Resume and Cover Letter Critique

[ann915]

Hi. I was hoping if there is anyone who would be willing to critique my resume and cover letter. It would be very much appreciated. Thank you!

Also, regarding the cover letter. If you don't know the person or the address of the facility, how would that be written? Can someone share some good sites that has information on that kind of situation?

Thanks again :)

~an1991

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Resume

[Full name], BSN, RN

[**** Street Address]

[City], [state], [Zip Code]

Phone: (***) ***-****

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OBJECTIVE

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Seeking RN position that will further develop expertise as a Registered Nurse. Special interest areas include Labor & Delivery and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, but will accept any position to enhance experience. Brings unique skills in electronic health records, simulation, an extensive preceptorship in Medical-Surgical area, and Nursing Research and Development of a teaching project regarding the prevalence of eating disorders in the Type I Diabetes population.

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EDUCATION

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[Educational Institution], [City], [state]; May, 2013

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

* Dean's List

* Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing

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EXPERIENCE

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[Name of Educational Institution], [City], [state]; Oct, 2012 to Jan, 2013

Skills Lab Assistant

* Helping and assisting students in learning their nursing skills along with being present for questions and practicing skills during open lab hours.

[Name of Company], [City], [state]; Jul, 2012 to Oct, 2013

Caregiver

* Providing home care to seniors with tasks including light housekeeping, meal preparation, errands, and much needed companionship.

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PRECEPTORSHIP

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[Name of Hospital], [City], [state]; Feb 2013 to April, 2013

Med-Surg (MS1), 186 hours

* Acute patient care in Medical-Surgical unit, adeptly handling all aspects of treatment from medication to wound care to monitoring for 3 to 5 patients per shift.

* Closely monitored acute conditions.

* Performed basic physical assessments of adults.

* Developed patient care plans, including assessments, evaluations and nursing diagnoses.

* Monitored fluid intake and output levels.

* Followed infection control procedures.

* Experience with various medical conditions including Parkinson's, Dementia, Diabetes, Cancer, and Alzheimer's disease.

* Assisted patients with bathing, dressing, feeding, lifting and transferring.

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CLINICAL EXPERIENCE & TRAINING

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* Advanced Med-Surg: [Name of Hospital] - [City], [state], Telemetry/ICU, 120 hours

* Community Health: [Name of Clinic(s)/Site(s)--I used my school] - [City], [state], Community Health, 112 hours

* Pediatrics: [Name of Hospital] - [City], [state], Pediatric Acute Care/PICU, 112 hours

* OB/Maternity: [Name of Hospital] - [City], [state], L&D/Postpartum/NICU, 112 hours

* Mental health: [Name of Hospital] - [City], [state], Psych Emergency, 112 hours

* Med-Surg II: [Name of Hospital] - [City], [state], Acute Care/OR, 112 hours

* Med-Surg I: [Name of Hospital] - [City], [state], Acute Care, 112 hours

* Gerontology: [Name of Hospital] - [City], [state], Skilled Nursing, 90 hours

* Simulation, skills lab training and competency testing: [Name of School] - [City], [state], 200 hours

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OTHER RELATED EXPERIENCES

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[Name of School] - [City], [state]; Aug, 2011 to May, 2012

Living Health Community Member

* Planning, educating, and promoting health and ways of healthy living among the campus and surrounding communities.

[Name of Institution/School] - [City], [state], CA; Jun, 2007

National Youth Leadership Forum of Medicine (NYLF/MED)

* Pre-medical education program involving hands-on, interactive curriculum--including shadowing practicing physicians, clinical site visits at various medical centers, and meeting and interacting with faculty from various medical institutions.

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CERTIFICATIONS

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* California RN license, expires [date]

* Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers, expires [date]

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REFERENCES

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Available Upon Request

________________________________________

Cover Letter

[Full Name], BSN, RN

1230 [street Address]

[City], [state], [Zip Code]

Phone: (***) ***-****

Date: August 14, 2013

[Human Resources/ Nurse Recruitment]

[Name of Hospital/Institution]

321 [street Address]

[City], [state], [Zip Code]

Dear Sir or Madam:

I am writing to state my interest in the [insert Name of position/program] at the [insert Name of Hospital/Institution] in [City], [state]. I graduated with my BSN from [insert name of educational institution] on May 2013. My education and past experiences have helped me develop valuable skills that I believe will help me become an asset to your health care facility.

As a student nurse, I have experience in electronic health care records, simulation, and care of multicultural patients. I had an extensive preceptorship in the Medical-Surgical unit, and with 1286 clinical hours as a student, I feel I have the confidence to provide excellent nursing care to patients and to be a solid member of your team. I am enthusiastic regarding this position and believe that my values of care matches your institution's core values of care--[insert Institution's values/philosophy of care].

My special interest areas include Labor & Delivery (L&D) and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). However, I am open to any entry-level RN position that will enhance my experience, knowledge, and skills that will allow me to grow to be the RN I aspire to be. My enclosed resume will give you additional information about my work experiences.

My application can only tell you a little regarding my inspiration and qualifications for a position as a new graduate RN. I would be grateful for the chance to meet you so that I can further discuss my background, qualifications, and interest in this position with you. I can be reached at my phone (***) ***-**** or at my email .

Thank you for your consideration in this exciting opportunity.

Sincerely,

[Full Name], BSN, RN

[mamagui]

Here are my suggestions:

Objective: (I would take out the 'will accept any position to enhance experience'- then, you can change the area of nursing that you are looking for to match the actual position so that the resume is personalized)

(after 'brings unique skills', I would add 'from a strong background in ...'

are you still doing the activities listed? If not, you should consider changing all of your verbs from -ing words to past tense -ed (ie,

adeptly handling -->adeptly handled)

In your letter, you should find out who is going to be reading it and address it to them- a more personalized approach shows that you care enough about the position to do some research. You may consider changing 'I am enthusiastic regarding this position' to 'I am enthusiastic regarding the position of [insert position]' so that it seems a little less like a generic letter. Also, you may consider changing '..so that I can further discuss my background' to 'so that we may further discuss...' that way you are including the interviewer in the process.

Overall, looks great! Good luck!

[ann915]

Thanks so much for the tips! It's very helpful and I really appreciate it! :)