Nurse (RN / LPN) · resume examples and templates

Resume for a Nurse (RN / LPN) — what recruiters actually reward

Nurse resumes get filtered on 3 axes: license state + expiration, unit-specific experience (ICU, ED, med-surg, pediatric), and BLS/ACLS/PALS certification currency. Below is the structure recruiters actually reward.

Sections this resume should include

1.Header (name, RN state + license #, email, phone)
2.Certifications (with expiration dates)
3.Professional Summary
4.Clinical Experience (unit type, patient volume, EHR)
5.Education (nursing school, degree, graduation date)
6.Clinical Rotations (if new grad)
7.Skills (specialty procedures, languages)

Keywords ATS filter on

These are the specific terms hiring platforms most commonly filter on for this role. Include them naturally in your bullets and skills section — don't stuff.

RNBSNBLSACLSPALSEpicpatient assessmentcare coordinationmedication administration

Bullets that work

Two examples of what strong bullets look like for this role — outcome-first, quantified, specific.

Managed 4-patient assignment in a 24-bed medical-surgical unit (high-acuity, avg 3 admissions and 2 discharges per shift) using Epic across a 12-hour rotation.
Identified early sepsis in a post-op patient by escalating a 0.4°C temperature trend + subtle mentation change; team initiated Hour-1 bundle, avoiding ICU transfer.

Bullets that don't

The same information framed as tasks instead of outcomes. Recruiters skim these.

Responsible for patient care on the medical-surgical unit.
Assisted physicians and administered medications as ordered.

Common mistakes to avoid

Omitting patient volumes and acuity

Recruiters need to place you fast. "12-bed step-down, high-acuity, 4:1 ratio" tells them more in one line than a paragraph of prose.

Not surfacing certification expirations

BLS/ACLS/PALS with expiration month/year in the certifications block. Expired = filtered out at intake.

Task list instead of clinical judgment

"Administered medications" is a task. "Identified subtle change in mental status leading to earlier sepsis workup" is clinical judgment — that's what promotes you off the resume pile.

Missing EHR + specialty tech

Epic vs Cerner vs Meditech is a filter field. Also list telemetry, ventilator, PICC/CVC experience where relevant.

Check your resume against this rubric

Paste your existing resume into our free ATS Checker and see which of the 8 rubric items you're passing and which you're not.

Run the ATS check

Get every bullet rewritten for this role

The Emplirao trial rewrites weak bullets into role-specific outcomes using the same voice as the examples above — then matches your resume against live openings in your specialty.

Try Emplirao for $2.99

$2.99 for 3 days · then $14.99/month · cancel anytime