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5 steps for building a travel nurse resume

When you’re applying for travel nursing jobs, your resume has to stand out from the stack on the hiring manager’s desk. You don’t have the luxury of walking into the hospital for an interview and impressing an employer, and video interviews are rare, too.

Fortunately, your recruiter can help you build a travel nursing resume that will get noticed — and, more importantly, get you the job you want. Here are a few tips for getting started.

travel nurse resume - image of travel nurse building resume

1. Put your name, credentials and contact details at the top of your resume

Begin your resume with your name in bold letters, followed by your credentials (RN, BSN, for example). For a travel nursing job, a physical address is not as important. However, you should include your phone number and email address immediately below your name so a hiring manager can quickly figure out how to contact you.

Use a simple email address, following a format like firstname.lastname@company.com, to be professional and avoid the risk of someone misspelling your email address by mistake. Still using that skaterchick97 email address from high school? Create a new one you only use for job applications.

2. Create an informative profile

Nurse managers know your goal is landing a position at their facility, so leave out the objective section on your resume. Instead, create a brief profile that gives the employer reasons to hire you at a glance. Here’s an example:

PROFILE

  • 5 years of ER nursing experience
  • Skilled in using both Epic and Cerner EHRs
  • Certified ACLS instructor
  • Member of the Emergency Nurses Association since 2010
  • Available for both day and evening shifts

Your profile should include certifications, professional memberships or skills you feel will set you apart. It’s also important to list your shift availability in the profile section so employers know quickly whether the open job will work for you.

3. Include all licenses and certifications

Use bullet points to list each nursing license you have and include the state where you’re licensed, expiration date, and license number.

For example:

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS

  • Registered nurse, Florida, #555555 (expires May 2018)
  • Registered nurse, Texas, #777777 (expires Sept. 2018)

Then include all certifications you hold, including advanced cardiac life support (ACLS), pediatric advanced life support (PALS), and specialized certifications, such as a CCRN (certified critical care nurse). List these as separate bullet points as well, and include the expiration dates as you do with the licenses.

While you don’t need to identify the acronyms RN or CPR, it’s a good idea to write out other acronyms so there are no misunderstandings — especially if you list a certification like CORN (certified operating room nurse).

building a travel nurse resume - image of intensive care nurse resume sample
Source: https://www.myperfectresume.com/how-to/healthcare/intensive-care-nurse-resume-sample/

4. List your relevant work experience

List your jobs in reverse chronological order (most recent job first), starting with the name of the facility. If possible, write a brief summary for each employer that includes:

  • The type of facility (long-term care, trauma center, senior nursing facility)
  • The hospital’s designation (level III trauma center, magnet hospital, teaching hospital)
  • The number of beds

Including this information tells the employer a lot about your nursing experience and can help you stand out from other candidates. If you don’t know these details, do a quick online search or visit a hospital ratings website like Health.USNews.com.

Then use at least three bullet points to describe what you did while you held that position. Start each sentence with an active verb, such as treated, cared for or instructed.

Here’s an example:

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Operating room nurse
Intermountain Medical Center
, Salt Lake City, Utah                                                  Sept. 2012 – Dec. 2014

Intermountain Medical Center is a level I trauma center with 468 beds.

  • Provided care to trauma and heart attack patients in 56-bed emergency room
  • Instructed new nurses in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS)
  • Worked as charge nurse, overseeing 10 nurses and 2 CNAs each shift

Curious about listing your travel nurse jobs so it doesn’t look like you’ve hopped from place to place? First, include the name of the travel nursing agency you work with and the years you’ve worked with them. Then list each facility where you’ve worked and the months you worked there.

For example:

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Travel nurse

RNnetwork, Boca Raton, Florida                                                                                        Jan. 2015 – present

I currently work as a travel nurse with RNnetwork. Details about my assignments are below.

St. Mark’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah                                                                  Jan. – April 2015

Level III trauma center with 300 beds

  • Cared for trauma patients in 50-bed emergency room

Don’t include any positions that aren’t relevant to your nursing experience (your stint as a fast food worker, for example). These take up space and won’t help you land the nursing jobs you want. If you’re a new graduate and don’t have a lot of work experience yet, add details about your clinical training in the education section.

travel nurse resume tips - resume sample image
Source: http://blog.bluepipes.com/sample-travel-nursing-resume/

5. Include all schools you attended

Finally, you should include an education section on your resume that lists:

  • The degrees you earned (ASN or BSN)
  • The schools you attended
  • The years you attended each school
  • The city and state of each school

For example:

EDUCATION

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland                                                        Sept. 2010 – April 2013

Bachelor’s of science in nursing

Summa cum laude graduate

Don’t list your GPA unless it is high (at least 3.5). You may consider listing other relevant awards or societies you were part of as well if you’re a recent graduate.

Now that you’ve started putting your resume together or edited your current document, call an recruiter at 800.866.0407. We’re happy to offer personalized help and ensure that you get the travel nursing job you want.

About the author

Lindsay Wilcox

Lindsay Wilcox is a communication professional with experience writing for the healthcare and entertainment industries as well as local government. When she's not circling typos, she's enjoying fish tacos and hanging out with her family.

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