Resume guide · Updated October 2026
New Grad Nurse Resume Example and Writing Guide
Short answer
A new grad nurse resume should lead with your RN license (or NCLEX test date) and state, your nursing degree and BLS card, then a Clinical Rotations section listing each facility, unit and hours. Give your capstone or preceptorship bullets like a job, and add any CNA, patient care tech or other healthcare work you did during school.
| Median pay (May 2025) | $97,550 per year ($46.90 per hour) |
|---|---|
| Typical entry-level education | Bachelor's degree |
| Job outlook, 2025-35 | 6% (Faster than average) |
| Number of jobs | 3,465,400 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered Nurses, checked 27 October 2026.
New Grad Nurse resume example
Below is a full new grad nurse resume for Sofia Ramirez, a fictional new Graduate Registered Nurse, Cardiac Step-Down Capstone in San Antonio, TX. Keep the section order, then replace each line with your own work and results.
Sofia Ramirez, BSN, RN
New Graduate Registered Nurse, Cardiac Step-Down Capstone
San Antonio, TX · sofia.ramirez@example.com · (555) 012-6648 · linkedin.com/in/sofiaramirezrn
Summary
Newly licensed registered nurse with a BSN and 760 clinical hours across med-surg, cardiac step-down, pediatrics, labor and delivery and behavioral health. Completed a 144-hour capstone managing 3 to 4 telemetry patients under an RN preceptor. Two years as an emergency department patient care tech. BLS and ACLS certified; charts in Epic.
Experience
Student Nurse, Capstone Preceptorship (144 hours), Hillcrest Regional Medical Center, Cardiac Step-Down Unit
Jan 2026 to Apr 2026
San Antonio, TX
- Managed a full assignment of 3 to 4 telemetry patients by the final 4 weeks, including post-catheterization and heart failure patients.
- Performed head-to-toe assessments, administered oral, IV push and subcutaneous medications, and documented in Epic under preceptor review.
- Recognized a new atrial fibrillation rhythm on telemetry, notified the preceptor and provider with SBAR, and assisted with the rate-control protocol.
- Taught heart failure discharge education with teach-back to 9 patients and their families.
Patient Care Technician, Emergency Department, Hillcrest Regional Medical Center
Aug 2024 to Apr 2026 (part time)
San Antonio, TX
- Supported RNs in a 46-bed emergency department across three 12-hour weekend shifts a month.
- Obtained vital signs, 12-lead ECGs and point-of-care glucose for 15 to 20 patients per shift.
- Performed phlebotomy and specimen collection and transported patients to imaging and inpatient units.
Certified Nursing Assistant, Oak Hollow Senior Living
May 2023 to Jul 2024
San Antonio, TX
- Provided ADL care, transfers and feeding assistance for 10 to 12 residents on a memory care hall.
- Reported changes in skin integrity, intake and behavior to the charge nurse during each shift.
- Trained 3 new CNAs on the facility's safe transfer and fall-prevention routines.
Clinical rotations
- Medical-Surgical, Hillcrest Regional Medical Center (180 hours)
- Pediatrics, Southside Children's Hospital (90 hours)
- Labor and Delivery, Mission Women's Center (90 hours)
- Behavioral Health, Bexar Valley Behavioral Hospital (90 hours)
- Community Health, county school-based clinics (72 hours)
Education
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Alamo Heights University · GPA 3.7, Dean's List 5 semesters, Student Nurses Association treasurer
2026
Certifications
Registered Nurse, Texas (licensed June 2026) · BLS and ACLS (American Heart Association)
Skills
Head-to-toe assessment · Medication administration · Telemetry interpretation · 12-lead ECG · IV pump programming · Phlebotomy · Patient education with teach-back · SBAR handoff · Epic · Pyxis
New Grad Nurse resume summary examples
4 new grad nurse summaries, one each for licensed new grad (BSN), NCLEX pending, ADN new grad and accelerated BSN (second career). Pick the closest and rewrite it with your own title, years and one real result.
Newly licensed RN with a BSN and 680 clinical hours, including a 120-hour med-surg capstone carrying 4 patients under a preceptor. Former CNA with 18 months of long-term care experience. BLS certified; charted in Epic and Meditech.
BSN graduate (May 2026) with the NCLEX scheduled for June 2026. Capstone on a 30-bed oncology unit, giving chemotherapy pre-medications and managing central lines under supervision. Seeking a nurse residency position starting after licensure.
