Travel Nursing Resume Secrets

When you’re actively working towards getting an assignment with a recruiter, the agency will create a travel nursing resume for you from the information you provide them.  The Agency will send you an email that allows you to input your work history, or they’ll request a resume from you.  These items are extremely important as your recruiter will take this information and create your resume for your profile from this information.  Here are the most important things to keep in mind while completing this step.

Resume: Patient Population

You want your profile to stand out from the applicants and unless you’re submitting to an assignment in Wyoming for a Cath Lab Assignment, there WILL BE other applicants/profiles.  Patient Types or Population is something Nursing Managers often look at when scanning a profile.  I’ve personally had nurses declined from positions simply because the Patient Population information on the resume was either too vague or didn’t include the patients the nurse would be seeing at their hospital.  Don’t just say Cardiac Patients.  Include detailed Cardiac Patients you cared for.  Here’s an example:

This is the same for any Specialty.  Whether you’re an OR nurse listing the cases you’ve done or an ER nurse listing the Patients that came into your Emergency Department. Be. Detailed.

List Accolades/Addition Responsibilities

Here is a Daisy Award – given to nurses for extraordinary work

Whether it’s a Daisy Award you won, or that you were a Preceptor for your last hospital, list any and all addition accolades and responsibilities you received throughout your nursing career.

Hospitals want the most qualified travel nurses and if they can have you precept or be a charge nurse for them, that will give you a leg up on the competition.  If you’re an Emergency Room travel nurse and you were a part of a Code Team, that is another awesome detail to add in your information.  Showing that you were a Preceptor or a Charge Nurse for a past employer shows that they trusted you enough to give you that roll.  Winning an award like a Daisy Award shows you get along well with others and a common issue with travelers can be getting along with others.  Some travelers can come in with an attitude that they will only be there for a short time and don’t need to get along with staff.  This is a HUGE mistake as the relationships you build while traveling can help immensely later in your career.  There are ups and downs in number of assignments and if you can simply reach out to a past assignment gain a contract during a time when it’s tough to find something is an invaluable tool.

Travel Nursing & Staff Float Experience

It’s no secret that Floating is a part of a travel nurses responsibilities.  They are often the first to float and sometimes multiple times in a shift.  Facilities love versatile Travelers.  If you have experience floating to any unit that is something that is a great highlight that any decent recruiter will have at the top of your travel nursing resume.

Some view floating as an unwelcome part of an assignment but consider this.  Every facility has a call off policy and at times, if a facility can float you to another unit rather than send you home, that will keep you from missing out on pay including those delicious travel stipends that are no doubt a huge part of why you’re a travel nurse in the first place.

Certifications – A Nursing Resume MUST

ACLS, BLS, NIH, TNCC, AWOHNN Intermediate or Advanced, PALS, etc.  Put these certification information in your travel nursing resume.  Make sure they are AHA approved Certs.  As we said earlier, hospitals want versatile and the most qualified applicants.  If you have an addition cert than another applicant you can bet they will put your profile above that nurse.  Make sure to upload these if the agency has a link for you to do so or email these certs to your recruiter.  Some facilities want the certifications in a submission so if you don’t have these in your travel nursing resume, you might need to track them down later.  By then the job could be filled. Yes things move that quickly in the travel nursing industry.

Ready to Get Started?

Whether you’re an established nurse looking to shake things up or you’re just starting a career as an RN, Travelnursingdirect.com is here to help. Driven by our tenets of business – honesty, dedication, and commitment – we will go the extra mile to make sure you get the right assignment and ensure that you are paid your worth. Give us a call!

If you’re convinced travel nursing is for you, learn how to become a travel nurse from us.

Nate Shanklin

I’m Nate Shanklin and I was a Recruiter for Travel Nurses for over 3 years.  I found there was an extreme lack of knowledge and transparency in the industry, so I took it upon myself to start Travel Nursing Direct.  A site where you can learn the details about travel nursing that commonly nurses are finding out as they go along and, more importantly, when it’s too late.  My aim is to help all Travel Nurses gain an understanding of what to expect and how to maximize their career.