cleaning patients, feedings, administering medicines, and taking readings of vital signs.

Recorded patients’ progress and updated Nurses notes.

As you can see, even though the experience was for a practicum and not paid, the duties and responsibilities as presented shows that the candidate has actual experience working as a Nurse.

New Grad Nursing Resume Skills List

Without significant or applicable work experience, your resume will rely heavily on your new grad Nursing skills list to land the open position.

Licenses and Certifications.

On top of the resume skills list would be your nursing license and other relevant certifications. As a nurse, you have a range of options to choose from. You can become a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), a Registered Nurse (RN) or an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN).

Regardless of your type of license, you should state this in your first and foremost in your resume particularly in highly visible sections like the Objective. In addition, you should also include your license number.

Many nurses are hesitant to show their license number because of concerns on privacy and identity theft. But these types of information are made accessible to the public.

The Hiring Manager can easily verify this online. Including it on your resume means you have nothing to hide. Also, you make the Hiring Manager’s job easier which is always a big plus.

Education.

If you have a Bachelor Degree in Nursing, that will definitely give your application a boost over others who don’t.
There are situations where an applicant may have shifted from another course or took up Nursing after completing another degree. Make sure you include these details as we did in our new Nursing grad resume example.

You should also indicate if you attained honors or won scholastic achievement awards.
For candidates who reached only high school level you have to include your GED score to firm up your educational attainment.

Clinical Rotations.

Hiring managers will absolutely, 100% look for clinical rotations in your resume. Some universities make clinical rotations a prerequisite before applying to their residency programs.

This is highly valuable information and could make or break your application. Always include the following details:

• Type of experience
• Inclusive period
• Name of hospital, clinic or agency
• Total number of hours worked
• City and state
• Department or unit

Finally include experiences during your clinical rotation which you feel could make you a more viable candidate for the job.

For example, learning new skills, understanding the value of teamwork or discovering your level of commitment by working extended hours and putting in extra days in the service of the hospital.

New Grad Nursing Resume Objective

Your new grad Nursing resume objective may probably be the most crucial aspect of your application because it will set the tone for the rest of your content particularly in the way it has been formatted.

Use the resume objective to get state the fact that you are a new grad and have no experience. There is no point in hiding this information because the recruiter will find out eventually. Read the job post carefully and see if the institution accepts new Nursing grads or not. Even if it does not say so but you are interested in the job, disclose your status as a new Nursing grad in your resume.

Of course, you have to be strategic about it. Start out with your strong points such as being a licensed nurse and college degree holder. You can frame your lack of experience within the objective statement in a way that won’t diminish your chances.

How? By framing it with your strongest soft skills. These are the personality attributes that make you the ideal candidate for the job. Oftentimes the job post will list down the soft skills they are looking for as it relates to their company culture.

The most important thing is to be honest with your soft skills; make sure these define you for who you are. If you want to optimize the influence of soft skills, relate them to an experience you had during your time in clinical rotation.

New Grad Nursing Resume Format

As someone who lacks experience, the Combination type is the best new grad Nursing resume format you can use.

The Combination will format your resume as follows:

• Contact Information
• Objective Statement
• Skills
• Licenses
• Education
• Clinical Rotations
• Personal Information

We are not suggesting the Combination as a way to hide your work experience. There is no need to do this if you wrote an effective objective statement. Besides Clinical Rotations will take the place of work experience. Instead we are using the Combination format to place your qualifications and skills front and center of your new Nursing grad resume.

Entry Level New Nursing Grad Resume

If you shifted careers and applying for your first-ever Nursing job, use the Combination format as we suggested for your entry level new Nursing grad resume. What is important is that your requirements such as Nursing license and clinical rotations are complete.

If you are an immigrant applying for a nursing position as a new grad, you should include certifications that are required under the guidelines of immigration authorities.

These certifications may include:

• Proof of qualification from agency-approved credentialing organization.
• Certification of competence in oral and written English.
• Health and fitness test.

Check with your local city state for the complete list of requirements for foreign-born new Nursing grads.

New Grad Nursing Resume Writing Tips

One of the most valuable new grad Nursing resume writing tips we can give you is to not hide the fact that you have no or very little experience. Hiring managers know what they are doing and what to look for. We did this in our Nursing resume objective for new grad.

They’ve gone through literally thousands of resumes and have developed an intuition on whether you are telling a story or concocting a story. Just like a patient who is about to receive unfortunate news on his or her condition, it would do you well to get it over and done with.

Our next valuable tip is to focus on your skills, qualifications and licenses. Spare no detail and that means disclosing your professional license number.

Finally, share key experiences in your new Nursing grad resume. Remember that the resume is your marketing toolkit; it is your way of selling your qualifications to the company. The best way to do that is by initiating a conversation through your content.

Even if you don’t have applicable experience, recruiters would appreciate learning how your journey up to this point has shaped your perspective toward the Nursing profession.