There are many ways to write a resume, but ideally, you want to write one that catches a recruiter’s attention. Having a stellar resume can help ensure that you land great work opportunities, especially if you recently graduated or intend to transition to travel nursing.
Aside from knowing just what not to do when crafting a resume, as well as the pros and cons of using artificial intelligence (AI) tools for writing resumes and cover letters, aspiring travel nurses must also understand what recruiters want to see on their resumes to make sure that their resumes stand out.
In this article, we list down what travel nurse recruiters look for in a resume, to help you fine-tune yours and get you one step closer to landing a potentially career-changing interview.
What to put on a travel nurse resume
A brief but tailored and impactful career profile
Create a one- or two-sentence career profile that highlights why the recruiter should choose you as a strong applicant for the open position. The career profile, when done correctly, can help give recruiters an idea of how much of an asset you’ll be in their organization if they decide to hire you. For example, if you have been an HHA for three years and have recently transitioned into being an RN, your career profile can look like this:
Newly graduated RN with three years of hands-on experience as a home health aide (HHA) in a long-term care facility, eager to deliver patient-centered care and explore travel nursing opportunities.
Education, licenses, and certifications
Immediately following your resume’s header, which includes your name and contact information, should be your education information and a list of your licenses and certifications. For instance, if you possess certifications such as Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), or the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), list them in this section. Don’t forget to include the expiration dates for each certification.
This section can help travel nurse recruiters determine if you’re eligible for an open position immediately.
School clinical rotation information
This is specifically for new nurses who don’t have relevant work experience yet. You should highlight your school clinical experience. The following information should be included:
- Facility, location, and setting information
- The number of hours for each clinical rotation
- Main responsibilities for each clinical rotation
- Year and season
You can highlight the specific skills you learned and the tools you’ve used as well.
Previous work experience
Always include your previous healthcare work experience, even if it’s a different role, such as being a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Home Health Aide (HHA), or a dietary aide at a long-term care facility. If you have previous work experience as an RN, list your previous jobs and include the following information:
- Facility name
- Number of beds in the facility and in the unit you worked at
- Ratios
- Charting systems and tools used
- Unique clinical skills
If you’re a new RN with no previous healthcare experience at any role, it’s a good idea to add work experience in the customer service, retail, and childcare industries. Healthcare recruiters keep an eye out for applicants with experience in these sectors, where important soft skills such as problem-solving, time management, and critical thinking are developed and practiced.
It’s also important to include your employment timeline (months and years for each company) to demonstrate how long you stayed in each job.
Volunteering or nursing committees and groups experience
If you have volunteering experience, such as if you’re part of community volunteer groups, the American Red Cross, or your local hospitals and community centers, it’s a great idea to include that on your resume. You can also list the notable organizations you’re part of, such as the National Student Nurses’ Association and the American Nurses Association.
