Getting started
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Begin bullet points with a verb (refer to the verb bank on page 2 of the Google Doc linked below for examples)
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Familiarize yourself with jargon and word choice commonly used in nursing job descriptions in order to craft your experiences to reflect these qualifications and descriptions
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Bullet points on a resume are not written as complete sentences. The goal is to help readers quickly understand what your role entailed, how you carried out the position, the results of your performance.
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Ensure all medical terminology is being used correctly
We recommend the "Situation, Action, Result" format for crafting resume bullet points. This will keep them concise and impactful while effectively describing your experiences and highlighting your achievements.
Situation: Scenarios you have had to deal with in your experience
Action: What you did to resolve the problem
Result: Outcomes that resulted from your actions
The Google Doc linked on the right has a list of questions to help you create SAR statements for your experiences.
Nursing Competencies
You'll want to incorporate key words and phrases specific to Nursing into your bullet points. The Nursing Pre-Licensure Competencies is a set of 12 Nursing competencies that have been interwoven into the BSN and MN curricula. You can pull a lot of helpful, industry-specific terminology from their descriptions to incorporate into your bullet points.
DNP and PhD students will likely want to incorporate more specialized language into their resume, but may pull from the pre-licensure competencies as a jumping off point.
Tailoring Your Resume
You should update your resume when you begin applying to jobs! Review the requirements and position description to identify the key skills and experiences the hiring manager will be looking for. Tailor your resume by phrasing your bullet points in a way that highlights your most relevant experiences and incorporates the terminology you found in the posting.
Sample Statements
In the Google Doc linked below, you'll find examples of Nursing resume statements that use the SAR technique and incorporate industry-specific terminology.