Registered Nurse Resume Example & Template (RN, BSN)
Hospital ATS filters on license, certifications, and EHR system before a recruiter sees your resume. Put your credentials in your name line, follow with a 'Licenses & Certifications' block above 'Experience', and write every bullet around a patient outcome — fall rate, readmission rate, satisfaction score, medication-error rate.
Registered Nurse resume example
Sarah Williams, BSN, RN, CCRN
Registered Nurse · ICU / Critical Care · 7 yrs
BSN-prepared RN with 7 years in a 24-bed medical ICU. CCRN, ACLS, PALS. Epic super-user and unit-based council chair.
- Cared for 1:1 and 1:2 critical patients on vents, CRRT, ECMO, and pressors; maintained a 0% CLABSI rate over 18 months on the unit.
- Reduced unplanned extubations 54% by chairing a sedation-vacation protocol redesign across 28-nurse team.
- Precepted 11 new graduate RNs through unit orientation; 100% retention at 1 year vs unit average of 78%.
- Charge nurse 1x/week — managed admissions, rapid responses, and staffing for the unit.
ATS tips for registered nurse resumes
Top skills for registered nurse resumes
Hard skills
Soft skills
Best templates for registered nurses
Common registered nurse resume mistakes
- Forgetting license number, state, and expiration — most hospital ATS reject the application outright.
- Listing duties copied from the JD instead of measurable patient outcomes.
- Leaving off EHR experience — it's the single most-searched keyword in nursing job postings.
- Using a two-column or graphic template — Workday, Taleo, and Cerner ATS portals can't parse them reliably.
Registered Nurse salary insights
Entry-level
$66k – $82k
Mid-level
$85k – $112k
Senior
$118k – $155k+ (Charge, CNS, NP, CRNA paths)
U.S. base salary ranges, 2025 BLS + Nurse.org compensation data.
Frequently asked questions
How do I list travel-nursing assignments?
Group them under your travel agency as the employer with each assignment as a sub-bullet: hospital, unit, dates, patient population, one measurable outcome. Don't list 9 separate 'jobs'.
Do new-grad RNs need a different resume structure?
Yes — put Education and Clinical Rotations above Experience. List each rotation with hospital, unit, hours, and one measurable skill or outcome.
Should I include my NCLEX pass date?
Only if you passed within the last 12 months and you're a new grad. After that, just list your active license.
Ready to build your registered nurse resume?
Start with our ATS-tested template and let our AI suggest the bullets that get registered nurses shortlisted.