New ADN-prepared registered nurse with 600 clinical hours and 3 years as a unit secretary on a surgical floor. Knows admission and discharge workflows from the desk side and plans to start an RN-to-BSN program in 2027.
Accelerated BSN graduate with a prior B.S. in Biology and 4 years as a clinical research coordinator. Brings protocol discipline, informed consent experience and careful documentation to a new graduate role in critical care or oncology.
New Grad Nurse resume objective examples
Use an objective instead of a summary for new graduate and career changer situations: one or two sentences on what you bring and the new grad nurse job you want.
Newly licensed BSN graduate seeking a place in your 12-month nurse residency on a medical-surgical or telemetry unit, bringing a 144-hour cardiac capstone and two years of emergency department tech experience.
Former paramedic and new graduate RN looking to start on an emergency or critical care unit, where field assessment, rhythm recognition and calm under pressure carry over to bedside nursing.
New Grad Nurse resume bullet points
Bullets grouped by capstone and preceptorship, clinical rotations, healthcare work during school and leadership, research and service. The numbers are illustrations; put in your own.
Capstone and preceptorship
- Progressed from 1 to 4 patients over a 12-week med-surg capstone, completing full assessments and care plans by week 6.
- Administered scheduled and PRN medications with barcode scanning and independent double checks for insulin and heparin.
- Gave SBAR handoff at shift change for every assigned patient during the final 6 weeks.
Clinical rotations
- Completed 760 clinical hours across 6 rotations in acute care, pediatrics, obstetrics, behavioral health and community settings.
- Assisted with 4 vaginal deliveries and newborn assessments, including Apgar scoring, during the labor and delivery rotation.
- Led a de-escalation role play and safety huddle for peers during the inpatient behavioral health rotation.
Healthcare work during school
- Worked 24 hours a month as an ED patient care tech, obtaining vitals, ECGs and lab draws for up to 20 patients a shift.
- Provided ADL care for 10 to 12 residents per shift as a CNA in memory care.
- Answered call lights, transcribed orders and coordinated discharges as a unit secretary on a 28-bed surgical floor.
Leadership, research and service
- Served as Student Nurses Association treasurer, managing a $6,000 budget and organizing 3 community health fairs.
- Co-authored an evidence-based practice poster on hourly rounding and fall rates, presented at the school research day.
- Gave 40 flu vaccines at a free campus clinic under faculty supervision.
Skills for a new grad nurse resume
17 skills employers list in new grad nurse postings. Include the ones the posting asks for and that your bullets prove.
| Type | Skills |
|---|---|
| Hard skills | Head-to-toe assessment, Medication administration and barcode scanning, Vital signs and intake and output, IV medication and pump programming, Telemetry rhythm recognition, Foley insertion and catheter care, Wound care and dressing changes, Blood glucose monitoring and insulin, Fall and pressure injury prevention, Patient education with teach-back, Care plan documentation |
| Soft skills | Openness to feedback, Clear SBAR communication, Time management on a full assignment, Teamwork with techs and CNAs, Empathy with patients and families, Composure in rapid responses |
| Tools and software | Epic, Cerner (Oracle Health), Meditech, Pyxis, Omnicell, Alaris pumps, Vocera |
Certifications for a new grad nurse resume
| Credential | Issued by | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse license | Your state board of nursing (after passing the NCLEX) | List the state and the month you were licensed. If you have not tested yet, write the scheduled NCLEX month instead. |
| Basic Life Support (BLS) | American Heart Association or American Red Cross | Required by nearly every hospital. Show the expiration month. |
| Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) | American Heart Association | Optional for most new grads, but it helps for telemetry, step-down, ED and ICU residencies. |
| Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) | American Heart Association | Worth adding if you are applying to pediatric or emergency residencies. |
| Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) | Your state nurse aide registry | Keep it on the resume as work history context; you can drop it from certifications once you are licensed as an RN. |
How do you list clinical rotations on a new grad nurse resume?
Give rotations their own section right after education. List each one with the specialty, facility and hours, newest or most relevant first. That one block answers the question a nurse recruiter has about a new graduate: what units have you actually worked on?
Your capstone or preceptorship is different. It is the closest thing you have to an RN job, so put it under Experience with three or four bullets: the unit, the patient load you reached, the skills you performed and one moment that shows judgment.
- Specialty and facility: "Medical-Surgical, Hillcrest Regional Medical Center"
- Hours: "180 hours"
- Capstone patient load: "progressed to 4 telemetry patients"
- Skills you did hands-on: IV push, Foley insertion, wound vac changes
What if you have not passed the NCLEX yet?
