Nursing is a challenging, rewarding profession that requires a variety of hard skills. Nurses need to have a lot of medical knowledge and need to be able to perform certain procedures (such as giving vaccinations and drawing blood). They also need to be tech-savvy, because they often have to update patient charts through a hospital’s online database.

Nurses also need some soft skills. They have to be patient and empathetic towards both patients and patients’ families.

They need to have strong communication skills to relay information to patients and their families, and also to work effectively with doctors and other nurses.

Skills to Include on Your RN Resume

Review an example of a resume highlighting the candidate’s nursing skills, and read below for a list of five of the most important nursing skills, as well as a longer list of other skills employers seek when hiring nurses and nurse practitioners. Develop these skills and emphasize them in job applications, resumes, cover letters, and interviews.

Having a combination of these hard and soft skills will set you up to be a successful nurse or nurse practitioner, and the closer a match your credentials are to what the employer is looking for, the better your chances of getting hired.

Resume Example Focused on Nursing Skills

Review an example of a resume for a nursing position, then review a list of skills to include on your own resume. Download the resume template (available in Google Docs and Word Online) and see the example below.

 @ The Balance 2020

Nurse Resume Example (Text Version)

Joseph Garcia, BSN, RN31 Main Street, Apt 4RRiverview, NY 10702555.654.4321Joseph.Garcia@email.com Experienced clinical nurse dedicated to providing compassionate, patient-centered care as part of an interdisciplinary medicine team. Current certifications include: CMSRN, ACLS, AHA BLS for Healthcare Provider (CPR & AED)SkillsPatient CarePatient AssessmentInfection ControlCritical ThinkingCatheterizationLeadershipTelemetryEmpathyProfessional ExperienceClinical Nurse/RN, 2017 to PresentCity Hospital – New York, NYProvides patient-centered care in busy medical/surgical setting using the nursing process, listening skills, and critical thinking. Designated weekend charge nurse.Frequent RN preceptor, mentoring new hires, including recent grads.Participates in chart review, sepsis committee, and other quality improvement initiatives.Frequently praised by management as unit leader for nursing judgment and teamwork and patients and families for empathy and compassion.Registered Nurse, 2014 to 2017Community Hospital – Riverview, NYIn a community hospital setting, used the nursing process and critical thinking skills to deliver optimal patient care. Assessed patients, developed care plans, and administered medication.Provided patient and family education.Served as charge nurse as assigned.Education Bachelor of Science, NursingSouthern New York School of Nursing, 2014 Additional CertificationsCurrent Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN), ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), BLS (Basic Life Support), and CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) certifications

Download the Resume Template

Examples of Nursing Skills
Communication Skills

Nurses must have excellent communication skills because so much of what they do involves transmitting information, from instructing and educating patients to briefing doctors and other nurses on changes in a patient’s status. Discussions can be complicated by the fact that many patients know little about medicine, so health information must be translated into less technical terms.

Communicating compassion, respect, and confidence to patients and families who may be frightened or angry are critical. Nurses also have to listen carefully to patients and families to collect important information.

Critical Thinking Skills

Healthcare involves solving puzzles. While most nurses are not responsible for diagnosis or deciding on the course of care, they still must respond correctly to emerging situations, and their input is often invaluable. Some of these decisions are obvious, based on established standards of care, but others are not.

Critical thinking skills are highly valued in candidates for employment.

Kindness

Not all patients are pleasant and polite. Some can be abusive or ungrateful. All deserve compassionate care. The ability to be kind and considerate to someone who is misbehaving, even in the face of one’s discomfort and exhaustion, is critical in nursing.

Observational Skills

Small, subtle changes, such as a strange odor to the breath or a detail of a patient’s lifestyle shared in casual conversation, could be very important diagnostic signs. While nurses are not typically responsible for diagnosis, the doctor might not be present when the change happens, or when the patient shares the information. Nurses have to notice these details and recognize them as important.

Physical Endurance

Nurses often have to move heavy equipment and even patients, and they work very long hours. Physical strength and endurance are very important. Nurses who are not in good condition themselves are liable to develop health problems of their own, requiring care, rather than giving it.

