What should be at the top of a nursing resume?

Your RN license and key certifications (BLS, ACLS, specialty certs). Hospital ATS systems and recruiters screen for credentials first, so make them immediately visible near your summary.

How do I write a new grad nurse resume?

Lead with your BSN, license, and certifications, then feature clinical rotations and capstone experiences as you would jobs — unit, responsibilities, and skills used. Include relevant clinical hours and any honors.

What ATS keywords matter for RN resumes?

Certifications (BLS, ACLS), unit/specialty terms (ICU, med-surg, telemetry), your EHR system (often Epic or Cerner), and core skills like patient assessment and medication administration — matched to the job posting.

Registered Nurse (RN) Resume Example (2026)

What makes a strong registered nurse resume

A strong registered nurse resume puts licensure and certifications (RN license, BLS, ACLS) near the top, lists clinical competencies and the units or specialties you've worked, and quantifies patient load and outcomes where possible. Hospital ATS systems screen hard for credentials and specialty keywords, so mirror the exact certifications and unit type in the posting.

Registered Nurse resume sample

[ Your Name ]

Registered Nurse · city, state · email · phone · linkedin

Professional Summary

Compassionate Registered Nurse with 5+ years of acute-care experience in medical-surgical and ICU settings. BLS- and ACLS-certified, known for strong patient outcomes, clear documentation, and effective interdisciplinary collaboration.

Core Skills

Patient assessmentMedication administrationCare planningElectronic health records (Epic)IV therapyWound carePatient & family educationTelemetry monitoringInfection controlInterdisciplinary collaboration

Experience

Registered Nurse, ICU · St. Vincent Medical Center2021 – Present

Managed care for up to 6 acute patients per shift with consistently strong outcome and satisfaction scores.
Maintained accurate Epic documentation, supporting a unit chart-audit compliance rate above 98%.
Precepted 4 new-grad nurses through unit onboarding and competency sign-off.

Registered Nurse, Medical-Surgical · Riverside Hospital2019 – 2021

Delivered patient-centered care on a 32-bed med-surg unit, including assessment, medication, and education.
Contributed to an infection-control initiative that reduced unit CAUTI rates.
Coordinated discharge planning with case managers and families to reduce readmissions.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

Certifications

RN License (active) · BLS · ACLS

ATS keywords for a registered nurse resume

Applicant Tracking Systems score your resume on how well it matches the job description. These are the terms most commonly weighted for this role — include the ones that are genuinely true of your experience, using the exact wording from the posting.

RN licenseBLSACLSpatient caremedication administrationEpic EHRcare plansmed-surgICUtelemetrypatient assessmentHIPAA

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