Help! LPN transitioning to RN, does this cover letter work?

[mfun]

I'm a newly graduated RN and have been working on my resume and cover letter. I had previously taken the LPN course at my school and worked for a very short time a long-term facility. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to work there for very long though for a number of reasons. One of them being that they wouldn't have been flexible with the work schedule once I started attending clinicals. It was pretty much whichever schedule you chose, then it was set in stone.

So I'm having a hard time explaining that on my cover letter. I don't want prospective employers to think that I'm going to start a job and leave within a few months. I would appreciate if you all could look through my cover letter and tell me what you all think. Thanks!!

Note: I am only including the body of the letter here:

Dear Prospective Employer:

During the last few years I have focused on furthering my education as a nurse and have recently graduated from Seminole State College and received my license in the state of Florida as an RN. As you will see from my resume, I previously attended school to become an LPN and worked for a short time as an LPN. My dream has always been to be an RN and I chose to stay committed to continuing my education even when it meant leaving the job that I loved due to time conflicts. While I am a newly graduated RN, I received over --- hours of experience during clinicals in a wide variety of settings, practicing the skills taught during my nursing courses. It was during this time that I was able to sharpen my professional skills, prioritization abilities and further strengthen my strong sense of motivation and dedication, which are important aspects for a strong RN.

During my experience as a student nurse and LPN, I strived to provide holistic care with each patient I encountered. I endeavored to carry out each skill with excellence and believe that with my knowledge, skills and commitment, I will make an asset to your facility. As my enclosed resume confirms, I have also previously had experience in customer service which has strengthened my communication and patient-provider relation skills.

I am confident that as you review my resume, my qualifications will match the requirements for a position as an RN. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to meet with you and can be reached by either cell phone or email to establish a convenient time for you.

Thank you for considering my application

Sincerely

[smaria2012]

my first degree is in business mgmt & I've taken some HR courses and business communication courses as well: formatting first

Your Name

Your Address

Your city, state

Hospital Name

Human Resources

Hospital Address

July 31, 2013

Dear Nurse Recruiter (use name if you have it)

First paragraph: Introduce yourself. Where did you graduate, or what nursing school do you attend? GPA? What position are you applying for (good to use, HR searches for keywords in documents)? Why are you contacting this person-- what is the intent/purpose of this letter?

Second paragraph: Explain why you chose to become nurse. Good time to reference LPN experience--play it up, including a memorable patient experience or skills you learned and/or utilized. USE only 1 SIMPLE sentence to explain scheduling conflict with starting nursing school. If you get an interview and they specifically ask you about this leaving LPN job then and only then give a little more detail, and IMO scheduling conflict with nursing courses is a legitimate excuse to resign (go no further than that when writing, or talking about this job-- basically you NEVER want to be negative, or whiny about a previous employer- no matter what the issue!) Maybe even throw in a good, relevant quote-- NO cliches, remember to reference your source at bottom of page. Cover letter should NOT be longer than 1 page, if it is trim it out- they won't read it, trust me!

Third paragraph: Why do you choose this specific hospital? Reputation? Center of excellence? Quality service? Specialization (best peds hospital, stroke center, etc.)? How will working for this institution benefit them AND you? Will it hone your skills? Allow you to specialize in the field of your desires? Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely (Or Cordially),

Smaria2012

P.S. Let your resume be that- your resume. Your cover letter should make you stand out from your peers and should be worded well enough to keep the recruiters attention, if they get bored (reads just like an online template like a 1000 other applicants do) they will stop reading. Hope you find this helpful. Oh yea, almost forgot, tailor your cover for EACH position you apply for (unless applying for more than 1 position at same hospital- you want the recruiter to feel like you took time to research their organization, position, and are detail oriented by searching their address, name (you can always call HR dept and ask name of mgr because you want to write her/him a cover letter) and putting in letter

[mfun]

Thank you so much for your input. The formatting and tailoring part I've got down but I was confused on where I should mention my short LPN stint. It seemed a little odd putting it in the first paragraph but I wasn't sure where to mention it but I think your format will really help it flow so much better. Thanks again!

[HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD]

Agree with PP.

Your cover letter needs to be compelling - letting that employer know that you would be a wonderful addition to their staff.

Only positive stuff. For instance, you can tell them that you became an LPN in order to fully explore whether nursing was a good fit; loved it so much, you became an RN. Make sure that they know how smart, energetic and motivated you are.

Also, do some research on the employer and include relevant comments... "I am very attracted to your mission of providing health care to diverse populations" or "I would be wonderful to have an opportunity to become a part of an organization that has been providing excellent health care for 120 years". .

Be sure to include specific information about how you found out about the job opening.... "advertisement on Monster.Com" or "Sunday news on 7-20" & specific job "Staff nurse 256" as well as your availability for employment.

End it with a very friendly note "Feel free to contact me at (phone number) or (email). I look forward to hearing from you."

[mfun]

Thank you HouTx, I really have taken all of your suggestions into consideration and I think I'm on my way to creating a great cover letter!