INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Critical Care Nurse positions are at a 9% growth rate, which is as fast as average. With that said, there are currently 3,080,100 jobs in the market right now. The total number of jobs is expected to increase by 276,800 to 3,356,900 in the period of 2020-30.
What’s more, the median annual wage for the Critical Care Nurse jobs was $75,330 in May 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $53,410, and the highest 10% more than $116,230.
Our conclusion? The Critical Care Nurse job market is wide open for candidates.
Top critical care nurse sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
What to include in your critical care nurse resume experience section
Critical care nurse resume experience section checklist:
- Use at least 3 and no more than 7 bullet points per position;
- Make your experience sound relevant to what you’re applying for;
- Combine responsibilities, results, and critical situations that you’ve handled well;
- Show that you’re willing to take up on challenges;
- Include numbers in any form you like.
Looking for some real experience section examples? We’ve gathered the best Critical Care Nurse resume samples to help you. Check them out before building your own resume!
PRO TIP
Don't make the same mistake everyone else does. What we mean is, don't list your Critical Care Nurse job responsibilities instead of your achievements. Recruiters know what you do. They want to know what kind of difference you can bring to their company. Focus on what you've accomplished.
Action verbs for your critical care nurse resume
Recommended reads:
Top critical care nurse skills for your resume
Critical care nurse resume skills section checklist:
- Match your hard skills to the job description;
- Add keywords to pass applicant tracking systems;
- Don’t list soft skills such as ’teamwork’ – rather, mention how they’ve helped you gain success in some other sections of your Critical Care Nurse resume;
- List only skills you actually have, keep lying out of the picture.
Top skills for your critical care nurse resume
Patient Care
BLS
Acute Care
Emergency
CPR
Treatment Plans
Life Support
Telemetry
EKG
Communication
Compassion
Patience
Flexibility, adaptability, and emotional stability
Proactive, ethical, and responsible nature
Honesty
Team-player
Strong work ethic
Time management
PRO TIP
When picking skills to feature in your resume, make sure they'll be relevant to the position you’re applying to. The point of listing skills is for you to stand out from the competition. Stay away from repetitive, meaningless skills that everyone uses in their resumes. Or else, they’ll backfire and make you look like an average candidate.
Critical care nurse resume header: Tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your critical care nurse resume header
- Your name and surname in a legible and larger resume font
- The job title you’re applying for or your current job title as a subheading to your name
- Link to your portfolio or online profile, such as LinkedIn
- Address (City and State for the US; just your city for rest of the world)
- Email address
- Headshot (required or welcomed in the EU; not required and sometimes frowned upon in the US)
Stick to popular email providers such as Gmail or Outlook. And use these professional formats to create your username:
- first.last@gmail.com
- last.first@gmail.com
- firstlast@gmail.com
- f.last@gmail.com
- first.l@gmail.com
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
Some companies, states, and countries have non-discrimination policies about what kind of information can be included on your Critical Care Nurse resume. This might include a photo (which is often included in a resume header and might be on personal web pages you link to). You can always email the company’s HR department to ask about their policies before you apply.
Craft a strong critical care nurse resume summary
Critical care nurse resume summary checklist:
- Your total years of experience
- The industry you’re coming from
- One or two most remarkable accomplishments that have helped you - turn into a great professional
- Short sentences that add value – avoid filler words and phrases
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Read the job description carefully and understand what the hiring company is exactly looking for. After that, write your summary accordingly while highlighting your potential and ability to be the best at that job.
Recommended reads:
Highlight your education, certifications, and courses
What to include in your education and courses sections:
- Your highest education degree – this includes institution, course, and duration
- Certifications and courses that have helped you gain additional expertise
- Awards you’ve received as part of your education
- Entry-level positions only: relevant classes and projects
Top certifications for your critical care nurse resume
Home Health Aide, Nurse Aide, Caregiver Certification Course
Become A Certified Home Health Aide, Personal Care Aide, Nurse Aide/ Caregiver At The End Of This Course. Enroll Now!!
Critical care for health care professional
basic concept
Providing Trauma-Informed Care
Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors
Master your Decision-Making, and Critical Thinking Skills !
Research Based Decision Making, Problem Solving & Critical Thinking Strategies; for Leaders, Managers, & everyone else !
Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist
Health Information Technology HIT
Recommended reads:
PRO TIP
There are dozens of certifications that you can claim as a Critical Care Nurse. But, some are more effective than others. That’s why you mustn’t include every certificate other applicants might have. Try instead to earn and list a few of the difficult ones.
Drafting a Job-winning Critical Care Nurse Resume
When drafting your resume, you can choose between three well-known formats:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Which format you decide to go for depends on two things: your personal preference and how experienced you are.
The reverse-chronological format is ideal for both really experienced people and those who joined the workforce just a couple of years ago. It’s also great if your experience combines different industries and jobs. Here, your most recent position comes at the top of your resume.
The functional skills-based resume format, on the other hand, is ideal for recent graduates or people who have no work experience whatsoever. It’s built around your skills, interests, and expertise. Ultimately, its goal is to show recruiters your biggest strengths and practical skills.
Combination resumes (also known as hybrid resumes) are great for all types of candidates – be they graduates, experienced professionals, or brave career changers. They usually follow a double-column format – one side focuses on your experience, while the other emphasizes your education, skills, interests, and accomplishments.
Here’s our resume format and style checklist:
- Choose a traditional resume font sized 12p;
- Go for standard 1-inch resume margins;
- Match the length of your Critical Care Nurse resume with your experience – choose a one-page template if you have less than 10 years of experience, and be careful with two-page templates;
- Send your resume in PDF – in this way, you’ll avoid formatting issues and potential editing from third parties.
And in case you want to go the extra mile, check out our guide for crafting a resume that stands out.
Recommended Reads:
PRO TIP
Sometimes you’ll want to go after a job which requires more experience than you have. Instead of using a typical Critical Care Nurse resume layout, you can use a creative layout. Getting noticed is the most important challenge and a creative resume layout might help you get invited for an interview as most of other accountants have boring resume designs.
Other sections worth including in your critical care nurse resume
Including other sections in your resume depends on the company, the position, and, ultimately, the industry. Here are some sections that will help you spice things up:
A critical care nurse resume that stands out
Recruiters look at tens of resumes every day. That’s why helping them remember yours is crucial for landing an interview.
A creative resume can help you show off both your personality and your expertise at the same time.
Creative sections about passions, favorite books, quotes, and even your daily routine are a great way to make your resume feel like a breath of fresh air.
What’s more, it will also point recruiters to the fact that you’re attentive to detail and can think outside the box of Word-generated black and white resumes.
What makes a great critical care nurse resume: key takeaways
- Choose a resume layout that sends the right message across and fits your current career situation;
- Create a resume header that shows your desired job title, and easy to find contact numbers;
- Be specific about your experience, accomplishments and future goals in your summary;
- Feature detailed metrics and specific examples that show the impact you made in your previous roles when describing your experience;
- List soft skills backed by examples;
- Add all of your technical skills and certifications that you have and match the job description;
- Show off a dash of personality in your resume that will demonstrate your culture fit and the right mix of hard and soft skills.
