ER / Emergency Room Nurse Resume [+Job Description]

Every day in the ER, you navigate high-stress situations with grace and skill, ensuring each patient gets the care they need. Yet, when it’s time to focus on your own career, it’s easy to overlook the essentials.

You’re dedicated to patient care; now let’s turn that dedication inward. Write an ER nurse resume that highlights your expertise and paves the way for your next professional adventure.

In this guide:

• An ER nurse resume sample better than most.
• How to create the perfect emergency room nurse job description for resumes.
• How to write a resume for ER nurse jobs that stands out.
• Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing an ER nurse job. 

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Need a resume for a different nursing specialization? Just getting started in nursing or thinking of qualifying to be a nurse? We also have related medical fields, check out some of our guides:

• Nursing Resume Example
• ICU Nurse Resume Example
• Nurse Practitioner Resume Example
• Certified Nursing Assistant / CNA Resume Example
• Medical Assistant Resume Example
• Caregiver Resume Example
• Dental Assistant Resume Example
• Patient Care Technician Resume Example
• Licensed Practical Nurse / LPN Resume Example
• Medical Resume Example
• Medical School Resume Example
• New Grad Nursing (RN) Resume Example
• Nursing Student Resume Example
• Paramedic / EMT Resume Example
• Phlebotomist Resume Example
• Registered Nurse / RN Resume Example

Our analysis of half a million resumes designed in our builder highlighted that*:

- Patient and familial advocacy, Strong clinical judgement, Acute care expertise, and Preventive health are the most often chosen skills for ER nurses.
- The median time to build an ER nurse resume on ResumeLab is just 24.5 minutes.
- ER nurses most commonly pick Cascade, Cubic, and Modern templates for their resumes. 
* The data comes from the last 12 months (August 2023-August 2024).

ER Nurse Resume Sample

Now here’s how to write an ER nurse resume they’ll love:

1. Use the Right ER Nurse Resume Format

Imagine if patient charts were free-form. Anything goes, just jot down what you feel is important wherever.

And now you know why resume format matters. Make yours as clean and ordered as an OR. Here’s how:

Emergency Room Nurse Resume Format

• Use the chronological resume format to show your most recent jobs first.
• Choose a subdued, professional resume font like Noto, Arial, or Helvetica in 11–12 pt.
• Set your resume margins at one inch and space everything out.
• Stick to the recommended length. How many pages should a resume be, anyway?The answer is a resounding one page.Go to a max of two pages for your resume only if you remember seeing iron lungs and smoking rooms in hospitals.
• Include at least these sections: Resume Header, Profile, Experience, Education, and Skills.

Keep in mind that many hospitals use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan and analyze the resumes they get from candidates, so you need an ATS resume. What does this mean?

Most importantly, an ATS resume has a machine-readable file format. All things considered, it’s best to submit a PDF resume file unless the job ad asks specifically for a Word document.

2. Write an Attention-Grabbing Emergency Room Nurse Resume Objective or Summary

There’s a reason hospital alarms and warning sounds are so loud. You want your resume profile section to cut through background noise too, but you don’t want to be like those audible alarm signals.

Been in the ER for a couple of years or more? Then start with a resume summary and capitalize on that experience.

Use:

1. One adjective (reliable, efficient, friendly)
2. Job title (ER Nurse)
3. Years of experience (6+, 7+)
4. How you’ll help (provide excellent patient care)
5. Two or three of your most relevant achievements (looked after 10+ patients at a time in a 25 bed emergency department)

These ER nurse resume summary examples show how:

ER Nurse Resume Examples—Summary

Passionate ER nurse (RN) with 5+ years’ experience working in a fast-paced environment. At the Baptist Memorial Hospital, used triage and prioritization strategies to successfully cope with 137 critical patients after an industrial catastrophe and received 15+ written thank-you messages from patients and their families. Seeking opportunity to apply proven critical care and infection control skills at the Stephen Dedalus Hospital.

ER nurse with 5 years’ experience working in a fast-paced environment. At the Baptist Memorial Hospital, coped with an influx of critical patients after an industrial catastrophe and received many thank-you messages from patients and their families. Seeking opportunity to join a busy but well-managed hospital, preferably in the ER or on the Trauma Ward.

The first example is concrete and quantified—It drops duties in favor of achievements.

Relatively new to the ER? Write a resume objective and play to achievements from non-ER nursing jobs.

Emergency Room Nurse Resume Objective—Examples

Dedicated ER nurse (RN) with 1+ years’ experience working in a fast-paced environment. At Johns Hopkins Medicine, maintained over 500 patients’ charts and helped treat 20+ gun-shot victims during bi-weekly Trauma Ward rotation. Seeking opportunity to apply proven critical care and pain management skills at the Stephen Dedalus Hospital.

