How to Make Your Nurse Practitioner (NP) Resume Stand Out

Creating a unique resume as a nurse practitioner is lucrative to stand out from a sea of applicants. A resume communicates the brand of the NP and their qualifications. It helps the NP secure an interview and most employers will also use the resume as a guideline during the interview process.

The first aspect of a resume that a job recruiter notices is the layout. The resume should be concise, no more than one to two pages. Try to stick to one page unless the second page will add significant value. 

There are several resume formats, but the most common format is the reverse chronological resume. This is when the latest work experience is listed first and the older jobs are listed afterward. It is great for NPs with plenty of work history and no gaps in employment.

Another format to choose from is the functional resume. This format highlights the skills sections and is a suitable option for those switching careers or having large gaps in their work history. 

Additionally, there is a combination layout, which is a mixture of the reverse chronological and functional resume. It focuses on applicable employment experience, skill sets, and accomplishments. This format is ideal for NPs with experience in multiple specialties or travel nurses that have completed more than ten assignments.

When writing a resume, there should be clear section headings and ample white space around the margins. Choose an easy-to-read font and the right font size such as 12 pt for normal text and 16 pt for section titles. Use bullet points under professional experience to specify job descriptions. Microsoft Word is a common application used to create a resume. However, be sure to save it as a PDF file before sending it to recruiters to ensure the formatting is accurate.   

Below are the different sections of a resume.

Objective or Resume Summary

This part is optional. An objective statement briefly outlines the NP’s career goals and may be a good choice for those with limited work experience, such as graduate NPs. A resume summary encapsulates the relevant professional experience and skills of the NP. An experienced NP can dictate how many years of experience they have here.

Employment History

Experienced NPs can list their relevant work experience under this section. Each job should be listed in chronological order from the most recent to the oldest position. The NP should provide a brief summary of duties and accomplishments under each recorded position. For instance, the NP can dictate which electronic health record system (EHR) they used while working there. They can illustrate common skills they used during this job, such as suturing, incision and drainage, pap smears etc.

Try to avoid describing skills already required for the role of an NP, like interpreting lab results and diagnosing patients. These are a given, and the potential employer already expects the NP to be competent in those tasks. Be specific with achievements at the workplace. Examples of accomplishments during this employment experience can include achieving the highest patient satisfaction rate of 100 percent, or growing the practice to 3,000 patients, or starting a group therapy program at the facility.

For recent graduates and NPs without relevant work experience, they can list their clinical rotation experiences as a student NP. Similar to the above work experience, they can describe skills used during the rotation and anything they mastered during their time there. Examples include the number of patients seen per day independently, the EHR used, and became proficient in trigger point joint injections.

New graduate NPs may also incorporate some of their registered nurse (RN) experience that is relevant to the specific job. For example, if a new graduate NP is applying for a position in a cardiology practice, they could write their experience working as a cardiac nurse on their resume. Or if the NP is interested in working in the urgent care setting, they can list their relevant experience working in the emergency room as an RN.

This section attempts to use key words such as leadership, collaboration, mentorship, consultation, and documentation. For instance, “I led the Covid-19 precautions initiative at my clinic.” Recruiters and potential employers often skim resumes for key words that show the NP would be a good fit for their practice.

The format for writing the relevant work experience is as follows:

• Job Title or Position – This goes on top or at the beginning of each work experience entry. An example is: Family Nurse Practitioner or Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner.
• Company Name, Location, and Description – Name the company of the former employer and the city and state it is located in. If it is not obvious what type of company this was, such as a hospital, feel free to describe what services the company offered briefly.
• Achievements and Responsibilities – Be specific about what tasks were done and accomplishments while working there, as explained above. Quantify achievements with figures and facts. This shows the recruiter the value the NP will bring to the new role.
• Dates Employed – Document the date you started the job and the date you finished working there. The standard format for listing the dates worked is in mm/yyyy (month and year).

Languages

Briefly list the proficiency in each language with conversation, reading, and writing. Specify if the language known is specific only to medicine. Sometimes the job interviewer will utilize this section to ask the interviewee to say several sentences in another language. So make sure you are honest about your abilities!

Volunteer Experience

This section includes past and current volunteer work the NP has done. It can also detail community engagement experience of the NP, such as serving at the homeless shelter or working with the public health department. Highlight any transferable skills that will be useful in the NP position. Having volunteer experience shows that the NP is well-rounded and may be a good fit for their practice. It indicates that the NP is willing to help others even without being paid and is devoted.

Common Resume Mistakes

Avoid the following common resume errors:

• Typos
• Salary information
• Personal information: such as religion or children
• Including age or birthday
• Outdated: not including current and relevant positions
• Unprofessional email address
• More than two pages