Nursing Skills List
A – G

AccuracyAdolescent CareAdministration of MedicationsAntibiotic TherapyAssisting in SurgeryAssisting with Exams and TreatmentBedside MonitoringBladder IrrigationBlood AdministrationBlood Glucose Testing DevicesCap ChangeCardiac CareCare of Gastrostomy TubeCatheter CareCatheterizationCentral Line DressingCCUChemotherapy AdministrationCommunicationCritical ThinkingData ManagementDialysisDischargeDocumentationDressing ApplicationDressing ChangeDry Sterile Dressing ApplicationElectronic Health RecordsEmergency Room CareEmpathyFamily EducationGeriatric Care

H – M

Healthcare Software Home Care Hospice Care ICU Infection Control Injections Interpersonal Intramuscularly Injections IV Therapy Kindness Lab Testing Leadership Licensure Listening Maintaining Patient Charts Management of Open Wounds Maternal Care Medical/Surgical Medications Monitoring Vital Signs

N – S

Neonatal CareObservationObstetricsOperating RoomPain ManagementPatiencePatient AssessmentPatient EducationPatient EvaluationPatient HistoryPatient MonitoringPatient CarePediatric CarePhysical AssessmentsPhysical EndurancePrenatal CarePsychiatric CareRecord KeepingRehabilitationSeizure PrecautionsShunt Dressing ChangeSpecific GravitySterile Scrub Sponge ChangeSuctioning of the Tracheotomy TubeSurgicalSurgery PreparationSuture Removal

T - Z

TeamworkTelemetry CareTime ManagementTotal Parenteral Nutrition and LipidsTracheotomy CareTransparent Wound DressingsUrine TestingVenipunctureWet Sterile DressingWithdrawal of Blood SamplesWound Irrigation

Nurse Practitioner Skills List
A - C

Accurately Documenting Patient Condition and Treatment PlansAdaptabilityAdhering to Ethical PrinciplesAnalyticalApplying Current Research to Medical PracticeAssertivenessAttention to DetailCoachingCoding and Billing for ServicesCollaboratingConsulting with Other Health Team MembersCoping with PressureCounselingCritical ThinkingCustomer Service

D - I

Decision MakingDelegatingDeveloping Rapport with PatientsDevising Protocols for Nursing PracticesDiagnosticDiffusing Stressful SituationsEvaluating Medical ServicesEvaluating Staff PerformanceFormulating Care PlansHealthcare Provider CPRInstructingInterpersonalInterpreting Medical TestsInterviewing

L - O

LeadershipListeningMaintaining Confidentiality and Protecting Sensitive DataMaking Referrals to SpecialistsManaging MedicationsManual DexterityMathematicalMentoringMonitoringMultitaskingNegotiationOngoing LearningOrdering Physical Therapy and Other TreatmentsOrganizational

P - Z

Performing Minor SurgeriesPersuasivePreparing Health Education MaterialsPrescribing MedicationPrioritizingProblem SolvingPromoting Healthy LifestylesResearchingSpanishSupervisingTaking InitiativeTeamworkTime ManagementTraining StaffVerbalWriting

How to Make Your Skills Stand Out

Use these skill words in your resume: In the description of your work history, you might want to use some of these keywords. You can also add them to your resume summary if you have one.Highlight your skills in your cover letter: In the body of your letter, mention one or two of these skills, and give a specific example of a time when you demonstrated each of those skills at work.Share your skills in your interview: Make sure you have at least one example of a time you demonstrated each of the top five skills listed here.

Watch Now: 7 Tips For a Resumé That Will Get You Hired

Nursing is a challenging, rewarding profession that requires a variety of hard skills. Nurses need to have a lot of medical knowledge and need to be able to perform certain procedures (such as giving vaccinations and drawing blood). They also need to be tech-savvy, because they often have to update patient charts through a hospital’s online database.

Nurses also need some soft skills. They have to be patient and empathetic towards both patients and patients’ families.

They need to have strong communication skills to relay information to patients and their families, and also to work effectively with doctors and other nurses.

Skills to Include on Your RN Resume

Review an example of a resume highlighting the candidate’s nursing skills, and read below for a list of five of the most important nursing skills, as well as a longer list of other skills employers seek when hiring nurses and nurse practitioners. Develop these skills and emphasize them in job applications, resumes, cover letters, and interviews.

