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ATS Keywords for Registered Nurse Resumes

Nursing resumes are scanned for licensure, certifications, and clinical setting experience before anything else — a missing license number or expired certification can get a strong candidate auto-filtered.

Hard Skills

Patient AssessmentMedication AdministrationCare PlanningEHR DocumentationIV TherapyWound Care

Soft Skills

Patient AdvocacyInterdisciplinary CommunicationCrisis ResponseFamily Education

Tools & Certifications

RN License (state-specific)BLS/ACLS CertificationEpic/Cerner EHRSpecialty Certification (CCRN, CEN, etc.)

How to use these keywords

List your RN license number/state and expiration near the top — this is often the first thing an ATS or credentialing check verifies.
Name the EHR system you're trained on (Epic, Cerner) — hospitals frequently filter for platform familiarity.
Specify clinical setting (ICU, ED, med-surg) explicitly — "patient care" alone is too generic to match specialty postings.

See recommended resume templates for Registered Nurse

Curated templates that pair well with this role's keyword profile.

Frequently asked questions

Should I list every unit I've rotated through?

List units relevant to the target role in detail, and summarize the rest — an ED posting cares more about your ED time than a brief pediatrics rotation.

How important are BLS/ACLS on the resume itself?

Very — many hospital ATS systems hard-filter on active certification status, so list them with expiration dates clearly visible.

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