Writing an LPN resume

An LPN resume has six parts: header, summary, license and certifications, experience, clinical rotations and skills. The header gives the applicant's name, credential, city, phone number and email. The credential follows the name, such as "LPN" or "LVN" in California and Texas.

The summary is two or three lines under the header. It names the license, the main setting and the key skills. A new graduate might write: "Newly licensed practical nurse with clinical rotations in long-term care and medical-surgical units. Basic Life Support certified." An experienced LPN might write: "LPN with long-term care experience in medication passes, wound care and supervision of nursing assistants. IV therapy certified."

The license section gives the license type, the state, the status and the expiration date. Employers check this against the state board of nursing record or through Nursys, NCSBN's national database. Applicants can check their own license record before they apply. These certifications follow, each with its expiration date. Rules for each certification and the license itself are set by the state board and the certifying body. Experience comes next, newest job first, with the employer, setting and dates. Clinical rotations and a short skills list close the resume.

Each duty line starts with an action verb. It names one task and the setting where it was done. Lines do not need patient counts or other figures. Duties should match what the state board of nursing allows LPNs to do in that state.

Long-term care lines often cover medications, wounds and care plans. Examples include "Gave scheduled medications to residents" and "Changed dressings and tracked wound healing." Other lines might read "Updated care plans with the charge nurse" or "Directed nursing assistants during the shift."

Clinic lines focus on patient intake and support for providers. Examples include "Took vital signs and health histories" and "Gave vaccines and injections as ordered." Home health lines show work done alone in patients' homes. Examples include "Checked vital signs during home visits" and "Taught patients and families about medications." In every setting, a line such as "Charted care in the electronic health record" shows documentation skill.

New graduates list each clinical rotation by facility type and unit. Each entry names two or three tasks done under supervision, such as medication passes or dressing changes. A program's skills checklist shows which procedures the student completed. Those procedures can become lines in the skills section. Applicants can also compare employers that train new graduates and the shifts they offer.

Prior CNA work goes under experience with its own dates and employer. Skills from earlier roles often carry over less than people expect when they move into practical nursing. So a former CNA describes that job by its own tasks, such as bathing, feeding and taking vital signs. The resume then shows the new LPN skills through rotations and certifications.

A cover letter names the setting and shift the applicant wants, such as nights in a nursing care facility. It also states license status: active, pending or awaiting NCLEX-PN results. An applicant working on a temporary permit names it in the letter. Applicants waiting for results give the expected license date.

The letter is short, usually three or four paragraphs. It points to one or two duties from the resume that fit the job. Before sending, applicants confirm that the license status matches the state board record. Applicants who are invited to meet the employer can prepare for the interview next.