Having a combination of these hard and soft skills will set you up to be a successful nurse or nurse practitioner, and the closer a match your credentials are to what the employer is looking for, the better your chances of getting hired.

Resume Example Focused on Nursing Skills

Review an example of a resume for a nursing position, then review a list of skills to include on your own resume. Download the resume template (available in Google Docs and Word Online) and see the example below.

 @ The Balance 2020

Nurse Resume Example (Text Version)

Joseph Garcia, BSN, RN31 Main Street, Apt 4RRiverview, NY 10702555.654.4321Joseph.Garcia@email.com Experienced clinical nurse dedicated to providing compassionate, patient-centered care as part of an interdisciplinary medicine team. Current certifications include: CMSRN, ACLS, AHA BLS for Healthcare Provider (CPR & AED)SkillsPatient CarePatient AssessmentInfection ControlCritical ThinkingCatheterizationLeadershipTelemetryEmpathyProfessional ExperienceClinical Nurse/RN, 2017 to PresentCity Hospital – New York, NYProvides patient-centered care in busy medical/surgical setting using the nursing process, listening skills, and critical thinking. Designated weekend charge nurse.Frequent RN preceptor, mentoring new hires, including recent grads.Participates in chart review, sepsis committee, and other quality improvement initiatives.Frequently praised by management as unit leader for nursing judgment and teamwork and patients and families for empathy and compassion.Registered Nurse, 2014 to 2017Community Hospital – Riverview, NYIn a community hospital setting, used the nursing process and critical thinking skills to deliver optimal patient care. Assessed patients, developed care plans, and administered medication.Provided patient and family education.Served as charge nurse as assigned.Education Bachelor of Science, NursingSouthern New York School of Nursing, 2014 Additional CertificationsCurrent Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN), ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), BLS (Basic Life Support), and CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) certifications

Download the Resume Template

Examples of Nursing Skills
Communication Skills

Nurses must have excellent communication skills because so much of what they do involves transmitting information, from instructing and educating patients to briefing doctors and other nurses on changes in a patient’s status. Discussions can be complicated by the fact that many patients know little about medicine, so health information must be translated into less technical terms.

Communicating compassion, respect, and confidence to patients and families who may be frightened or angry are critical. Nurses also have to listen carefully to patients and families to collect important information.

Critical Thinking Skills

Healthcare involves solving puzzles. While most nurses are not responsible for diagnosis or deciding on the course of care, they still must respond correctly to emerging situations, and their input is often invaluable. Some of these decisions are obvious, based on established standards of care, but others are not.

Critical thinking skills are highly valued in candidates for employment.

Kindness

Not all patients are pleasant and polite. Some can be abusive or ungrateful. All deserve compassionate care. The ability to be kind and considerate to someone who is misbehaving, even in the face of one’s discomfort and exhaustion, is critical in nursing.

Observational Skills

Small, subtle changes, such as a strange odor to the breath or a detail of a patient’s lifestyle shared in casual conversation, could be very important diagnostic signs. While nurses are not typically responsible for diagnosis, the doctor might not be present when the change happens, or when the patient shares the information. Nurses have to notice these details and recognize them as important.

Physical Endurance

Nurses often have to move heavy equipment and even patients, and they work very long hours. Physical strength and endurance are very important. Nurses who are not in good condition themselves are liable to develop health problems of their own, requiring care, rather than giving it.

Nursing Skills List
A – G

AccuracyAdolescent CareAdministration of MedicationsAntibiotic TherapyAssisting in SurgeryAssisting with Exams and TreatmentBedside MonitoringBladder IrrigationBlood AdministrationBlood Glucose Testing DevicesCap ChangeCardiac CareCare of Gastrostomy TubeCatheter CareCatheterizationCentral Line DressingCCUChemotherapy AdministrationCommunicationCritical ThinkingData ManagementDialysisDischargeDocumentationDressing ApplicationDressing ChangeDry Sterile Dressing ApplicationElectronic Health RecordsEmergency Room CareEmpathyFamily EducationGeriatric Care

