Nurse CV Example & Writing Guide

Knowing how to write a nurse CV can help you secure a job even in a field as competitive as healthcare in the UK. The key is to focus on your skills, qualifications, and measurable achievements; these can help you stand out more than discussing your past responsibilities.

In this article, we will show you how to write a CV for a registered nurse, provide a good example, and share some tips to help you gain an edge over the competition.

What Employers Look For in a Nurse CV

In a nurse CV, employers look for clinical experience, relevant qualifications, highly developed soft skills, and proof of success through measurable patient outcomes.

In this regard, a nurse CV is similar to other CVs, but it focuses on patient care. As a result, you should discuss the skills related to it, such as empathy, communication, problem-solving, and teamwork, as well as relevant achievements, like patient satisfaction and reduced wait times.

Furthermore, this kind of CV should always include the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration details. These are mandatory for practising nurses in the UK, so employers look for this information immediately when reviewing your CV.

Nurse CV Example

Before we examine writing tips in detail, we’ll provide a nurse CV example to serve as inspiration and illustrate the points we will make in the next section:

Use this example

Key Sections of a Nurse CV and How to Write Them

Key sections of a nurse CV include contact information, personal statement, skills, professional experience, education and qualifications, and certifications and training. Additionally, you may add projects, references, languages, or anything else you deem relevant.

That said, let’s take a look at each section in more detail:

#1. Contact Information and Personal Statement

Contact information and a personal statement should be placed at the top of your CV, where recruiters can immediately see them, even before they start reading through the document. These two sections give basic information about you, so you should consider carefully what to include.

For starters, contact information should contain the following details:

In general, nurses are advised to include their NMC registration details in their contact information. That way, potential employers can immediately see that you are qualified to work as a nurse, and your chances of being invited for an interview increase exponentially.

As for the personal statement, you should keep it short (4–5 lines at most) and still pack it with information. Think of it as a concise overview of your CV; it should summarise its most essential parts and convince recruiters to keep reading.

So, make sure to include your title, relevant experience, skills, and the most significant achievement. When writing about your accomplishments, be as specific as possible; it’s best to support them with measurable results to give validity to your claims.

Here’s what these two sections should look like in practice:

#2. Skills Section

The skills section should contain 6–10 of your most relevant capabilities, typically starting with hard skills and ending with soft skills. These should be presented in bullet points; short, straightforward, and without further elaboration.

Here is what a nurse’s skill section should look like:

#3. Professional Experience

Along with the skills section, professional experience is typically the part employers are particularly interested in. After all, this section demonstrates how you applied your skills in past roles and the contributions you made.

The work experience section should be organised in a reverse chronological order, meaning that you should start from your most recent job and work your way back. That way, recruiters can easily track your career progression and immediately see the most relevant information.

Each entry should come with bullet points listing some of your most significant achievements, accompanied by measurable results. However, you shouldn’t write too much; 3–6 bullet points and one sentence per accomplishment is enough.

Considering your space is limited, ensure each word counts. That’s why it’s best to use strong action verbs when describing your accomplishments; for instance, “provided,” “delivered,” or “administered”.

In fact, here is a more comprehensive list of possible verbs to use:

Here’s a good example of the work experience section on a nurse CV:

#4. Education and Qualifications

The education and qualifications section should contain your two most recent nursing degrees, along with the institutions where you’ve obtained them and graduation dates. In other words, if you have a master’s and a bachelor’s degree, you don’t have to mention your secondary school, as it’s generally irrelevant and may only take up space.

As a rule, you should keep this section short and simple if you have sufficient work experience; but if not, it can be your trump card. In such a case, you can elaborate on your education by adding bullet points here and discussing your grades, projects, awards, or anything else that might boost your chances.

Here’s an example of a good education section:

#5. Certifications and Training

The most important thing to mention in the certifications and training section is, without a doubt, your NMC registration. In fact, since it’s mandatory for practice, you can place it in the education section instead; ultimately, it’s your choice.

Other certifications for nurses are optional but may significantly enhance your application. You don’t need to elaborate much on them, though; their names and years of obtaining them should be sufficient. However, if you believe some need to be clarified further, you can briefly explain what they entail.

The following is an example of a certifications section on a nurse CV:

#6. Projects/Additional Experience (Optional)

We’ve covered all mandatory sections, but you can add more than just that to your CV. Anything that could boost your application is welcome, as long as it doesn’t make your document too long.

Keeping that in mind, here are a few sections you may use to demonstrate your additional experience:

#7. References (Optional)

Lastly, the references section can be useful if you can provide good references; in that case, aim for two. However, most candidates choose to either write “available upon request” or omit this section entirely. This is also perfectly acceptable, as it is certainly not mandatory to include.

How to Make Your Nurse CV Stand Out

To make your nurse CV stand out, you should pay particular attention to its content, format, style, and design. Given the acute shortages—with over 36,000 nursing vacancies across England—a well-written CV can significantly boost your chances of being shortlisted.

Let’s take a look at a few CV tips for nurses to help you achieve this:

Make a Professional CV Within Minutes

If you still need help writing a nurse application, use our professional CV builder to create one within 15 minutes. All you need to do is enter the required information, follow our AI assistant’s instructions, and select a suitable template at the end.

You can also browse through our selection of CV examples for various industries and career levels to see what your application should look like. This is particularly helpful if you want to write a compelling document by yourself from scratch.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this article has given you enough guidance to write a compelling nurse CV on your own. Remember to focus on your qualifications, soft skills, and achievements; these will help you prove your worth as an employee and stand out among other candidates.

Nurse CV FAQ

#1. What is the best CV format for a nurse?

The best CV format for a nurse is the reverse chronological format, where the entries in the work experience and education sections are arranged starting with the most recent one. This highlights your most relevant experiences and allows recruiters to easily track your career progression.

#2. What is a good CV headline for a nurse?

A good CV headline for a nurse should provide a concise overview of their key achievements, skills, and experience. Make sure to include strong action verbs, skills relevant to the position you’re applying for, and numbers to illustrate your accomplishments; all these will significantly boost your headline’s impact.

#3. What key skills should a nurse highlight in the CV?

Key skills a nurse should highlight in the CV are soft skills, such as communication, empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving, and time management. However, they should also include some hard skills; for instance, patient assessment, medication administration, emergency response, medical equipment operation, and more.

#4. Can I use the same CV for NHS and private sector roles?

You shouldn’t use the same CV for NHS and private sector roles simply because it’s wiser to tailor your application for each position you’re applying for. If you don’t do that, your CV might be overlooked by recruiters, who could deem it too generic.

#5. Do I need to include NMC registration on my CV?

You need to include your NMC registration on your CV, preferably at the very top of the document in the contact information section. This identifies you as a registered nurse in the UK and ensures recruiters read your application; otherwise, they might not consider you a competent candidate at all.