New grad nursing resume example
Flo Nightingale, BSN, RN
Registered Nurse | New Graduate | Medical-Surgical Nursing
Des Moines, IA | (555) 010-0142 | flo.nightingale@email.com
Professional Summary
New graduate registered nurse with 240 precepted hours on a medical-surgical unit and clinical rotations in ICU, pediatrics, and labor and delivery.
Licenses & Certifications
- Registered Nurse (RN), Iowa Board of Nursing | Active
- Basic Life Support (BLS), American Heart Association
Education
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) | Example University, Des Moines, IA | May 2026
Core Competencies
Patient Assessment | IV Insertion | Wound Care | Patient Education | Epic EHR
Experience
Preceptorship, Medical-Surgical Unit
Example Medical Center | Des Moines, IAJan 2026 - Apr 2026
32-bed adult medical-surgical unit | Epic EHR | 240 clinical hours
- Managed care for four to five patients per shift under RN preceptor supervision
- Administered medications per physician orders and documented in Epic
- Taught patients and families their discharge plans using teach-back
The order, and why
No nursing job yet is normal. Your license, your degree and your clinical hours are the resume, in that order.
A recruiter screening new graduates checks your license status and your degree first, so they sit right under your summary. Your core skills follow, then your preceptorship and rotations under Experience, just like a hospital job.
- 1Name, letters earned, contact
- 2Professional Summary
- 3Licenses & Certifications
- 4Education
- 5Core Competencies
- 6Experience
- 7Professional Affiliations & Honors
What makes it work
Lead with your license status
Licensed, or the month you sit for the NCLEX. Never list a license you are still working toward as earned.
Give your clinicals a context line
The unit, the bed count if you know it, the charting system and your hours. It tells a manager what you have actually seen.
Count patient-care jobs
CNA, tech, scribe and EMT work show you have done the job beside nurses. They go under Healthcare Experience.
Questions
What goes first on a new grad nursing resume?
Your name with the letters you have earned, then a short summary, then your license and BLS, then your degree. Your preceptorship and clinical rotations follow under Experience.
Can I put clinical rotations on my resume?
Yes. List your preceptorship first, then your rotations, each with the unit, the facility and your hours. They count as experience.
What if I haven't passed the NCLEX yet?
Write the month you are scheduled to test, or that you are eligible. Many new graduate roles are offered before results come back, and a recruiter reads that line first.
Should a new grad resume be one page?
Yes. One page fits a degree, a license, your clinicals and any patient-care job.