H – M

Healthcare Software Home Care Hospice Care ICU Infection Control Injections Interpersonal Intramuscularly Injections IV Therapy Kindness Lab Testing Leadership Licensure Listening Maintaining Patient Charts Management of Open Wounds Maternal Care Medical/Surgical Medications Monitoring Vital Signs

N – S

Neonatal CareObservationObstetricsOperating RoomPain ManagementPatiencePatient AssessmentPatient EducationPatient EvaluationPatient HistoryPatient MonitoringPatient CarePediatric CarePhysical AssessmentsPhysical EndurancePrenatal CarePsychiatric CareRecord KeepingRehabilitationSeizure PrecautionsShunt Dressing ChangeSpecific GravitySterile Scrub Sponge ChangeSuctioning of the Tracheotomy TubeSurgicalSurgery PreparationSuture Removal

T - Z

TeamworkTelemetry CareTime ManagementTotal Parenteral Nutrition and LipidsTracheotomy CareTransparent Wound DressingsUrine TestingVenipunctureWet Sterile DressingWithdrawal of Blood SamplesWound Irrigation

Nurse Practitioner Skills List
A - C

Accurately Documenting Patient Condition and Treatment PlansAdaptabilityAdhering to Ethical PrinciplesAnalyticalApplying Current Research to Medical PracticeAssertivenessAttention to DetailCoachingCoding and Billing for ServicesCollaboratingConsulting with Other Health Team MembersCoping with PressureCounselingCritical ThinkingCustomer Service

D - I

Decision MakingDelegatingDeveloping Rapport with PatientsDevising Protocols for Nursing PracticesDiagnosticDiffusing Stressful SituationsEvaluating Medical ServicesEvaluating Staff PerformanceFormulating Care PlansHealthcare Provider CPRInstructingInterpersonalInterpreting Medical TestsInterviewing

L - O

LeadershipListeningMaintaining Confidentiality and Protecting Sensitive DataMaking Referrals to SpecialistsManaging MedicationsManual DexterityMathematicalMentoringMonitoringMultitaskingNegotiationOngoing LearningOrdering Physical Therapy and Other TreatmentsOrganizational

P - Z

Performing Minor SurgeriesPersuasivePreparing Health Education MaterialsPrescribing MedicationPrioritizingProblem SolvingPromoting Healthy LifestylesResearchingSpanishSupervisingTaking InitiativeTeamworkTime ManagementTraining StaffVerbalWriting

How to Make Your Skills Stand Out

Use these skill words in your resume: In the description of your work history, you might want to use some of these keywords. You can also add them to your resume summary if you have one.Highlight your skills in your cover letter: In the body of your letter, mention one or two of these skills, and give a specific example of a time when you demonstrated each of those skills at work.Share your skills in your interview: Make sure you have at least one example of a time you demonstrated each of the top five skills listed here.

Watch Now: 7 Tips For a Resumé That Will Get You Hired

Nursing is a challenging, rewarding profession that requires a variety of hard skills. Nurses need to have a lot of medical knowledge and need to be able to perform certain procedures (such as giving vaccinations and drawing blood). They also need to be tech-savvy, because they often have to update patient charts through a hospital’s online database.

Nurses also need some soft skills. They have to be patient and empathetic towards both patients and patients’ families.

They need to have strong communication skills to relay information to patients and their families, and also to work effectively with doctors and other nurses.

Skills to Include on Your RN Resume

Review an example of a resume highlighting the candidate’s nursing skills, and read below for a list of five of the most important nursing skills, as well as a longer list of other skills employers seek when hiring nurses and nurse practitioners. Develop these skills and emphasize them in job applications, resumes, cover letters, and interviews.

Having a combination of these hard and soft skills will set you up to be a successful nurse or nurse practitioner, and the closer a match your credentials are to what the employer is looking for, the better your chances of getting hired.

Resume Example Focused on Nursing Skills

Review an example of a resume for a nursing position, then review a list of skills to include on your own resume. Download the resume template (available in Google Docs and Word Online) and see the example below.

