Include clinical exp or no?

[brendacg]

I'm a new grad who has been working as an RN at a SNF for 8 months now.

Is it appropriate to include clinical experience from school or just my work history now that I'm a practicing RN? Any recommendations?

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

A brief, relevant listing is appropriate, especially if you did a clinical at the same place you are applying.

However, I do Not want to see every minute skill that you learned that is a basic core competency that everyone else has learned.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

I vote for no... once you're working as an RN, no one cares that you did your Med-Surg clinical at X hospital 3 years ago. If there is a particular clinical that makes you stand out (possibly a preceptorship if it was on a unit similar to the one you're applying to)- like, in my case, I did my Community Health clinical in Nicaragua, so I still have that on my resume- include it, but otherwise leave it off.

[elkpark]

I also vote "no," unless you did some really super-special, unusual clinical. Everyone knows what basic clinicals everyone has in nursing school. And, if you really must list clinical on your resume', be sure it is very clearly identified as school clinical and no one can mistake it for actual work experience (or get the impression that you're trying to pass it off as work experience).

[turnforthenurse, MSN, NP]

I will be the oddball and vote "yes" on this one. Just make it short and sweet: rotation, hospital & year. If you went to different units, included those. For my critical care rotation, I went to several units so I included all of those - PCU, MICU, SICU, CSU, ER. When I applied to a nursing job, they were glad I put my clinical experiences on my resume because they were going to ask me about them...so it was all there. Several of my friends also included their clinical experiences and their employers were pleased with that.

It can also help you stand out because not all nursing programs are created equal. Not all programs have rotations in OB/peds or critical care, etc. So if they see one candidate who lists their clinical experiences but didn't have a rotation in critical care (and they applied for a new grad position on a MICU) and another candidate who actually had clinical experience in critical care, chances are they are going to interview the candidate with that critical care experience.

[elkpark]

It can also help you stand out because not all nursing programs are created equal. Not all programs have rotations in OB/peds or critical care, etc.

This would be news to the BONs in the various states in which I've practiced over my career, all of which required OB and peds clinical rotations in order for a school to be BON-approved and graduates eligible for licensure ...

[yourstrulyjmc]

I included it on my resume as a quick list of which hospitals I went to and for which clinical. I also listed my senior practicum, separately though. My leadership professor is the one who advised that I list my clinical rotations, since I am an inexperienced new grad.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I only included my clinical experience (primarily practicum-focused) on my new grad resume. Since it's not nursing experience, I would never include it on my current resume.