What should a nursing CV include?

Professional registration, clinical settings and specialties, clinical skills, achievements in patient care and leadership, and mandatory and specialist training.

Should I include my registration number?

Include your registration status and, where employers expect it, the number. Follow the conventions in your country.

How do I show achievements in care roles?

Describe the patients or residents you cared for, improvements you led, audits or quality measures, mentoring and positive feedback.

Healthcare CV Example: Nurse and Care Worker CV Tips

A healthcare CV should make your registration, clinical settings and skills obvious within seconds, then show achievements in patient care, safety, quality and leadership. Include mandatory and specialist training, and describe the scale of your work (ward size, caseload, patients per shift). Recruiters in healthcare often shortlist on requirements first, so put essentials near the top.

What recruiters look for

Registration and eligibility to practise.
Clinical settings and specialties.
Core and specialist clinical skills.
Patient safety and quality improvement.
Teamwork, leadership and mentoring.
Mandatory training up to date.

Example profile

Example

Registered nurse with six years in acute medical wards, including two years as shift lead on a 28-bed ward. Experienced in deteriorating patient care, IV therapy and mentoring newly qualified nurses. Seeking a senior staff nurse role in emergency care.

Achievement bullets

Led shifts on a 28-bed acute ward, coordinating 6 nurses and 4 healthcare assistants.
Introduced a falls-prevention checklist adopted across the department.
Mentored 5 newly qualified nurses through preceptorship.
Achieved full compliance in the ward's medication audit for 4 consecutive quarters.
Supported 12 residents daily with personal care, nutrition and activities (care worker).

Skills and training

Clinical skills relevant to your setting, assessment and observation, documentation, medication administration, infection control, safeguarding, basic or advanced life support, and specialist courses.

Tips

Registration and key skills at the top.
Name your settings and specialties.
Show quality and safety improvements.
Keep patient information confidential.

See how to write a CV and cover letters.

Browse all healthcare CV templates.

Tailor by healthcare role

Role	Emphasize
Staff nurse	Settings, patient acuity, clinical skills, safety
Senior nurse or charge nurse	Shift leadership, staffing, audits, mentoring
Healthcare or care assistant	Personal care, observations, dementia or end-of-life care, teamwork
Allied health	Caseload, assessments, interventions, outcomes
Clinical support	Phlebotomy, ECGs, records, patient flow

Example experience entry

Example

Staff Nurse, Ward 7 (Acute Medicine), Riverside Hospital, 2019 to present
Care for up to 8 patients per shift on a 28-bed acute ward; shift lead since 2022. Introduced a falls-prevention checklist now used across the department. Preceptor for 5 newly qualified nurses.

Newly qualified or returning to practice

Lead with your placements: settings, length, skills developed and feedback from mentors. If returning after a break, include any return-to-practice programme and recent training.

Healthcare CV Example: Nurses, Care Workers and Clinical Staff