INDUSTRY STATS
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Nicu 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 Nicu 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 Nicu Nurse job market is wide open for candidates.
Top NICU nurse sections that make the best resume
- Header
- Professional summary
- Experience (with numbers and results)
- Relevant skills
- Education
- Certifications
How to write a NICU nurse resume experience section
NICU nurse resume experience: checklist
- Use either chronological or reverse-chronological format when listing your previous jobs;
- Mention only relevant positions that add value to your resume;
- Briefly state the challenges you’ve faced and how you’ve overcome them;
- Highlight the results from your efforts (for bonus points, add numbers, percentage rates, etc.);
- Forget about buzzwords! Use power verbs instead.
Use the examples below to build your own experience section!
- Working in NICU under direction of Dr. Rosen, on call for 24 hours at a time
- Help over 40 mothers with malnourished children by giving health education
- Obtain health history and current concerns, record patient vitals, and perform a brief assessment on up to 30 patients per day
- Provide specialized care for premature newborns in a level III environment
- Identify needs and problems of neonate through clinical observation and physical assessment
- Manage patients with cardiac monitoring, pulse oximetry, incubators, intravenous infusions through PIV/PICC/UAC/UVC lines, NG/OG tubes
- Provide physical comfort measures to infant including positioning, holding, and pain management
- Collaboration with physicians and NNP's while implementing appropriate protocols, documentation and care plans
- Led a team of 5 nurses for audit programs to ensure all staff are well-informed and to date with safety standards and in-house protocols
- Contributes to quality nursing care through excellence in customer service and performance improvement techniques
- Assesses parents and families psychosocial status and implements an appropriate plan of care
- Provides instruction to the parents of the patients on health care education and on health improvements
- Spot checks of my results by manager/preceptor returned 99% correct findings
- Worked with Multi-disciplinary team to provide Direct Patient Care to critically ill term and preterm infants
- Educate infant's families on well baby care and follow-up procedures prior to discharge
- Care for infants on multiple ventilators including; A/C vents, high frequency oscillators, jet ventilation, Inhaled Nitric Oxide, monitoring of ABGs/ CBGs and other modes of respiratory assistance
- Maintenance of patient parenteral and enteral total fluid intake, central and peripheral lines, respiratory care, NG/OG feeding, and development care
- Communication and anticipation of family needs and reactions while caring for patient to ensure optimal care and satisfaction
- Providing care and maintenance of multiple medications and fluid drips
PRO TIP
Don't make the same mistake everyone else does. What we mean is, don't list your NICU 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 NICU nurse resume
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NICU Nurse Resume: The Skills Section!
How to write a strong NICU nurse resume skills section?
- Make sure to include all types of skills - soft, hard, technical;
- Focus on skills that show your expertise in the field;
- Check the job description for keywords and make sure to add them to your resume – this will help you pass ATS;
- Leave room for discussion – elaborate on some of your strongest skills in other sections of your resume
Top skills for your NICU nurse resume
Health Policies
Central Line Access
Patient Care
Vital Signs
BLS (Basic Life Support)
NRP
Emergency Handling
Ecmo
GCP
Communication
Compassion
Patience
Flexibility, adaptability, and emotional stability
Proactive, ethical, and responsible nature
Honesty
Team-player
Strong work ethic
Time management
PRO TIP
Add a Talent Section to your resume, where you can pick your top 3 soft skills and describe how you used them to complete a project or balance departmental communication.
Recommended reads:
NICU nurse resume header: Tips, red flags, and best practices
Checklist for your NICU 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
Include a link to your portfolio in your NICU Nurse resume header. Most companies will require that you include one in your resume, and even if they don’t, it’s an excellent opportunity to directly show them your proudest projects.
A career summary for your NICU nurse resume
Things to include in your NICU Nurse resume summary:
- Your total years of experience in the industry;
- 2-3 of your most remarkable achievements so far;
- How your experience relates to the position you’re applying for;
- A very brief description of your strengths.
Resume summary formula:
PRO TIP
Highlight specific past projects that you’re most proud of in your summary. It sets an excellent tone for the rest of your resume. You can talk about all of your former jobs in your work experience section later on.
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NICU nurse resume: The education section
Things to include in your resume's education section:
- Your highest education degree – including course, year of graduation, institution;
- Awards received as part of your education;
- Extracurricular activities that have helped you gain relevant skills;
- Certifications that have helped you master new skills and increase your expertise;
- Entry-level applicants only: relevant courses and projects.
Top certifications for your NICU nurse resume
Nursing Professionals Get Motivated! Motivation For Nurses
A Month Of Encouragement For Nurses and Those In Nursing School Taking Nursing Courses
Maths For Nurses
Pass your drug calculations test with ease
National Council Licensure Exam for Practical Nurses SET 2
Pass the NCLEX-PN certification on the first attempt. 395 questions
Pharmacology for Nurses Practice Test
Prepare for the Pharmacology Certification with live practice
Complete Guide to Nursing School for Pre-Nursing Students
Real-world advice, tips, and the steps you need to confidently Research, Apply, and Stand out in Nursing school.
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PRO TIP
If you hold a certain major and a minor, your majors should be mentioned first.
Choosing the right format for your NICU nurse resume
In general, there are three basic formats for your resume:
- Reverse-chronological resume format;
- Functional skills-based resume format;
- Combination (or Hybrid) resume format.
Some things to consider when choosing the right format for your NICU Nurse resume include the stage of your career, whether you have all the right skills required for the job or are looking for an industry change, and what field you’re looking to grow in.
The reverse-chronological resume format is the most common one. It lets you describe your most recent job and then move backward. This makes it great for people who have around or less than 10 years of experience and are looking to highlight only their work-related skills and qualities.
If you’re just starting your career journey and reverse-chronological resumes sound too demanding, go for the functional resume format. It’s ideal for showcasing your strengths, personal qualities, skills, education, and the courses you’ve taken, without putting too much pressure on experience and expertise.
Don’t worry if neither of these sounds suitable for you – the hybrid or combination resume format will surely match your needs. It’s similar to the reverse-chronological, but with a catchy twist. Combination or hybrid resumes are great for showcasing both your experience and work-related skills and your personal qualities. Add a “What my day looks like” section for enhancing the jaw-dropping experience!
Here are some more things worth remembering when it comes to formatting your NICU Nurse resume:
- Choose standard 1-inch resume margins;
- Go for traditional resume fonts sized 10-12p;
- Match the length of your NICU 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 – use them only when applying for executive positions;
- Save your resume in PDF to avoid formatting issues and potential unauthorized editing.
Tired of getting rejected? Check out this article on how to craft a resume that stands out!
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PRO TIP
If you feel that you don’t have high chances in a particular company, due to lack of relevant experience, then you can still consider using a creative layout. That might help you get noticed and invited for an interview, as most of the other applicants will have boring resume designs.
Other sections suitable for your NICU Nurse resume
Depending on the position and the industry, you can spice your resume up by adding some more sections. They will help the recruiter get a glimpse of who you are as a person, besides all your job-related skills and qualities.
Here are some examples:
How to add creativity to your NICU nurse resume
Gone are the days when creative resumes were frowned upon by recruiters!
What’s more, the right amount of creativity will make recruiters remember you and want to learn more about who you are – both as an individual and as a professional.
There are two ways to build a creative resume - add creative sections or go for a more creative design approach in general. Go for whatever suits you, the position, and the industry most!
What makes a great NICU 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.
