Resume advice please? All help is greatly appreciated!

Nurses Job Hunt

Published

Hello everyone,

I welcome any and all advice/tips/constructive criticism of my resume below and I also have a few specific areas of concern. If it helps to know, I have approximately 1 year of experience and I wish to go into ambulatory/outpatient care.

1. Skills section- If included on a resume, what types of skills do you list? Does this include things like "IV infusion therapy" or "EMR utilization" or something different? Could you give an example?

2. Work experience- I know this is a focus area, but how do I channel my experience so it stands out?

3. Student Clinicals- For someone with just under a year of experience, is it alright to still list my clinicals if I really want to? I mean is it still possible to draw value out of experience I got as a student?

4. Organizations- Is it alright to still list my student organizations? Particularly because I held leadership positions.

Suzie Nurse, RN

Address. * phone number * email

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

- Hard working, self-motivated, and compassionate nurse.

- Exceptional leadership skills in managing and coordinating multiple tasks and objectives.

- Excellent observation, assessment, and communication skills.

- Flexible and adapts to change. Works well in a team and with diverse groups of people.

LICENSES & CREDENTIALS

State Board of Nursing Registered Nurse License, 2012, # ******

Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers, American Heart Association, 2012

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Heart General Hospital, City, State July 2012 - April 2013 Nurse I, Medical Surgical Inpatient Unit

- Devised and implemented nursing plan of care: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation

- Admitted patients to inpatient unit; performed admission assessments

- Discharged patients from inpatient unit with appropriate instructions and supplies for follow up care

- Initiated peripheral intravenous lines and administered prescribed IV therapies via infusion pump

- Performed venipuncture to obtain blood specimens for labs ordered

- Documented assessments and all other patient care activities via electronic medical record

- Collaborated with physicians, case managers, dietitians, and others on interdisciplinary team to ensure continuity of care

EDUCATION University Nursing School, City, State Bachelor of Science in Nursing, May 2012 Overall GPA: #.##

ADDITIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE

Smile University Graduate School, City, State, Office Assistant July 2006 - August 2006

STUDENT CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Community Nursing, We Care Health Center March 2012 - April 2012

- Administered care to HIV/AIDS patients

- Assisted with patient interviews for patients entered into care

- Assisted in providing education for new patients

- Assisted in triaging patients in clinic triage area

Rotations (March 2009 - March 2012): Emergency, Adult Medical/Surgical, Adult Critical Care, Psychiatric Nursing, Family Health Nursing

ORGANIZATIONS

Willow Bend Student Nurses Organization, 2009 - 2011

- President, Spring 2011

o Managed core aspects of organization: volunteerism, peer-mentor program, cultural diversity

o Oversaw planning and organization of Spring Celebration celebrating diversity

- Vice President, Spring 2010 - Fall 2010

o Supervised volunteering and fundraising activities

o Took initiative in goal setting: task completion; assisted various officers in goals of their office

- Peer Mentor, Fall 2010

o Mentored junior level students by devising study plan for academic success

o Study plan included assessment, test taking strategies time management tips; offered encouragement

Opps, wrong one.

Not too bad. Drop the "Additional Work Experience" to below "Clinical Experience." Add a couple of bullet points showing accomplishments during your rotations showing a progression of responsibility (but keep the Rotation format as is, just tuck a few bullets points under it summarizing your accomplishments). Look over the three "Assisted" bullet points in a row at "We Care Health Center" and see about consolidating them or use different verbs so they won't seem repetative.

Yes, "IV infusion therapy" and "Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software" are skills; always show proof you did them in your resume. So create a "Skill Highlights" section above your "Licenses & Credentials" section and add up to eight top skills you learned in clinicials and at the most recent job that your employer is looking for in the ads.

Add a Personal Branding Statement (or Professional Statement) above the "Professional Profile" that'll convey your qualifications, experience and education in terms of your employer's needs and values.

I would start trimming back on Organizations to something like:

ACTIVITIES & INVOLVEMENT

Willow Bend Student Nurses Organization, 2009 – 2011

Position progression:

. . .• President, Spring 2011

. . .• Vice President, Spring 2010 – Fall 2010

. . .• Mentor, Fall 2010

After a few more years this'll drop off to make room for more accomplishments, followed by the "Other Work Experiences" then "Clinical Experience" as time progresses. But "Education" stays on as the last section, unless you did volunteer work or join a nurses association.

+ Add a Comment