 @ The Balance 2020

Nurse Resume Example (Text Version)

Joseph Garcia, BSN, RN31 Main Street, Apt 4RRiverview, NY 10702555.654.4321Joseph.Garcia@email.com Experienced clinical nurse dedicated to providing compassionate, patient-centered care as part of an interdisciplinary medicine team. Current certifications include: CMSRN, ACLS, AHA BLS for Healthcare Provider (CPR & AED)SkillsPatient CarePatient AssessmentInfection ControlCritical ThinkingCatheterizationLeadershipTelemetryEmpathyProfessional ExperienceClinical Nurse/RN, 2017 to PresentCity Hospital – New York, NYProvides patient-centered care in busy medical/surgical setting using the nursing process, listening skills, and critical thinking. Designated weekend charge nurse.Frequent RN preceptor, mentoring new hires, including recent grads.Participates in chart review, sepsis committee, and other quality improvement initiatives.Frequently praised by management as unit leader for nursing judgment and teamwork and patients and families for empathy and compassion.Registered Nurse, 2014 to 2017Community Hospital – Riverview, NYIn a community hospital setting, used the nursing process and critical thinking skills to deliver optimal patient care. Assessed patients, developed care plans, and administered medication.Provided patient and family education.Served as charge nurse as assigned.Education Bachelor of Science, NursingSouthern New York School of Nursing, 2014 Additional CertificationsCurrent Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN), ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), BLS (Basic Life Support), and CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) certifications

Download the Resume Template

Examples of Nursing Skills
Communication Skills

Nurses must have excellent communication skills because so much of what they do involves transmitting information, from instructing and educating patients to briefing doctors and other nurses on changes in a patient’s status. Discussions can be complicated by the fact that many patients know little about medicine, so health information must be translated into less technical terms.

Communicating compassion, respect, and confidence to patients and families who may be frightened or angry are critical. Nurses also have to listen carefully to patients and families to collect important information.

Critical Thinking Skills

Healthcare involves solving puzzles. While most nurses are not responsible for diagnosis or deciding on the course of care, they still must respond correctly to emerging situations, and their input is often invaluable. Some of these decisions are obvious, based on established standards of care, but others are not.

Critical thinking skills are highly valued in candidates for employment.

Kindness

Not all patients are pleasant and polite. Some can be abusive or ungrateful. All deserve compassionate care. The ability to be kind and considerate to someone who is misbehaving, even in the face of one’s discomfort and exhaustion, is critical in nursing.

Observational Skills

Small, subtle changes, such as a strange odor to the breath or a detail of a patient’s lifestyle shared in casual conversation, could be very important diagnostic signs. While nurses are not typically responsible for diagnosis, the doctor might not be present when the change happens, or when the patient shares the information. Nurses have to notice these details and recognize them as important.

Physical Endurance

Nurses often have to move heavy equipment and even patients, and they work very long hours. Physical strength and endurance are very important. Nurses who are not in good condition themselves are liable to develop health problems of their own, requiring care, rather than giving it.

Nursing Skills List
A – G

AccuracyAdolescent CareAdministration of MedicationsAntibiotic TherapyAssisting in SurgeryAssisting with Exams and TreatmentBedside MonitoringBladder IrrigationBlood AdministrationBlood Glucose Testing DevicesCap ChangeCardiac CareCare of Gastrostomy TubeCatheter CareCatheterizationCentral Line DressingCCUChemotherapy AdministrationCommunicationCritical ThinkingData ManagementDialysisDischargeDocumentationDressing ApplicationDressing ChangeDry Sterile Dressing ApplicationElectronic Health RecordsEmergency Room CareEmpathyFamily EducationGeriatric Care

H – M

Healthcare Software Home Care Hospice Care ICU Infection Control Injections Interpersonal Intramuscularly Injections IV Therapy Kindness Lab Testing Leadership Licensure Listening Maintaining Patient Charts Management of Open Wounds Maternal Care Medical/Surgical Medications Monitoring Vital Signs

N – S

Neonatal CareObservationObstetricsOperating RoomPain ManagementPatiencePatient AssessmentPatient EducationPatient EvaluationPatient HistoryPatient MonitoringPatient CarePediatric CarePhysical AssessmentsPhysical EndurancePrenatal CarePsychiatric CareRecord KeepingRehabilitationSeizure PrecautionsShunt Dressing ChangeSpecific GravitySterile Scrub Sponge ChangeSuctioning of the Tracheotomy TubeSurgicalSurgery PreparationSuture Removal

