Home Registered Nurse Resume template
Registered Nurse resume template
A clean starting structure with example content grounded in what registered nurses actually do day to day, not generic filler. Download and replace the bracketed placeholders with your own details.
Which resume format should you use?
Reverse chronological
You have a steady work history. This is the format almost every recruiter and ATS expects by default.
Functional
You're changing fields or have gaps in your employment. Leads with skills rather than a job-by-job timeline.
Combination
You're early career or have worked consistently but for only a few employers. Blends a skills summary with a shorter chronological history.
This template uses the reverse chronological format: the one most registered nurses should default to, since most Australian recruiters and ATS software expect it.
Professional summary
Registered Nurse with hands-on experience in clinical assessment, medication management and care coordination across acute and community settings. Holds current AHPRA registration and works confidently within multidisciplinary teams to deliver safe, evidence-based patient care. Comfortable balancing high caseloads with accurate documentation and patient education.
Key skills
- Clinical assessment and treatment
- Medication management
- Care planning and coordination
- Infection control and hygiene
- Patient care and support
- Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems
- IV infusion pumps
- Patient monitoring equipment
- Clinical assessment scales
Experience: example bullet points
- Assessed vital signs and clinical status for a full patient caseload each shift, identifying deteriorating patients early and escalating to medical staff per hospital protocol
- Administered medications, injections and IV therapies in line with clinical guidelines, maintaining a strong medication safety record with no reportable errors
- Developed and updated individualised care plans in collaboration with allied health and medical teams, coordinating treatment across multiple disciplines
- Documented clinical observations and patient progress accurately in electronic health records, supporting continuity of care across shift handovers
- Educated patients and families on chronic disease management, medication adherence and self-care, improving patient understanding of discharge instructions
Education
Bachelor of Nursing (or equivalent approved qualification), current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (AHPRA), with many RNs pursuing postgraduate specialisation (e.g. critical care, mental health, midwifery)
Keywords an ATS is likely to scan for
Applicant tracking systems match your resume against terms in the job ad before a person ever sees it. Only include the ones that actually apply to your experience, but if a term below matches something you've done, use the same wording the job ad uses.
- AHPRA registration
- Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA)
- Continuing professional development (CPD)
- National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards
- Medication management
- Infection control
- Electronic health records (EHR)
- My Health Record
- Clinical handover
- Care planning
- IV therapy
- Patient assessment
- Multidisciplinary team
Getting past ATS screening
- Match the specific skills, certifications and terms used in the job ad, not just your own wording for the same thing.
- Keep formatting simple: no tables, text boxes, columns, headers/footers or graphics. Parsers frequently drop content placed in these.
- Submit as .docx or PDF unless the job ad specifies otherwise.
- Use standard section headings (Experience, Education, Skills) rather than creative alternatives.
- List your core skills and technical competencies in their own section so a keyword scan can find them instantly.
This is a starting point, not a guarantee of interviews. Tailor every bullet point to your own real experience and the specific job ad.