Registered Nurse resume keywords

These are the skills, tools and certifications that show up most often in registered nurse job postings in the US. Use only the ones that are true for you.

Asked for in most postings

• patient care
• RN license
• BLS
• medication administration
• patient assessment
• care plans
• electronic health records
• patient education

Often listed as a plus

• ACLS
• PALS
• Epic
• telemetry
• BSN
• charge nurse

Example: the same experience, written two ways

Before: Took care of patients on a busy floor.

After: Cared for 5–6 patients per shift on a 32-bed med-surg unit, administering medications, updating care plans in Epic and teaching discharge plans.

Tip: List your license state, certifications (BLS, ACLS) and unit type (med-surg, ICU, ER). Nurse recruiters search by specialty first.

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