established RN with some time off- Cover letter/Resume

[jnf7882]

Hi all!

im reformatting my resume, as I prepare to look for my forever career. I have intermittently worked as an RN within the same health system on 3 different units..when i say intermittent, this is due to two- 6 month breaks due to an international relocation for my husbands job. I have since moved with him as he wraps up his last contract overseas. We will be transitioning into a "normal" stationary lifestyle and i couldn't be more excited! I need to display my situation simply, yet professionally in my cover letter and resume...this is what I have put together...please feel free to critique. BTW i plan on applying for PRN/Contingent positions as the allow me more flexibility to travel back and forth for the next 5 months until we are back home.

Name

Address

email

Phone

******Health System

Human Resources

123 New York Ave

NY, New York 12345

Dear Nursing Recruiter,

I am writing to express my interest in Registered Nursing positions at your hospital. I have an Associate's Degree in Nursing from ***** College and obtained my licensure in the State of ****** in July, 2012. I then, took the initiative to pursue my BSN and graduated in May 2015 from ********College online RN-BSN completion program. I believe that my educational background and past work experiences can contribute significantly to your healthcare system.

Since I began my nursing career, I have had the opportunity to work with *****Healthcare System, both at ******* Hospital and ****** Hospital. My experiences in the Emergency Department and Step Down Telemetry Unit have impacted my career tremendously by allowing me to become proficient in nursing assessment, caring for the critical patient, time management and teamwork. I have had the opportunity to work with patients of all age groups, and am confident in my ability to collaborate with other healthcare professionals to achieve the best outcome for my patients. I am passionate about nursing and I realize that critical patient care requires a solid foundation in nursing skills and techniques, prioritization of care, and communication skills. Although my application can only tell you so much about my motivation and qualifications as an RN, these skills, coupled with my compassion, patience, and patient advocacy, are only a part of what I offer as a Registered Nurse.

I have experienced several international relocations, due to my spouse's career, and am currently accompanying him during his last contract as a professional athlete. Pursuing a position as a PRN/Contingent RN would allow me the flexibility to continue my career and become excellent addition to ***** Health System, while supporting my spouse as he wraps up the final months of his contract. I would welcome the opportunity to further discuss my background, vision for nursing, and interest in this position with you. Thank you for your consideration in this exciting opportunity

Sincerely,

***********, RN

Name

Address

email

Phone

PERSONAL OBJECTIVE

To obtain a position as a Registered Nurse that will allow me to utilize my communication, analytical, clinical and organizational skills.

QUALIFICATIONS

· Capacity to multi-task and work efficiently in a high volume, high stress environment

· Excellent organization skills

· Ability to collaborate effectively with members of a multi-disciplinary team

· Creative and effective in ability to provide patient and family education

· Proficient in telemetry monitoring and arrhythmia identification

· Appropriate use of professional nursing judgment

· ACLS certified

EDUCATION

********* University- Online MSN-FNP; 2016-2019

· Master's of Science in Nursing- Family Nurse Practitioner

· Expected completion- May 2019

University of *****: New York,NY; online outreach program; 2013-2015

· BSN completion

· High Honors; 3.8 GPA

*******College: New York, NY; 2010-2012

· Associates Degree in Nursing – April 2012

· GPA: 3.78

********University: New York, NY; 2006-2010

· Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Health Services

· Honors Status

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Registered Nurse- **** Health System; *****Hospital/***** Hospital- Intermittent between June 2012-August 2015

· Assessment and treatment of patients from pediatric-geriatric age groups in a busy 55-bed, level 2 trauma Emergency Room

· Ability to multi-task and work efficiently in a high stress environment

· Treatment of medical emergencies including but not limited to cardiac/respiratory arrest, orthopedic emergencies, mental health, STEMI, sepsis, patients requiring vasopressors and arterial lines, pediatric patients and lean track patients.

· Maintenance and titration of various vasoactive and cardiac drips

· Patient assessment and treatment of the cardiac medical patient on a 36-bed Cardiac Step Down unit

· Safe and effective medication administration and monitoring

· Arterial sheath pulls

· Reporting abnormal results to provider and exercising appropriate nursing judgment

· Education of patient and families

· Appropriate documentation of all pertinent patient information in hospital wide EMR (PowerChart/Cerner)

Patient Care Technician-Short Stay Care Unit; Trinity Health/**** Hospital: New York, NY – June 2011-June 2012

· Blood draws, IV starts, vital signs, specimen collection, Acu-checks, I&O, AM care, documentation in EMR (PowerChart), patient transport, care of patient in a high volume work environment, Foley/straight catheterization, monitoring of various post-operative patients

Medical Receptionist/Administrative Intern- *** Urgent Care: New York, NY– December 2009-June 2011

· Checking patients in, verifying insurance (Web Dennis, etc), collecting co-pays, assisting in medical billing, appointment scheduling, data entry, data entry in EMR (Allscripts), explaining HIPPA, payment policies and other various forms to patients.

CERTIFICATIONS & PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Certifications:

· RN- License #*********

· BLS/ACLS

· Completion of ******* Hospital nurse residency program- 7/2013

Volunteer Activities:

· Make A Wish Foundation- WAM Bicycle Tour: June 2012

· ODL- Oulun Karpat Hockey Organization Fundraiser: Oulu, Finland. Hockey families of Karpat Hockey organization raised over $30,000 for ODL, an organization that provides funds for underprivileged children to participate is community sports and activities.

References Available Upon Request

[dtchavey]

Here is what I look for when hiring,

Talk about your accomplishments. I'm glad you have experience with complex procedures, you should keep that information in there, but the descriptions of generic nursing tasks should come out and be replaced by accomplishments.

Like:

are you a super user for your hospital's EMR?

Have you acted as a mentor to new staff? and were they also successful?

Did you participate in hospital committee's? If so, what did you get done in committee?

By doing this you will show me that you are more than just a staff nurse, but you are an engaged member of a team.

Good luck!

[jnf7882]

thank you so much! I definitely will go in and replace some of the generic nursing tasks with some more original and personal facts about myself as an RN. As far as formatting my work experience for the 3 years of intermittent work, how do you feel as someone who has experience with hiring regarding the format/wording? Its difficult to put it on paper without looking like someone who is a job hopper---but when asked in interviews Its much easier to explain that I'm not a job hopper--my husband just has a very unique and mobile career and I'm very determined and persistent to keep up my skills in the mean time. Any advice regarding the situation? again, thank you for you feedback

[dtchavey]

Did you have to re apply for the same job? Or were you on extended leaves of absence?

If you were considered LOA I would just remove the word "intermittent"

[jnf7882]

I had to reapply to the facility and was considered a rehire but on different units

[dtchavey]

I will take a look again after work.

[jnf7882]

Thanks so much!

[Mais-Rose]

I am in a similar position. However the advice I received from an employment center was, instead of bullets, rewrite my position descriptions in paragraphs with headings for each major task. They said bullet-style job description was outdated. I haven't done it yet, as it seems pretty daunting to rewrite a 4-page resume right now, but I will tackle it later today. I have a 5-year nursing gap, but have been traveling with my spouse as well and also caring for an ailing parent. I am hoping I won't have to do a refresher course since I kept my licenses current. Anyhow, if anyone has good advice on the best way to write this resume, or can provide a winning sample, please help. Some encouragement will be much appreciated as well. I am so ready to go back to work.