Nursing student CV examples & writing tips

Going through nursing school is difficult. However, getting a job after you’ve completed nursing school can often seem more difficult. You may feel like you don’t have any clinical experience, and all you have to show is coursework. But in fact, the skills you built throughout nursing school are more than enough to build a polished, professional CV that catches the eye of any hiring manager. Here’s what you need to know.

To get a job as a nursing student, highlight your certifications and your clinical experience. Recruiters are looking for someone who fits the job description, and despite what you might think, your training and abilities probably do. A good CV will take the skills and experiences you’ve built throughout school and uses them to create an overview of your qualifications that can impress any recruiter. Highlight anything that the job description says the medical center is looking for, especially your soft skills.

The structure of your CV may depend on what CV format you use. This may include the chronological CV, which emphasizes work experience, the functional CV, which focuses on skills, or the combination CV, which emphasises both. Either way, you’ll typically be using the same sections, but you may change the order.

Header

The CV header always goes at the top of your CV, and it includes basic information about you. For example, it will include your full name and your contact information, including your phone number, any networking links like your LinkedIn profile, and sometimes a CV headline. The headline is a one-sentence description of who you are and your best attribute.

Professional summary or career objective

Next is the professional summary or career objective. This is typically 2-3 sentences that list your absolute best skills and key achievements you’ve had so far. CV examples are a great place to look for more information about these summaries. A professional summary is typically best for students who have lots of experience, while a career objective typically works best for those who don’t have as much experience.

Skills

In healthcare, CV skills are a crucial part of getting hired. Here are a few nursing skills you can list as bullet points to improve your hiring chances:

• Patient care
• Clinical rotations
• Pediatrics
• Measuring vital signs
• Life support
• General nursing care
• Interpersonal skills
• Time management
• Critical thinking skills
• Knowledge under pressure
• Care for individuals
• Teamwork

Notice how this list includes both hard skills and soft skills. As you look over nursing student CV examples, note the mixt of hard and soft skills to get a feel for how many of each you should include.

Work history

As a student, you’re not going to have a lot of what you would initially think of as “work experience”. However, CVs for nursing students will usually include volunteer work, internship work, and even coursework as part of your work experience. Feature these activities in your CV, focusing on useful skills you’ve utilised, as well as skills and qualifications you’ve picked up in the process.

Education

Education spans a variety of potential certifications and extracurricular activities. Here are a few you might include on your CV:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
• Registered Nurse (RN)
• Student Nurses’ Association

Licensure is important to note in your education section. Even an entry-level job will require certain licenses that you need to list for consideration. Listing your GPA isn’t mandatory, but noting honours can help elevate you above other job seekers.

Do:

• Use CV templates to make your CV shine. The CVHelp CV builder can help your CV look even more unique and give you writing tips for a more polished style.
• Include as much work history as possible. Your coursework and internships count as work history, and they can help significantly.
• List your education in reverse chronological order. If you have multiple degrees, then list the most recent one first.

Don’t:

• List only hard skills or only soft skills. Nurses need to be great at both.
• Neglect the CV writing process and assume that your basic skills will get you a job. Everyone has unique skills and experiences, and your nursing student CV is the place to showcase them.