Cover letter?

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

Are cover letters still recommended today or are they more of a thing of the past? I have heard both.

If a cover letter is recommended, I am wondering if anyone can offer any assistance. My current role is sort of a "mixed" role and I guess I'm just having a hard time trying to word everything properly to keep a potential employer interested. I am an assistant nurse manager in the ED but my primary focus is maintaining throughput in the ED - keeping the meat moving, basically. If there are any delays or problems with this I am responsible for facilitating solutions. I help keep triage, fast track & the main ED moving; help with discharges, admit patients to the floor if the primary nurse is busy; make room assignments and act as the EMS offload RN if the actual charge nurse is busy. I am the one to handle complaints. I have ED charge nurse experience and that's what I actually did full time prior to this so I also fill in this spot whenever necessary. I will also act as a regular nurse and take my own patient assignment if that will help clear out the waiting room or if we're short on staff. Basically it is for whatever is best for the ED and the patients at that current point in time. I can easily adapt to anything! :)

I feel like a lot of that is already in my actual resume. When writing my cover letter, all I can really think of is:

In my present role as a registered nurse in the emergency department at X hospital, I am tasked with actively seeking opportunities to promote throughput. I am responsible for ensuring that all areas of the ED remain in motion. In addition to this duty, I also serve as charge nurse when appropriate.

This is all I have right now but I feel like I've hit a wall. How can I make my "combined" position sound amazing on a cover letter? Or should I just forget the cover letter all together?

Thanks for your help.

[smf0903]

I have the same question. I feel like cover letters are a waste of paper I have right in my resume the position I am seeking and what qualifications/experience I have, so I feel like a cover letter unnecessarily repeats that information. I have been poking around here and other sites to see what the thoughts are with regard to cover letters, and it seems mixed. I know this is of no help as I am in the same boat!! LOL

Good luck! I'll be following this post :)

[RunBabyRN]

You will absolutely want cover letters. It is much more professional to submit resumes with cover letters.

While I cannot speak too much to your specific role (as I am a new nurse), I CAN speak for the job market. I applied to over 2000 jobs over the last year, many of which specifically asked for a cover letter (many interviews, finally have an awesome job). This is an opportunity to include some of the more "fluffy" wording about what you do in your role, which allows for more brevity and objective descriptions in your resume. You can talk about having to think on your feet on a large scale, and elaborate on some of the work flow and managerial roles you have.

It's also important to note that you'll want a few different cover letters that you can tailor to each position to which you're applying. You'll want to focus on different things for a nurse manager position than for a PRN floor nurse position, for example. If you're applying for units other than ED, you'll want to focus on applicable roles and experiences.

I hope that helps some!

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

Do the cover letter.

Your resume is a rather dry list of accomplishments and experiences organized in some particular fashion. Your cover letter is your chances to focus in on who you are.

When you go to the grocery store and pick up a box of whatever, taking in the graphics, reading the hype, looking at the ingredients panel. Your resume is the list of ingredients that tells you if it meets your dietary standards (qualifications), while the cover letter is the packaging that gets you excited and interested about the product.

Decades ago they tried generic packaging. A plain can of coffee labeled "COFFEE" that was a little cheaper. People chose the fancy packaging that creates the desire for the product.

Do do the cover letter.

[smf0903]

Thank you both, cover letter it is! :)