Apply anyway, and be exact about where you are. Write "NCLEX scheduled June 2026" or "Authorization to Test received" in the license line, then update the resume the day your license posts. Nurse residency cohorts often recruit months before graduation, so waiting can mean missing a start date.
If your state board issues a temporary or graduate nurse permit, list it with its expiration date. Rules differ by state, so check your board before using a title such as "Graduate Nurse" on the resume.
What do nurse residency programs look for on a new grad resume?
Residencies are built for nurses with under a year of experience (the ANCC accredits RN residencies for nurses with less than 12 months of experience), so they expect a thin work history. They screen for evidence that you can learn fast and work on a real unit: a strong capstone, healthcare jobs during school and clean clinical evaluations.
Say which unit types you want. Many residencies place new grads into specific units, and an objective or summary that names "med-surg or telemetry" makes the match easier than a general statement about helping people.
Which non-nursing jobs belong on a new grad RN resume?
Any job in a hospital or care setting belongs: CNA, patient care tech, unit secretary, scribe, EMT, phlebotomist, sitter or transporter. These roles show you already know how a shift runs, how to work with nurses and how to talk to patients.
Keep one or two non-healthcare jobs if they show something a nurse manager values, such as serving tables while carrying a full course load, or supervising a team in retail. Cut the rest to keep the resume to one page.
Should a new graduate nurse resume be one page?
Yes. One page fits your license line, education, clinical rotations, capstone and one or two jobs. Add your GPA if it is 3.5 or higher, along with honors such as Dean's List or membership in Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
Use a simple single-column template. Hospital applicant tracking systems read standard headings (Licenses and Certifications, Education, Clinical Rotations, Experience) more reliably than tables or two-column layouts.
ATS keywords for a new grad nurse resume
Terms that show up in new grad nurse job postings. Mirror the exact wording of the posting you apply to, but only for work you have done.
- new graduate nurse
- graduate nurse
- registered nurse
- RN
- BSN
- nurse residency
- NCLEX
- clinical rotations
- capstone
- preceptorship
- patient assessment
- medication administration
- BLS
- ACLS
- Epic
- telemetry
- patient education
- care planning
- med-surg
Mistakes to avoid on a new grad nurse resume
- Burying the license status. Put the RN license or NCLEX date right after your name or in the first section, not at the bottom.
- Listing rotations without hours or units. "Clinical experience at various hospitals" gives a recruiter nothing; specialty, facility and hours do.
- A generic objective. "Seeking a challenging nursing position" wastes the top of the page; name the unit and the residency.
- Leaving out tech and CNA jobs. Healthcare work during school is often the strongest thing on a new grad resume.
- Patient details. Never include patient names, initials, dates of birth or room numbers in rotation or capstone bullets.
Frequently asked questions
What should a new graduate nurse put on a resume?
Your RN license or NCLEX date and state, BSN or ADN, BLS and any ACLS or PALS cards, a Clinical Rotations section with facilities and hours, capstone bullets, healthcare jobs from school, and the EHR systems you used.
How do I list clinical rotations on a new grad RN resume?
Make a Clinical Rotations section after education and list each rotation as specialty, facility and hours. Move your capstone or preceptorship into Experience and give it three or four bullets like a job.
Can I apply for RN jobs before I pass the NCLEX?
Yes. Many residencies hire graduates before licensure with a start date after the exam. Write "NCLEX scheduled" with the month on your resume and update it when your license is issued.
Should I put my GPA on a new grad nursing resume?
Include it if it is 3.5 or higher, or if the posting asks for it. Leave it off otherwise and let your clinical evaluations, capstone and honors carry the education section.
What is a good objective for a new graduate nurse resume?
Name the residency or unit type and one concrete strength, in one or two sentences. For example: "New BSN graduate seeking a med-surg residency, bringing a 144-hour cardiac capstone and two years as an ED tech."
How much do registered nurses make?
The BLS reports a median pay of $97,550 per year for registered nurses in May 2025, with a projected outlook of 6% (faster than average) for 2025-35. That median covers all experience levels, so new graduate offers depend on region, setting and shift.
Related guides
Sources, checked 27 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered Nurses (median pay, education, outlook, number of jobs, state licensure)
- NCSBN: NCLEX & Other Exams (the NCLEX licensure exam and registration)
- American Nurses Credentialing Center: Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP) (RN residencies for nurses with less than 12 months of experience)