T - Z

TeamworkTelemetry CareTime ManagementTotal Parenteral Nutrition and LipidsTracheotomy CareTransparent Wound DressingsUrine TestingVenipunctureWet Sterile DressingWithdrawal of Blood SamplesWound Irrigation

Nurse Practitioner Skills List
A - C

Accurately Documenting Patient Condition and Treatment PlansAdaptabilityAdhering to Ethical PrinciplesAnalyticalApplying Current Research to Medical PracticeAssertivenessAttention to DetailCoachingCoding and Billing for ServicesCollaboratingConsulting with Other Health Team MembersCoping with PressureCounselingCritical ThinkingCustomer Service

D - I

Decision MakingDelegatingDeveloping Rapport with PatientsDevising Protocols for Nursing PracticesDiagnosticDiffusing Stressful SituationsEvaluating Medical ServicesEvaluating Staff PerformanceFormulating Care PlansHealthcare Provider CPRInstructingInterpersonalInterpreting Medical TestsInterviewing

L - O

LeadershipListeningMaintaining Confidentiality and Protecting Sensitive DataMaking Referrals to SpecialistsManaging MedicationsManual DexterityMathematicalMentoringMonitoringMultitaskingNegotiationOngoing LearningOrdering Physical Therapy and Other TreatmentsOrganizational

P - Z

Performing Minor SurgeriesPersuasivePreparing Health Education MaterialsPrescribing MedicationPrioritizingProblem SolvingPromoting Healthy LifestylesResearchingSpanishSupervisingTaking InitiativeTeamworkTime ManagementTraining StaffVerbalWriting

How to Make Your Skills Stand Out

Use these skill words in your resume: In the description of your work history, you might want to use some of these keywords. You can also add them to your resume summary if you have one.Highlight your skills in your cover letter: In the body of your letter, mention one or two of these skills, and give a specific example of a time when you demonstrated each of those skills at work.Share your skills in your interview: Make sure you have at least one example of a time you demonstrated each of the top five skills listed here.

Watch Now: 7 Tips For a Resumé That Will Get You Hired

Nursing is a challenging, rewarding profession that requires a variety of hard skills. Nurses need to have a lot of medical knowledge and need to be able to perform certain procedures (such as giving vaccinations and drawing blood). They also need to be tech-savvy, because they often have to update patient charts through a hospital’s online database.

Nurses also need some soft skills. They have to be patient and empathetic towards both patients and patients’ families.

They need to have strong communication skills to relay information to patients and their families, and also to work effectively with doctors and other nurses.

Skills to Include on Your RN Resume

Review an example of a resume highlighting the candidate’s nursing skills, and read below for a list of five of the most important nursing skills, as well as a longer list of other skills employers seek when hiring nurses and nurse practitioners. Develop these skills and emphasize them in job applications, resumes, cover letters, and interviews.

They need to have strong communication skills to relay information to patients and their families, and also to work effectively with doctors and other nurses.

They need to have strong communication skills to relay information to patients and their families, and also to work effectively with doctors and other nurses.

Having a combination of these hard and soft skills will set you up to be a successful nurse or nurse practitioner, and the closer a match your credentials are to what the employer is looking for, the better your chances of getting hired.

Resume Example Focused on Nursing Skills

Review an example of a resume for a nursing position, then review a list of skills to include on your own resume. Download the resume template (available in Google Docs and Word Online) and see the example below.

