RN Job Description for Resume

Many people go into healthcare for the chance to help people, and Registered Nurses, or RNs are an invaluable resource for nearly all healthcare settings. Qualified RNs can be in high demand, depending on your area. While you might think that means it’ll be easy to find your next RN job, however, you may find that your resume needs a refresh. But how do you format a RN job description for a resume? Thankfully, we’re here to help with resume formatting advice and examples.

PS: We’ve made it easy for you, but if you want things even easier, why not take out the guesswork and leave it in the hands of our resume writers? We’re ready and waiting to craft the perfect RN job description for your resume.

RN Job Description for Resume

First of all, there are a few ground rules you should take into account when you begin writing your resume’s work experience section.

Keep this in mind: each job posting you see is, essentially, a company describing a problem they have. Your resume’s job is to explain how you’ll solve that problem. Read the job description carefully to determine what the “problem” is. For example, if you see a position for an RN that specifically requests experience dealing with medication distribution, you can probably safely assume that the clinic is currently handling many complex prescriptions that need to be well understood by staff. You can then use that information to customize your resume to demonstrate that you’re the best candidate for the role.

When writing your work experience, the most important thing to remember is to discuss results, not just your work responsibilities. Potential employers should already understand the day-to-day tasks you completed at your previous positions. What they’re actually interested in is what you achieved, and how it positively impacted the workplace. Your work experience section should be a place where you can brag as much as you want!

Don’t: Cared for a number of patients every day

Do: Saw an average of 22 patients per day, following care protocols and drafting detailed patient notes. Received consistently high patient satisfaction scores.

RN Job Description for Resume Example One

RN | Great Lakes Hospital | 2015 - Present

• Spearheaded patient satisfaction as a senior nurse, ensuring patients are happy with quality of care via RN mentorship and support
• Treated 50-70 patients per day, ranging from triage support to one-on-one treatment including medication, treatment planning, and discharge arrangements

Why it works: If you’ve worked as an RN for a long time, this type of job description is a way to differentiate yourself from other senior nurses. When you start writing your RN job description in your next resume, think about the things you did that differed to what your colleagues did. If you have any extra responsibilities, or if you were often praised for something extra, including it will help you stand out.

RN Job Description for Resume Example Two

RN | Wrought Walk-In Medical Center | 2018 - Present

• Specialized in triage nursing, determining severity of cases and possible causes for incoming patients, treating up to 150 patients per day.
• Took vitals (blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels, blood and urine samples as needed) and wrote detailed notes for each patient in order to determine whether to admit each patient

Why it works: Again, anything you can think of that you’d consider to be your specialty will go a long way in writing your RN job description in a resume. This applicant focused mainly on triage nursing – if they were applying for a position where they determined the “problem” was a lack of available triage nurses, this type of job description would almost certainly land them an interview.

RN Job Description for Resume Example Three

RN | Southlake Retirement Home | 2019 - Present

• Performed daily rounds for the home’s 75 residents, ensuring quality of life was being maintained and treating immediate medical concerns
• Maintained detailed notes about residents, escalating cases that required advanced medical attention to in-house physicians.

Why it works: It can be difficult to boil down the million things nurses do every day into just a few bullet points for a resume, but this job description does a good job of boiling down this applicant’s main responsibilities, while still demonstrating just how much they do. Including the number of residents they treat, as well as a brief description of exactly what they’re doing with these patients, paints a clear picture.