Resume

[*jojo*]

I have a few questions about resumes that I hope someone can help me with.

The first one I feel silly asking but when do I refer to myself as "Jojo RN"? Do I put the "RN" on the header of my resume and also when I sign my name on the cover letter? Do I put "RN" or "R.N."

I graduated in May from an ADN program, so I have that on the education section but I also was accepted to a RN to BSN program and begin in the fall. Do I list this above the ADN program and put it something like Bachelor of Science in Nursing, College name, expected August 2011?

I am BLS certified and have that listed in the licenses and certification section of my resume. I just started the ACLS anytime course through the American Heart Association because in my area, a lot of the jobs I am applying for say ACLS preferred in addition to new grads welcome to apply. I am finished with the written portion and am waiting to take the skills test, the next one is the first week of September. Do I list this on my resume, Like, ACLS, expected September 2010, or leave it off because I have no received the certification yet?

Lastly, I have limited medical experience but was active on campus and in the community so it was suggested to include a Volunteer and Leadership section on my resume. I am not sure what to include and what to leave out. I am trying to keep the formatting consistent throughout my resume, so I am listing the items like this " Chapter President, XYZ Honor Society Fall 2009" because that is how I formatted the rest of my resume. Anyway, I was Vice President of the honor society fall 2008 and spring 2009 and then elected President in the fall of 2009. Should I only list president since it was the highest office held or list both of them to demonstrate consistent involvement?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Spacklehead, MSN, NP]

I typically leave the periods between RN out - it is probably more of a personal preference, since I have seen it done both ways.

As far as your listing your expected BSN degree - yes, that is how you could word it. Put it first above your ADN degree like you mentioned (however, I might actually wait until I officially started classes to mention it, but that's just me).

I would leave the ACLS certification off until you actually achieve that cert.

Regarding your honor society membership - I would put both positions that you have held with the corresponding dates (if you choose).

[llg, PhD, RN]

I agree about the R.N. vs. RN. It's a matter of personal preference and doesn't matter. I usually say, LLG, PhD, RN-BC (leaving the periods out to keep things looking cleaner.)

Under education, I would list your completed ADN first and then say something like "BSN, blah blah blah school, currently enrolled. Expected graduation August, 2011." I would list the completed degree first because it is the highest one you actually have. Also, if you list the incomplete one first, there is a danger that they will see you are still a BSN student and not notice that you already have an ADN.

For the ACLS, list it ... then note that you are "currently enrolled. Expected completion September, 2010."

You can further clarify the BSN and ACLS status in your cover letter.

As for being an officer in an organization, list them all. On my resume, I list it like this:

2002-2009 ABC organization.

2004-2006 Chairman, XYZ committee

2006-2008 President

Edit: I indent the positions I held in the organizations, but I couldn't get this post to format that way.

I recommend including anything that shows experience -- particularly if it shows that you were a leader.

Good luck!

[Spacklehead, MSN, NP]

Under education, I would list your completed ADN first and then say something like "BSN, blah blah blah school, currently enrolled. Expected graduation August, 2011." I would list the completed degree first because it is the highest one you actually have. Also, if you list the incomplete one first, there is a danger that they will see you are still a BSN student and not notice that you already have an ADN.

To help eliminate the confusion with this, I always put my credentials right after my name at the very top of my resume. Jojo can do it like this: JOJO, ADN, RN. That way, there is no confusion as to what credentials she/he currently has.