How to Write a Nurse's Curriculum Vitae

Preparing for a career in nursing begins with promoting your work experience to hospitals and other medical facilities. Your most effective tool for delivering this sales pitch is a nurse's curriculum vitae (CV). A nurse's CV should address why you and your work experience are a better fit for the job opening than any other candidate. Understanding exactly what the employer is searching for establishes a foundation on which you can build one of several versions of your nursing CV that you will need.

Things You'll Need

• Resume paper
• Printer

Instructions

1. Begin by crafting a clear objective relevant to a particular employer or specific job you seek. Examine the hospital's mission, vision, corporate culture and services, most of which can be found on the company's website. Utilize keywords found in these statements within your objective.

2. Start your nurse's curriculum vitae on a page with margins of one inch all around. Margins can vary on the top and bottom if you like, but they should be no less than half an inch and no more than 1.25 inches. Focus on clarity by using a simple font such as Helvetica or Times New Roman throughout. Adding bold headings can spice up your layouts without sacrificing consistency. Text should be justified to the left margin.

3. Construct your nursing CV in a chronological fashion, beginning with your most recent employment. Describe not only the type of medical facility you worked in (outpatient, cardiac, rehabilitation) but also your typical caseload. Note any areas of specialization. Highlight any areas of performance improvement or significant accomplishments. Even in the field of nursing, employers look for results-driven employees.

4. Include any of these key points to describe your experience: managerial or supervisory experience, administrative or budgetary work, participation in special projects or committees, leadership of any teaching rounds or presentations to new nurses. These areas can help separate you from a crowded field of applicants.

5. Add an education section that lists your degrees, academic honors and graduation dates. Include any scholarships or nursing fellowships you earned. Recent graduates can note their grades and coursework, if applicable. Experienced nurses might consider highlighting their clinical rotations. For nursing licenses, list the date you earned the license as well as the state or states in which you are licensed.

6. Finish with a list of references including at least one professional reference. Make sure you list their contact information and positions they hold.

Tips & Warnings

• List any unpaid work experience, practicums or training rotations if they are relevant to the job or if you are just starting out in the field. Showcase more than clinical skills. Include computers skills or proficiency in a second language. Maintain your nurse's CV. Don't let it get outdated.

• Do not make your nurse's CV longer than two pages. Do not embellish or be untruthful about your experience or skills. Do not use passive language. Use strong, active verbs to describe your work experience and accomplishments.

Resources

• Nursing CV example