Entry-Level Registered Nurse (New Graduate RN) Resume Example That Passes ATS Screening
This Entry-Level Registered Nurse (New Graduate RN) resume example demonstrates the keywords and formatting that pass ATS screening. Key terms to include: registered nurse, BSN, NCLEX-RN, patient care.
New graduate RNs face a unique challenge: hundreds of clinical hours but limited paid nursing experience. Hospital ATS systems screen heavily for specific unit types, EMR systems, and clinical competencies. This example shows how a new BSN graduate with strong clinical rotations structures their resume to pass nurse-specific ATS screening and stand out to nurse managers.
Full Resume Sample
Aiden Patel
Registered Nurse, BSN
Professional Summary
BSN-prepared registered nurse with 720+ clinical hours across medical-surgical, ICU, pediatric, and community health settings. NCLEX-RN passed on first attempt. Experienced with Epic EMR, telemetry monitoring, medication administration, and evidence-based patient care. Seeking a new graduate RN residency in acute care.
Experience
Student Nurse
Emory University Hospital — Clinical Rotations · Atlanta, GA · Aug 2023 - May 2024
- Completed 480 clinical hours across Medical-Surgical (240 hrs), ICU (120 hrs), and Pediatrics (120 hrs) units, providing direct patient care for 4-6 patients per shift under RN preceptor supervision
- Performed head-to-toe assessments, medication administration (including IV push and PCA management), wound care, and discharge education for diverse patient populations
- Documented patient assessments, care plans, and interventions in Epic EMR, maintaining accurate real-time charting for all assigned patients
- Participated in interdisciplinary rounds with physicians, pharmacists, and case managers, contributing to care planning for 15+ patients weekly
Nurse Extern / Patient Care Technician
Grady Memorial Hospital · Atlanta, GA · Jun 2023 - Aug 2023
- Provided direct patient care on a 32-bed medical-surgical unit, including vital signs, blood glucose monitoring, ambulation, and ADL assistance for 8-10 patients per shift
- Assisted RN team with admissions, discharges, and transfers, completing documentation in Epic and communicating patient status updates during shift handoffs
- Responded to 50+ patient call lights per shift, prioritizing urgent needs and escalating changes in patient condition to the charge nurse
Education
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) — Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, 2024 (GPA: 3.8/4.0 | Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society | 720+ total clinical hours)
Skills
Clinical Skills: Patient assessment, Medication administration, IV therapy, Wound care, Telemetry monitoring, Foley catheter insertion, Blood draw/venipuncture
Technology & Systems: Epic EMR, Meditech, Pyxis medication dispensing, Telemetry monitoring systems, Smart IV pumps
Certifications & Training: BLS (American Heart Association), ACLS, NIH Stroke Scale, HIPAA compliance
Certifications
NCLEX-RN — Passed (2024) · BLS — American Heart Association (2024) · ACLS — American Heart Association (2024)
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Compare Your Resume →Why This Resume Works
Clinical hours are quantified by unit type, not just total count. Hospital ATS systems and nurse managers care about where you trained, not just how long. Breaking down 480 hours into Med-Surg (240), ICU (120), and Peds (120) tells the hiring manager exactly what clinical foundation Aiden has.
Epic EMR is named multiple times. Epic is used by over 250 million patients' records in the US. Hospital ATS systems frequently screen for EMR experience, and 'Epic' is one of the highest-value keywords for nursing resumes. It appears naturally in both experience entries.
The nurse extern role provides paid experience beyond clinical rotations. Many new grad RN applicants only have clinical rotations. The nurse extern/PCT role gives Aiden a second experience entry with a different hospital system, demonstrating initiative and real-world patient care in a paid capacity.
Skills are grouped into clinical, technology, and certifications. Nursing ATS systems scan for specific clinical competencies (IV therapy, telemetry, wound care) and certifications (BLS, ACLS) separately. Grouping them makes both human and automated screening more efficient.
ATS Keywords for Entry-Level Registered Nurse (New Graduate RN) Resumes
ATS systems scanning Entry-Level Registered Nurse (New Graduate RN) applications look for these terms. The resume above weaves them in naturally rather than listing them outright.
Section-by-Section Writing Tips
Professional Summary
Include NCLEX pass status, total clinical hours, unit types, and EMR systems. These are the four things nurse managers look for in the first 6 seconds of reading a new grad RN resume.
Experience Section
List clinical rotations as professional experience, not education. Name the hospital, the unit type, and your patient load. Use nursing-specific action verbs: assessed, administered, monitored, documented, educated, escalated.
Skills Section
Separate clinical skills from technology/EMR skills from certifications. Nursing ATS is highly specific — 'IV therapy' and 'medication administration' are separate keyword matches from 'patient care.'
Education Section
For BSN graduates, name the school of nursing specifically (not just the university). Include honors societies, GPA if strong, and total clinical hours prominently.
Common Entry-Level Registered Nurse (New Graduate RN) Resume Mistakes
Hiring managers reviewing Entry-Level Registered Nurse (New Graduate RN) resumes flag these problems repeatedly. Each one can knock your ATS score or land your application in the rejection pile.
- Listing clinical rotations under Education instead of Experience, which hides them from ATS experience-section parsing
- Not naming the EMR system (Epic, Cerner, Meditech) — this is one of the most screened keywords in nursing ATS
- Writing 'assisted with patient care' instead of naming specific clinical competencies performed
- Omitting BLS and ACLS from both the skills section and certifications — some ATS scan both sections separately
- Not specifying unit types (med-surg, ICU, pediatrics, L&D) which are critical for unit-specific hiring