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Nurse & nursing resumes · Word & Google Docs

Free Nurse Resume Templates

Free nursing resume templates built for the bedside. Unlike a generic resume, a nurse resume leads with what hospitals and recruiters actually screen for — your active license, certifications, specialty and acuity, clinical skills, and EHR systems — so you get past the first cut whether you're a registered nurse, a new grad, or specialized in ICU, ER, or med-surg.

The templates

Four nursing resume styles, one for every specialty and stage.

Each opens in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, stays on one page, and is built to be ATS-friendly. Pick the one that matches where you are in your nursing career.

Vitals — ER / Acute Care preview
WordGoogle Docs
Vitals — ER / Acute Care
Teal header with a license, certifications, and experience credential strip — an EKG-inspired band for emergency and acute-care RNs who lead with their numbers.
Bedside — Med-Surg / Telemetry preview
WordGoogle Docs
Bedside — Med-Surg / Telemetry
Navy sidebar keeping your licensure, certifications, and clinical skills front and center — built for medical-surgical and telemetry nurses.
Caduceus — ICU / Critical Care preview
WordGoogle Docs
Caduceus — ICU / Critical Care
Refined centered serif with credential cards for CCRN-certified critical-care and ICU nurses — a polished layout for experienced bedside leaders.
New Grad — No Experience preview
WordGoogle Docs
New Grad — No Experience
Fresh green layout that leads with NCLEX, clinical rotations, and education — made for new-graduate and nursing-student RNs with little or no work history.
What to include

What goes on a nurse resume.

A nursing resume is a credentials document first. Before a recruiter reads a single bullet, they’re scanning for the things that make you hireable and safe at the bedside — and large health systems run that same scan automatically through an applicant tracking system. Put these where they’ll be seen:

  • License & NCLEX. Your active RN or LPN license — issuing state, license number, and compact / multistate (eNLC) status — up top. New grads: list your NCLEX-RN status here.
  • Certifications. BLS, ACLS, PALS, TNCC, CCRN — spelled out on first use so the ATS catches both the acronym and the full name.
  • Specialty, acuity & patient load. Name your unit (ICU, ER, med-surg, telemetry, L&D) and quantify the load you carry — the nursing equivalent of results metrics.
  • Clinical skills & EHR. Patient assessment, medication administration, IV therapy, telemetry, wound care, and the systems you chart in (Epic, Cerner, Meditech) round out the picture.

New grad or nursing student? Lead with your education and clinical rotations instead of work history, add your NCLEX-RN status and BLS, and treat your final practicum and any CNA or tech work as real experience — the New Grad template is built exactly that way.

Make it yours

Fill it in and apply.

  1. Click Open in Google Docs to copy it into your Drive, or Download Word for the .docx.
  2. Drop in your license and state, certifications, specialty, and your real patient-load and experience numbers.
  3. Swap the sample experience for your own — keep bullets to results: ratios, outcomes, HCAHPS, readmission and fall rates, EHR systems.
  4. Keep it to one page, export a PDF to send to nurse recruiters, and save the editable copy for the next application.
Common questions

Nurse resume FAQ

Are these nurse resume templates really free, and what formats do they come in?
Yes — every template is free to download and edit in Microsoft Word (.docx) and Google Docs, with a print-ready PDF you can export in one click. Open it, swap in your details, and send it off. No sign-up, no watermark.
What should I put on a nursing resume?
Lead with your active RN or LPN license — state, license number, and compact/multistate (eNLC) status — then a certifications block such as BLS, ACLS, PALS, TNCC, or CCRN where they apply. Follow with clinical experience that quantifies your patient load (e.g., 5–6 telemetry patients per shift), your specialty or unit (ICU, ER, med-surg), the EHR systems you've used (Epic, Cerner, Meditech), key clinical skills, and your BSN or ADN education. Recruiters and healthcare applicant tracking systems screen for those first.
How do I write a new grad nurse resume with no experience?
Put your education and clinical rotations near the top in place of work history — list each rotation (med-surg, pediatrics, OB/labor & delivery, psych), the patient populations, and the skills you practiced. Add your NCLEX-RN status ("passed, first attempt" or "scheduled"), your BLS certification, and a short objective. Treat your final practicum, preceptorship hours, and any CNA, tech, or externship work as real experience. Our New Grad template is built exactly this way.
How do I get my nurse resume past the ATS?
Hospitals screen with applicant tracking systems like Workday, Taleo, and iCIMS. Use a single-column, standard-heading layout and mirror the job posting's keywords: spell out certifications on first use — Basic Life Support (BLS) — name your EHR (Epic, Cerner), and include your license and specialty verbatim. These templates use clean, parseable formatting that reads well in an ATS and in Word or Google Docs alike.
What's the difference between an RN, LPN, and CNA resume?
An RN resume emphasizes the registered-nurse license, specialty certifications, and autonomous clinical judgment; an LPN resume highlights the practical-nurse license, medication administration, and care delivered under RN supervision; a CNA resume focuses on ADLs, vital signs, and patient-care support. These templates are written for RN and LPN candidates — a certified nursing assistant can use the same layouts with a CNA-focused skills section.
Should I list a BSN or ADN, and does it matter on my resume?
List whichever you hold — BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) or ADN/ASN (associate degree) — with your school and graduation date. Many hospitals now prefer or require a BSN; if you're an ADN nurse working toward one, note "BSN in progress, expected [date]" so recruiters see it.
Do I need a cover letter with my nursing resume?
Most hospital and nurse-recruiter applications still expect one. Pair your resume with a short nurse cover letter that restates your license, specialty, and why you fit the unit — it's an easy way to stand out from applicants who skip it.

Nurse & nursing resume templates · Updated June 2026

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Professional, modern, and classic resume layouts for any field — all free and editable in Word and Google Docs.
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Cover Letter Templates
Add a short nurse cover letter to introduce yourself to a recruiter or nurse manager.
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