Question about Resume Format and Background

[EMEddie]

Hi all of you-

I am going into my last semester of my nursing program this fall; with that I want to work this summer in my resume and possible cover letter. I have heard there is different forms of a resume when it comes to RNs; some friends seem to prefer the WHO format a lot; which one do you think is best? I have ~1000 hrs as an EMT, 200 as a volunteer medical assistant and in the past I worked as a microbiologist for a food plant.

Also, When it comes to asking professors for leaders of recommendations; should I ask them not to date them; or how do I go about this so I can make copies and have them at hand when a prospective employer asks for some?

Lastly; I am in California and I understand that traffic violations [tickets] that are above $300 have to be report it to the BRN; I want to start this process as soon as possible so I can take the NCLEX as soon as possible once I am done; is there a website where they might have this such information?

Thanks in advance,

Eddie

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Moved to the Nursing Resume Help forum

[cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP]

Is there anyway you could post your resume for us to look at? Please put **** on your full name and names of places/locations you have worked for your privacy and we can get a better ideal of how to help you.

!Chris

[Double-Helix, BSN, RN]

Good for you for getting a head start!

I've never heard of the WHO format for resumes. I prefer to use a chronological format. I think it's the most common and the most organized. There are TONS of sample RN resumes out there, so the best thing you can do is Google "sample RN resume" and take a look at some. You can also search for "graduate nurse resume" which might give you some good ideas about how to structure your resume and what information to include. You'll definitely want to highlight your EMT experience and our nursing clinical experience.

If your instructors date the letter of recommendation, that's fine. The hospitals won't expect you to have a letter of recommendation from the past week- but actually a fairly recent date shows them that you aren't using a letter that's years old and that it's a good indication of your current standing/abilities. Just ask them to write it generically. Explain that you'll be applying for a variety of positions, you you would like the letter to be applicable to several different areas of nursing. (Basically, don't have your pediatrics instructor write a letter about how great you would be as a peds nurse if you plan on using that letter for adult positions as well.)

Usually you report or disclose information like traffic tickets to the BRN when you fill out your application for licensure. This is done after you graduate. But if you visit the California BRN website you will probably find a lot of information about this- or a contact number to reach someone who can accurately answer your questions.