Critical Care Nurse Resume Examples & Guide for 2023

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Critical Care Nurse Resume

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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.

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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

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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!

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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

Finding what the unique words for your Critical Care Nurse position are is difficult. That’s why the Enhancv team went through thousands of resumes that got people hired at top companies. Forget about sounding boring. These action words will help you showcase your strongest personality traits in the most intriguing way possible!

Top critical care nurse skills for your resume

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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
HARD SKILLS

Patient Care

BLS

Acute Care

Emergency

CPR

Treatment Plans

Life Support

Telemetry

EKG

SOFT SKILLS

Communication

Compassion

Patience

Flexibility, adaptability, and emotional stability

Proactive, ethical, and responsible nature

Honesty

Team-player

Strong work ethic

Time management

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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.

what to write in your resume header
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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
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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

what to write in your resume summary
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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
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Resume summary formula:
Resume Summary Formula: [Adjective] [job title] with [number] years of experience in [industry], a proven ability to [relevant, measurable skills], and a strong background in [relevant context of your work experience] seeks a position as [the job title you’re applying for].
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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.

Highlight your education, certifications, and courses

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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
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Top certifications for your critical care nurse resume
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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!!

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Providing Trauma-Informed Care

Exploring psychological trauma and how to provide care and compassion to trauma survivors

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Master your Decision-Making, and Critical Thinking Skills !

Research Based Decision Making, Problem Solving & Critical Thinking Strategies; for Leaders, Managers, & everyone else !

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Certified Electronic Health Records Specialist

Health Information Technology HIT

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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:

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:

And in case you want to go the extra mile, check out our guide for crafting a resume that stands out.

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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.

day of my life on resume   Enhancv resume section

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.

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