The demand for travel nurses is soaring as healthcare facilities across the country seek skilled professionals who can adapt quickly and provide exceptional patient care in various settings. If you’re a registered nurse (RN) or nurse practitioner exploring travel nurse job opportunities, having a compelling and ATS-friendly travel nurse resume is essential to stand out.
This guide will walk you through the key sections, formatting tips, and industry-specific keywords to help you craft a resume that gets noticed by hiring managers and staffing agencies alike.
Travel Nurse Resume Examples
An optimized travel nurse resume is key to landing more interviews and securing your ideal travel nursing assignments. It should clearly showcase your clinical skills, certifications, and adaptability, proving you’re ready for the unique challenges of travel nursing. This makes you stand out to healthcare recruiters and hiring managers.
Travel Nurse Resume
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Travel Nurse Resume II
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Travel Nurse Resume III
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Key Sections to Include in Your Travel Nurse Resume
To create a powerful travel nurse resume, include these essential sections for maximum impact. Cover all key areas to showcase your qualifications effectively.
Contact Information
Include your full name, phone number, professional email, and LinkedIn profile (if applicable). Placing this information at the top ensures hiring managers can quickly contact you. Make sure your email and LinkedIn profile look professional and up to date.
Qualification Summary
Write a concise summary that highlights your nursing experience, key skills, and passion for travel nursing roles. Use relevant keywords like travel nurse job, patient care, and registered nurse RN license to align with job descriptions. This section should immediately convey your value to potential employers.
Areas of Expertise
List your core competencies, such as patient care, emergency response, care plan development, and critical thinking. These skills demonstrate your ability to handle the demands of travel nursing assignments. Tailoring this section to the job can help your resume pass ATS scans.
Work Experience Section
List your recent travel nurse assignments in reverse chronological order, specifying the type of facility (hospital, clinic, long-term care) and location. Use bullet points to clearly describe your responsibilities, achievements, and the impact you made. This format highlights your relevant work history and adaptability.
Licenses and Certifications
Detail your nursing license, including certification number and expiration dates, along with essential credentials like basic life support (BLS). This section confirms your qualifications meet regulatory and employer standards. Including all relevant certifications builds trust with hiring managers.
Education Section
Include your educational background, such as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), along with any continuing education or specialized training. This shows your commitment to professional development and clinical expertise. List your most recent or relevant education first.
Skills and Core Competencies
Highlight transferable skills important for travel nursing and nurse practitioner roles, such as critical thinking, communication, and adaptability. These abilities demonstrate your versatility in different healthcare environments. Emphasize skills that match the specific requirements of the job posting.
How to Write a Travel Nurse Resume (Step-by-Step)
Creating a winning travel nurse resume starts with a strong structure and attention to detail. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you write a travel nurse resume that impresses hiring managers and clears applicant tracking systems (ATS):
Step 1: Choose an ATS-Friendly Format
Use a clean, professional layout with standard fonts and simple section headers. Avoid graphics, tables, or columns that might confuse applicant tracking systems (ATS).
- Use a simple font like Arial or Calibri (10–12 pt).
- Stick to standard headings (e.g., “Work Experience”, “Education Section”).
- Save your file as a .docx or PDF format compatible with applicant tracking systems.
Step 2: Write a Compelling Summary Statement
Start your resume with a short paragraph or bullet list summarizing your experience, RN license, and specialty. Mention your interest or qualifications for travel nurse jobs to align with recruiter expectations.
- Highlight your registered nurse (RN) license, years of experience, and clinical specialties.
- Mention your interest or experience in travel nurse jobs.
Example:
“Compassionate RN with 5+ years of acute care and ICU experience. Licensed in multiple states with current BLS and ACLS certifications. Seeking dynamic travel nurse assignments to deliver top-tier patient care across diverse settings.”
Step 3: List Your Core Areas of Expertise
Create a bulleted list of key skills and specialties such as patient care, care plan development, or EMR systems. Use keywords found in the travel nurse job description to match ATS filters.
- Care plan development
- Emergency response
- Medication administration
- Electronic Medical Records (EMR)
- ICU, ER, Med-Surg, or specialty care
Use terms that match the job description of the roles you’re applying to.
Step 4: Detail Your Work Experience (Reverse Chronological Order)
List your recent jobs first, including your title, employer, location, and dates. Highlight accomplishments using action verbs and quantify results when possible to show impact.
- Job title and employer
- Dates of employment
- Facility type (e.g., Level I Trauma Center, rural hospital)
- Travel assignment locations, if applicable
- Key responsibilities and achievements using action verbs and measurable outcomes
Example:
Travel RN – AMN Healthcare, New York, NY | Jan 2022 – Present
• Provided direct patient care to post-surgical patients in a 300-bed acute care facility
• Reduced patient readmission by 20% through improved care plan implementation
Step 5: Add Your Licenses and Certifications
Include your nursing license, RN license, and certifications like BLS or ACLS with their certificate numbers and expiration dates. Ensure each credential is clearly labeled and up to date.
- License type (e.g., RN, LPN, NP)
- Issuing state or authority
- Certification name (e.g., Basic Life Support BLS, ACLS)
- Expiration dates
This section reassures hiring managers that your credentials are current and verifiable.
Step 6: Include Your Education Section
Mention your highest nursing degree, school name, and graduation year. For example, list your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) with proper formatting.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
University of Texas – 2018
Step 7: Add Keywords to Match Job Descriptions
Incorporate relevant terms like “travel nurse job,” “patient care,” and “nursing license” throughout your resume. Matching the language of job listings helps you pass ATS screenings and impress hiring managers.
- “travel nurse job”
- “registered nurse RN license”
- “nursing license”
- “patient care”
- “licenses and certifications”
- “expiration dates”
These keywords help your resume rank better in ATS and show you’re a strong fit for the role.
Tips for an Effective Travel Nurse Resume
Crafting an effective travel nurse resume requires clarity, brevity, and a focus on measurable impact. This section highlights best practices to ensure your resume stands out to hiring managers and passes applicant tracking systems with ease.
- Keep your resume clear, brief, and impactful — hiring managers spend seconds reviewing each resume.
- Use action verbs (e.g., managed, coordinated, assessed) to demonstrate your contributions.
- Quantify your achievements wherever possible (e.g., managed care plans for 20+ patients per shift).
- New graduates should emphasize clinical rotations and certifications; experienced nurses should highlight diverse travel assignments and leadership roles.
- Showcase transferable skills if you’re transitioning into nurse practitioner roles.
- Avoid common mistakes like cluttered formatting, spelling errors, or missing critical certifications like basic life support (BLS).
Advance Your Nursing Career with Experts
Crafting a standout travel nurse resume takes time, effort, and an understanding of what healthcare recruiters seek. By following this guide, you can highlight your licenses, certifications, clinical experience, and adaptability — all tailored to travel nursing roles. Remember to keep your resume updated and tailored for each position to maximize your chances of landing interviews and securing your next travel nurse job.
If you want expert help crafting an ATS-friendly, professional travel nurse resume that gets results, Resumeds offers personalized resume writing services tailored specifically for healthcare professionals. Our team knows exactly what hiring managers and staffing agencies look for and can help you present your skills and experience in the best possible light. Contact us today to take the next step in your travel nursing career!