Nurse Resume Example (Text Version)

Joseph Garcia, BSN, RN31 Main Street, Apt 4RRiverview, NY 10702555.654.4321Joseph.Garcia@email.com Experienced clinical nurse dedicated to providing compassionate, patient-centered care as part of an interdisciplinary medicine team. Current certifications include: CMSRN, ACLS, AHA BLS for Healthcare Provider (CPR & AED)SkillsPatient CarePatient AssessmentInfection ControlCritical ThinkingCatheterizationLeadershipTelemetryEmpathyProfessional ExperienceClinical Nurse/RN, 2017 to PresentCity Hospital – New York, NYProvides patient-centered care in busy medical/surgical setting using the nursing process, listening skills, and critical thinking. Designated weekend charge nurse.Frequent RN preceptor, mentoring new hires, including recent grads.Participates in chart review, sepsis committee, and other quality improvement initiatives.Frequently praised by management as unit leader for nursing judgment and teamwork and patients and families for empathy and compassion.Registered Nurse, 2014 to 2017Community Hospital – Riverview, NYIn a community hospital setting, used the nursing process and critical thinking skills to deliver optimal patient care. Assessed patients, developed care plans, and administered medication.Provided patient and family education.Served as charge nurse as assigned.Education Bachelor of Science, NursingSouthern New York School of Nursing, 2014 Additional CertificationsCurrent Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN), ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), BLS (Basic Life Support), and CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) certifications

Download the Resume Template

Examples of Nursing Skills

Communication Skills

Nurses must have excellent communication skills because so much of what they do involves transmitting information, from instructing and educating patients to briefing doctors and other nurses on changes in a patient’s status. Discussions can be complicated by the fact that many patients know little about medicine, so health information must be translated into less technical terms.

Nurse Resume Example (Text Version)

Joseph Garcia, BSN, RN31 Main Street, Apt 4RRiverview, NY 10702555.654.4321Joseph.Garcia@email.com Experienced clinical nurse dedicated to providing compassionate, patient-centered care as part of an interdisciplinary medicine team. Current certifications include: CMSRN, ACLS, AHA BLS for Healthcare Provider (CPR & AED)SkillsPatient CarePatient AssessmentInfection ControlCritical ThinkingCatheterizationLeadershipTelemetryEmpathyProfessional ExperienceClinical Nurse/RN, 2017 to PresentCity Hospital – New York, NYProvides patient-centered care in busy medical/surgical setting using the nursing process, listening skills, and critical thinking. Designated weekend charge nurse.Frequent RN preceptor, mentoring new hires, including recent grads.Participates in chart review, sepsis committee, and other quality improvement initiatives.Frequently praised by management as unit leader for nursing judgment and teamwork and patients and families for empathy and compassion.Registered Nurse, 2014 to 2017Community Hospital – Riverview, NYIn a community hospital setting, used the nursing process and critical thinking skills to deliver optimal patient care. Assessed patients, developed care plans, and administered medication.Provided patient and family education.Served as charge nurse as assigned.Education Bachelor of Science, NursingSouthern New York School of Nursing, 2014 Additional CertificationsCurrent Certified Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse (CMSRN), ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support), BLS (Basic Life Support), and CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) certifications

Joseph Garcia, BSN, RN31 Main Street, Apt 4RRiverview, NY 10702555.654.4321Joseph.Garcia@email.com

Communicating compassion, respect, and confidence to patients and families who may be frightened or angry are critical. Nurses also have to listen carefully to patients and families to collect important information.

Critical Thinking Skills

Healthcare involves solving puzzles. While most nurses are not responsible for diagnosis or deciding on the course of care, they still must respond correctly to emerging situations, and their input is often invaluable. Some of these decisions are obvious, based on established standards of care, but others are not.

Critical thinking skills are highly valued in candidates for employment.

Kindness

Not all patients are pleasant and polite. Some can be abusive or ungrateful. All deserve compassionate care. The ability to be kind and considerate to someone who is misbehaving, even in the face of one’s discomfort and exhaustion, is critical in nursing.

Critical thinking skills are highly valued in candidates for employment.

Critical thinking skills are highly valued in candidates for employment.

Observational Skills

Small, subtle changes, such as a strange odor to the breath or a detail of a patient’s lifestyle shared in casual conversation, could be very important diagnostic signs. While nurses are not typically responsible for diagnosis, the doctor might not be present when the change happens, or when the patient shares the information. Nurses have to notice these details and recognize them as important.

Physical Endurance

Nurses often have to move heavy equipment and even patients, and they work very long hours. Physical strength and endurance are very important. Nurses who are not in good condition themselves are liable to develop health problems of their own, requiring care, rather than giving it.

