Unpaid Positions on Resume

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Ok, for the last 2 years I have been focusing on school and caring full time for a family member in home who needs total care. I have experience with g-tubes, med administration, and insulin monitoring and injections. I want to include this experience on my resume. In my resume I have a section for "Professional Experience" would it be appropriate to include this here, as it is an unpaid position? Should if be considered volunteer work?

Also, when filling out an application and it asks if I am currently employed is it lying if I say yes and include this as a job? This is an unpaid position and I don't want to lie, I guess I'm just confused about where I can include this since it is unpaid. Thank you all so much for your help!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

Sorry, caring for family members is not appropriate to list on your resume, no matter what type of tasks you are doing. It does not meet the definition of 'volunteer' either, since it is limited to family. You're helping out your family, not working for them.

On the positive side, no one actually expects a new grad to have nursing experience. That's why we have formal programs for new grads.

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

I agree, I would not list the care of family members on a resume. I spent my time prior to nursing school taking care of my sick mom, but I don't put that on resumes. First, none of my managers/co-workers need to know about my family issues and second I do not want my family issues to having any bearing on my being able to get a job. If I had volunteered at a clinic or something like that I would totally list it. However taking care of family members is not "volunteer" work.

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