ER / Emergency Room Nurse Resume [+Job Description]

You keep a keen eye on patient vital signs in a fast-paced environment—

Staying on the ball even as you’re run off your feet.

When it comes to your career, though—

It’s much easier to let things slip.

You’re all about patient care—now it’s time for some self-care:

Keep your career on track.

How?

By writing an ER nurse resume that gives you options.

In this guide:

• An ER nurse resume sample better than most.
• How to create the perfect emergency room nurse job description for resumes.
• How to write a resume for ER nurse jobs that stands out.
• Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing an ER nurse job.

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Need a resume for a different nursing specialization? Just getting started in nursing or thinking of qualifying to be a nurse? We also have related medical fields, check out some of our guides:

• Nursing Resume Example
• ICU Nurse Resume Example
• Nurse Practitioner Resume Example
• Certified Nursing Assistant / CNA Resume Example
• Medical Assistant Resume Example
• Caregiver Resume Example
• Dental Assistant Resume Example
• Patient Care Technician Resume Example
• Licensed Practical Nurse / LPN Resume Example
• Medical Resume Example
• Medical School Resume Example
• New Grad Nursing (RN) Resume Example
• Nursing Student Resume Example
• Paramedic / EMT Resume Example
• Phlebotomist Resume Example
• Registered Nurse / RN Resume Example

ER Nurse Resume Sample

Now here’s how to write an ER nurse resume they’ll love:

1. Use the Right ER Nurse Resume Format

Imagine if patient charts were free-form—

Anything goes, just jot down what you feel is important wherever.

And now you know why resume format matters—

Make yours as clean and ordered as an OR. Here’s how:

Emergency Room Nurse Resume Format

• Use the chronological resume format to show your most recent jobs first.
• Choose a subdued, professional resume font like Noto, Arial, or Helvetica in 11–12 pt.
• Set your resume margins at one inch and space everything out.
• Stick to the recommended length. How many pages should a resume be, anyway?The answer is a resounding one page.Go to a max of two pages for your resume only if you remember seeing iron lungs and smoking rooms in hospitals.
• Include at least these sections: Resume Header, Profile, Experience, Education, and Skills.

Keep in mind that many hospitals use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan and analyze the resumes they get from candidates, so you need an ATS resume.

What does this mean?

Most importantly, an ATS resume has a machine-readable file format. All things considered, it’s best to submit a PDF resume file unless the job ad asks specifically for a Word document.

2. Write an Attention-Grabbing Emergency Room Nurse Resume Objective or Summary

There’s a reason hospital alarms and warning sounds are so obnoxious.

You want your resume profile section to cut through background noise too, but—

You don’t want to be like those audible alarm signals.

Been in the ER for a couple of years or more?

Then start with a resume summary and capitalize on that experience.

Use:

1. One adjective (reliable, efficient, friendly)
2. Job title (ER Nurse)
3. Years of experience (6+, 7+)
4. How you’ll help (provide excellent patient care)
5. Two or three of your most relevant achievements (looked after 10+ patients at a time in a 25 bed emergency department)

These ER nurse resume summary examples show how:

ER Nurse Resume Examples—Summary

What do you think?

The first example is concrete and quantified—

It drops duties in favor of achievements.

Relatively new to the ER?

Write a resume objective and play to achievements from non-ER nursing jobs.

Emergency Room Nurse Resume Objective—Examples

Another key difference between good and bad examples:

The good ones focus on what you can do for the hospital—

And not what you expect to get.

Feeling a little overwhelmed with this whole resume profile thing?

Here’s the easy fix: write it last.

3. Create a Winning Skills Section and ER Nurse Job Descriptions for Your Resume

Nursing is something you do as much as something you know.

Use your resume work history to show yourself in action.

But—

There’s a right way to do that.

How to write ER nurse resume job descriptions:

1. Take a second to re-read the job ad.
2. Pick up on the ER nurse skills and duties in it.
3. Think of times you’ve used those skills to make a difference in patient outcomes.
4. Write resume bullet points that focus on the results of your work, with numbers to back up everything possible.

These ER nurse resume examples show how:

ER Nurse Job Description for a Resume

Small tweaks, wildly different outcomes.

Both examples use resume power words to their advantage—

But then the first one pulls ahead by putting number to claims.

One more thing:

A list of skills for your resume—you need one.

But—

It’s not as easy as spamming in every nursing skill that comes to mind.

The trick is to be selective:

Cover what the job ad requires and not much more.

ER Nurse Skills for Resume

Hard skills

• Wound management
• Critical care
• IV therapy
• Infection control
• Basic life support
• Advanced life support
• Medication administration
• Pain management
• Triage
• MEDITECH software

Soft skills

• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Teamwork skills
• Organizational skills
• Prioritization skills
• Assessment skills
• Detail orientation
• Critical thinking skills
• Problem solving
• Decision making

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4. Turn Sterile Education Into a Reason to Hire You

No matter what educational route you took to becoming a nurse—

Your journey left you with a particular set of skills.

Do them justice:

List your degrees, schools, and years attended.

Add bullet points that speak to your passion and key skills.

This emergency room nurse resume example shows how:

Resume for ER Nurse—Education Example

Just qualified as nurse? 

Use your resume education section to your advantage and include projects, classes, and accomplishments that show your nursing skills.

5. Stock Your ER Nurse Resume With Added Sections

Nursing is one the most human fields—

There’s a lot that goes into being a great nurse that doesn’t fall under work history, skills, and education.

So—

Add one or two resume sections to fill in the blanks:

• Additional Activities
• Foreign Languages
• Classes Taken
• Awards
• Hobbies and Interests
• Volunteering
• Certifications
• Professional References

These two ER nurse resume examples show yes vs no:

Sample Emergency Room Nurse Resume—Extra Sections

Medicine, meet homeopathy.

Hobbies and interests can be fantastic additions, but—

Every single thing you add has to be directly relevant to the job ad.

Nearly there—

You'll just need a cover letter to go with your ER nurse resume.

You’re off the hook only if you’ve been explicitly told not to include one. Otherwise, write a great cover letter and submit it with your resume. 

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Key Points

For an ER nurse resume that gets interviews:

• Use the emergency room nurse resume template up top. It’s as clean as an ER floor, when it’s not covered in discarded wrappers and bodily fluids.
• Put ER nurse achievementsin your resume profile, work history, and education sections to show you know why comfortable nurse shoes are a thing.
• Include the right ER nurse skills in your resume. Triage doesn’t even begin to cover it—let the job ad be your guide and be brutal in cutting the list down.
• Write an ER nurse cover letter. It’s your opportunity to put your passion on display and make an evidence-based case for why you should get the job.

Got some burning, unanswered questions regarding your ER nurse resume? Leave us a comment down below—we’ll be sure to get back to you.

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