Just started working in the ER and have found it very rewarding. Looking for a great team to join, sans politics. 

Another key difference between good and bad examples: The good ones focus on what you can do for the hospital and not what you expect to get.

Feeling a little overwhelmed with this whole resume profile thing? Here’s the easy fix: write it last.

3. Create a Winning Skills Section and ER Nurse Job Descriptions for Your Resume

Nursing is something you do as much as something you know. Use your resume work history to show yourself in action.

Here's how to write ER nurse resume job descriptions:

1. Take a second to re-read the job ad.
2. Pick up on the ER nurse skills and duties in it.
3. Think of times you’ve used those skills to make a difference in patient outcomes.
4. Write resume bullet points that focus on the results of your work, with numbers to back up everything possible.

These ER nurse resume examples show how:

ER Nurse Job Description for a Resume

ER Nurse

Baptist Memorial Hospital, North Mississippi, MS

Oct 2019–present

• Changed 1,500+ dressings, inserted 700+ catheters, and started 2,000+ IVs.
• Used triage and prioritization strategies to successfully cope with a quadruple shift during which the ER was swamped by 137 critical patients after an industrial catastrophe.
• Received 15+ written thank-you messages from patients and their families.
• Managed the administration of 300 different medications.

ER Nurse

Baptist Memorial Hospital, North Mississippi, MS

2019–present

• Changed dressings, inserted catheters, and started IVs.
• Used triage and prioritization strategies to successfully cope with the aftermath of an industrial catastrophe.
• Received thank-you messages from patients and their families.
• Managed the administration of various medications.

Small tweaks, wildly different outcomes. Both examples use resume power words to their advantage, but then the first one pulls ahead by putting number to claims.

One more thing: A list of skills for your resume. Trust me, you need one. But it’s not as easy as spamming in every nursing skill that comes to mind. The trick is to be selective. Cover what the job ad requires and not much more.

ER Nurse Skills for Resume

Hard skills

• Wound management
• Critical care
• IV therapy
• Infection control
• Basic life support
• Advanced life support
• Medication administration
• Pain management
• Triage
• MEDITECH software

Soft skills

• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Teamwork skills
• Organizational skills
• Prioritization skills
• Assessment skills
• Detail orientation
• Critical thinking skills
• Problem solving
• Decision making

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.

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4. Turn Sterile Education Into a Reason to Hire You

No matter what educational route you took to becoming a nurse, your journey left you with a particular set of skills. Do them justice:

List your degrees, schools, and years attended. Add bullet points that speak to your passion and key skills. This emergency room nurse resume example shows how:

Resume for ER Nurse—Education Example

Associate Degree Nursing (ADN)

Northeast Mississippi Community College, MS

2013–2015

• Pursued a passion for critical care coursework.
• Volunteered as a peer tutor for new students.

Just qualified as nurse? Use your resume education section to your advantage and include projects, classes, and accomplishments that show your nursing skills.

5. Stock Your ER Nurse Resume With Added Sections

Nursing is one the most human fields. There’s a lot that goes into being a great nurse that doesn’t fall under work history, skills, and education. So add one or two resume sections to fill in the blanks:

• Additional Activities
• Foreign Languages
• Classes Taken
• Awards
• Hobbies and Interests
• Volunteering
• Certifications
• Professional References

These two ER nurse resume examples show yes vs no:

Sample Emergency Room Nurse Resume—Extra Sections

License and Certifications

• RN (Registered Nurse) – license no. 123456789
• BLS (Basic Life Support)
• ALS (Advanced Life Support)
• Anaphylaxis
• Medication administration

Languages

• German – Advanced
• Indonesian – Beginner

Hobbies

• Taxidermy
• Posing preserved frogs to look like they’re acting out historical scenes (mostly speeches)
• EDM (electronic dance music)
• Infrared photography

Languages

• German & Indonesian (& English)

Hobbies and interests can be fantastic additions, but every single thing you add has to be directly relevant to the job ad.

Nearly there. You'll just need a cover letter to go with your ER nurse resume. You’re off the hook only if you’ve been explicitly told not to include one. Otherwise, write a great cover letter and submit it with your resume. 

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

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Key Points

For an ER nurse resume that gets interviews:

• Use the emergency room nurse resume template up top. It’s as clean as an ER floor, when it’s not covered in discarded wrappers and bodily fluids.
• Put ER nurse achievementsin your resume profile, work history, and education sections to show you know why comfortable nurse shoes are a thing.
• Include the right ER nurse skills in your resume. Triage doesn’t even begin to cover it—let the job ad be your guide and be brutal in cutting the list down.
• Write an ER nurse cover letter. It’s your opportunity to put your passion on display and make an evidence-based case for why you should get the job.

Got some burning, unanswered questions regarding your ER nurse resume? Leave us a comment down below—we’ll be sure to get back to you.

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.