Nursing Skills List

A – G

  • AccuracyAdolescent CareAdministration of MedicationsAntibiotic TherapyAssisting in SurgeryAssisting with Exams and TreatmentBedside MonitoringBladder IrrigationBlood AdministrationBlood Glucose Testing DevicesCap ChangeCardiac CareCare of Gastrostomy TubeCatheter CareCatheterizationCentral Line DressingCCUChemotherapy AdministrationCommunicationCritical ThinkingData ManagementDialysisDischargeDocumentationDressing ApplicationDressing ChangeDry Sterile Dressing ApplicationElectronic Health RecordsEmergency Room CareEmpathyFamily EducationGeriatric Care

H – M

  • Healthcare Software
  • Home Care
  • Hospice Care
  • ICU
  • Infection Control
  • Injections
  • Interpersonal
  • Intramuscularly Injections
  • IV Therapy
  • Kindness
  • Lab Testing
  • Leadership
  • Licensure
  • Listening
  • Maintaining Patient Charts
  • Management of Open Wounds
  • Maternal Care
  • Medical/Surgical
  • Medications
  • Monitoring Vital Signs

N – S

  • Neonatal CareObservationObstetricsOperating RoomPain ManagementPatiencePatient AssessmentPatient EducationPatient EvaluationPatient HistoryPatient MonitoringPatient CarePediatric CarePhysical AssessmentsPhysical EndurancePrenatal CarePsychiatric CareRecord KeepingRehabilitationSeizure PrecautionsShunt Dressing ChangeSpecific GravitySterile Scrub Sponge ChangeSuctioning of the Tracheotomy TubeSurgicalSurgery PreparationSuture Removal

T - Z

  • TeamworkTelemetry CareTime ManagementTotal Parenteral Nutrition and LipidsTracheotomy CareTransparent Wound DressingsUrine TestingVenipunctureWet Sterile DressingWithdrawal of Blood SamplesWound Irrigation

Nurse Practitioner Skills List

A - C

  • Accurately Documenting Patient Condition and Treatment PlansAdaptabilityAdhering to Ethical PrinciplesAnalyticalApplying Current Research to Medical PracticeAssertivenessAttention to DetailCoachingCoding and Billing for ServicesCollaboratingConsulting with Other Health Team MembersCoping with PressureCounselingCritical ThinkingCustomer Service

D - I

  • Decision MakingDelegatingDeveloping Rapport with PatientsDevising Protocols for Nursing PracticesDiagnosticDiffusing Stressful SituationsEvaluating Medical ServicesEvaluating Staff PerformanceFormulating Care PlansHealthcare Provider CPRInstructingInterpersonalInterpreting Medical TestsInterviewing

L - O

  • LeadershipListeningMaintaining Confidentiality and Protecting Sensitive DataMaking Referrals to SpecialistsManaging MedicationsManual DexterityMathematicalMentoringMonitoringMultitaskingNegotiationOngoing LearningOrdering Physical Therapy and Other TreatmentsOrganizational

P - Z

  • Performing Minor SurgeriesPersuasivePreparing Health Education MaterialsPrescribing MedicationPrioritizingProblem SolvingPromoting Healthy LifestylesResearchingSpanishSupervisingTaking InitiativeTeamworkTime ManagementTraining StaffVerbalWriting

How to Make Your Skills Stand Out

Use these skill words in your resume: In the description of your work history, you might want to use some of these keywords. You can also add them to your resume summary if you have one.Highlight your skills in your cover letter: In the body of your letter, mention one or two of these skills, and give a specific example of a time when you demonstrated each of those skills at work.Share your skills in your interview: Make sure you have at least one example of a time you demonstrated each of the top five skills listed here.

How to Make Your Skills Stand Out

Use these skill words in your resume: In the description of your work history, you might want to use some of these keywords. You can also add them to your resume summary if you have one.Highlight your skills in your cover letter: In the body of your letter, mention one or two of these skills, and give a specific example of a time when you demonstrated each of those skills at work.Share your skills in your interview: Make sure you have at least one example of a time you demonstrated each of the top five skills listed here.

Use these skill words in your resume: In the description of your work history, you might want to use some of these keywords. You can also add them to your resume summary if you have one.

Watch Now: 7 Tips For a Resumé That Will Get You Hired