Nurses might be in demand, but that does not mean you should dismiss the importance of a strong resume. Your resume provides a way to emphasize your talents and skills so that hiring managers want to hire you. This also helps you to succeed when you apply for competitive LPN jobs. How do you know what to include in a resume? Review a sample of a strong resume, like the one below, and use it as a guide.
Our licensed practical nurse resume sample provides an example against which to measure your own. It also helps you to determine which skills are important to point out, as well as ways in which to describe your past work experience and accomplishments. It can offer inspiration for the format of your document. If you still struggle after reviewing the sample, take advantage of our resume builder.
Britney Ford
123 Fake Street | City, State, Zip Code
Cell: 000-000-0000
email@email.com
Professional Summary
Confident and communicative Licensed Practical Nurse with experience within clinical, home health and acute healthcare environments. Strong patient communicator and facilitator of seamless and consenting care through confident delivery of practical information to care recipients and their families. Team collaborator always willing to adapt to new procedural, technical or environmental requirements with enthusiastic support.
Core Qualifications
- McKesson and Cerner EMR
- Microsoft Office
- Medication Administration
- Vital Signs Monitoring
- Gastro/NG Site Maintenance
- Trachs/O2/Ventilator Assistance
Experience
Licensed Practical Nurse, October 2009 – June 2015
Company Name – City, State
- Provided safe, quality home health care delivery to average of 25 patients per week according to physician and RN treatment plans.
- Educated patients and families regarding treatment aspects, therapeutic procedures and other facets of medical care plan for home satisfaction.
- Maintained accurate and complete records of all patient home visits, care provision and observations.
- Identified risk factors for acute care or hospitalization needs.
Licensed Practical Nurse, April 2005 – October 2009
Company Name – City, State
- Provided skilled nursing as part of 244 bed pediatric hospital.
- Administered medications and ensured patient dietary and nutritional needs satisfied throughout each day of hospitalization.
- Followed treatment plans of physicians and RNs and provided nursing support as directed by supervising nursing staff.
Education
2005 Associate’s of Science, Nursing
University of California – City, State2005 Practical Nursing Certification
State of California
Why is This a Good Licensed Practical Nurse Resume Sample?
This licensed practical nurse resume sample excels from the beginning with the professional summary statement. Rather than using first-person pronouns, it utilizes strong descriptive nouns that brand the individual as a good candidate. For example, it begins with “confident and communicative Licensed Practical Nurse,” which encourages the hiring manager to continue reading to learn more about the jobseeker. The section continues with short statements of the skills and expertise of the individual, letting the hiring manager know that it is a relevant resume.
Next, the resume draws attention to the most important and applicable skills in the core qualifications section. The skills are relevant to the job at hand and listed in an easy-to-read format. The jobseeker listed just six items in our licensed practical nurse resume sample as to not overwhelm the hiring manager with numerous skills and strengths. It is best to not go beyond eight skills in this section, and if you need help deciding what to add, look to the job posting for ideas.
In our licensed practical nurse resume sample, the jobseeker developed a strong work experience section through using bullets for the list of accomplishments. This makes it easy for hiring managers to skim through and still retain the pertinent information. Each bullet point begins with a strong action verb to catch the attention of the hiring manager, and the author incorporates measurable metrics to demonstrate his or her accomplishments in the position, such as “provided safe, quality home health care delivery to average of 25 patients per week.
The education section might be short, but it includes the most important qualifications for the position, including the Practical Nursing Certification and the nursing degree. Because nursing requires more education and training than a high school diploma, it is implied and not necessary to include on the resume.
Why You Need a Strong Licensed Practical Nurse Resume
Although the nursing field is expected to grow, with a 16 percent increase by 2024 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that does not mean there will not be competition for each individual job opportunity. Many employers would prefer to leave positions unfilled rather than hire someone who is unqualified.
When employers review resumes, they only spend about 5 to 7 seconds skimming through before deciding to proceed with a candidate or move on to the next, according to several studies. Therefore, it is important to have a resume that provides a strong enough impression to encourage hiring managers to decide to spend more time considering you as a candidate. To do this, you need a resume that is both easy to scan and imparts your best strengths and accomplishments.
Through incorporating the tips provided and using the licensed practical nurse resume sample, you are on your way to creating a strong document.
Costly Licensed Practical Nurse Resume Mistakes To Avoid
When you write your resume, you want to steer clear of the most common mistakes. Most people know to avoid any blatant errors, typos, and lies. However, there are many other mistakes that could cost you the perfect job.
One of the biggest mistakes jobseekers make is simply listing their duties in the work experience section. Instead of just listing duties such as checking blood pressure or assisting patients with bathing, detail your accomplishments or the environment in which you worked. For example, our licensed practical nurse resume sample states, “provided skilled nursing as part of a 244-bed pediatric hospital.” This statement illustrates that the candidate has experience in large hospitals and has worked with children.
Another common mistake is going beyond one page. Even if you have decades of experience, you want to keep your resume short. Limit your past job history to fifteen years. If you feel that you need to include more, you can just list the locations without specific details.
Licensed Practical Nurse Resume Questions
What should you do to make sure your licensed practical nurse resume makes it past an ATS?
Many employers use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to pre-screen resumes based on keywords. Your resume needs to pass the ATS computer screening before a hiring manager sees it. To accomplish this, use a simple format, aligned down the center for easy scanning. Also use keywords from the job description in different sections of your resume. Study our licensed practical nurse resume sample for a good example.
What’s the best way to list certifications on your licensed practical nurse resume?
The nursing profession carries many different certifications, and you should include all that you have earned. If you have earned one certification, add it to your education section, as shown in our licensed practical nurse resume sample. Write the type of certification, the year you received it, and the state.
If you have more than one, create a separate certifications section and place it on your resume after the work experience section. List them with bullet points and don’t forget the year and state.What’s the best way to show you work well in a team on a licensed practical nurse resume?
Soft skills such as working well on a team look great displayed as work experiences. As you can see in our licensed practical nurse resume sample, statements that mention following physician treatment plans and the directions of supervising nurses show that you work well with others.
If you have worked on a trauma team, a surgical team, or have assisted in labor and delivery, these are additional group tasks. When writing them down, use language such as “worked with” or “served with” to emphasize the team aspect of the job.What should your education section look like in a licensed practical nurse resume?
As illustrated in our licensed practical nurse resume sample, place the education section after work experiences and write it in reverse chronological order. Put your most recent degree first, followed by earlier degrees. If you are a veteran nurse with many years’ experience, it is not necessary to include your high school diploma. Recent graduates, however, may add it if they wish.
Write the name of the degree, the name and location of the school, and any honors you received, such as magna cum laude. There is no need to include your GPA.How do you write about hobbies on your resume?
If you have room on you resume, you can add a section for hobbies, interests, and extra-curricular activities. The key here is to keep them relevant. “Playing beer pong” is not likely to make a good impression, while “Volunteering at the Boys’ Home” shows compassion and quality of character. Activities such as sports, creative and performing arts, volunteer work, and taking interesting classes all make good inclusions.
For more ideas, take a look at our licensed practical nurse resume sample, or use our resume builder to create a resume in minutes.
Conclusion
It takes some effort to craft a strong resume, but it is worth it when you secure the job you want. With the help of our writing guide and licensed practical nurse resume sample, you now have the skills you need to stand out from the competition. Remember to make your resume scannable and illuminate your most relevant and impressive skills and accomplishments.