Skills to put on a nursing and healthcare resume

A nursing CV is read by a ward manager or a recruitment team who first check one thing: whether you can legally do the job. For registered nurses and nursing associates, that means your NMC registration; for every patient-facing role, it also means safe practice and up-to-date training. After that, they look for where you have worked (ward, specialty, community, care home), the patients you cared for and the clinical skills you can perform without supervision.

Name skills the way job ads write them ("Venepuncture", "Wound care", "Infection prevention and control"): NHS and private employers search for those phrases, and so do the applicant tracking system and Trakrio's score. Then match your angle to the post. A healthcare assistant shows personal care, observations and teamwork; a newly qualified nurse shows placements and the competencies signed off; an experienced nurse shows a specialty, extended skills and leadership of a shift. Values matter too: many NHS job ads ask candidates to show how they live the organisation's values, so tie a few examples to them.

Technical skills

Clinical skills

• Vital signs monitoring Observations recorded and acted on: say in which setting and with what level of patient acuity.
• NEWS2 early warning score The National Early Warning Score used to spot a deteriorating adult: show you escalated when the score called for it.
• Medication administration Drug rounds, controlled drugs checks, IV medicines if trained: list the routes you are competent in.
• Drug calculations Often tested at interview for nurses: mention any assessment you passed in your trust or university.
• Wound care Dressings, pressure ulcer care, leg ulcers, surgical wounds: name the types of wounds you managed.
• Venepuncture Taking blood samples: say whether you are signed off as competent, which many HCA roles ask for.
• IV cannulation Inserting a peripheral cannula, an extended skill for nurses and some support workers: list it only once you are signed off.
• ECG recording Recording a 12-lead ECG and recognising when to escalate: common in acute, cardiology and practice roles.
• Catheterisation Urinary catheter insertion and care: say whether you are competent for male, female or both.

Patient safety and infection control

• Infection prevention and control Hand hygiene, isolation, aseptic technique: mention any audit or link role you held.
• Moving and handling Safe transfers with hoists, slide sheets and other equipment: part of mandatory training in most settings.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) Expected of every patient-facing role: keep the date of your last update on your CV.
• Immediate Life Support (ILS) A Resuscitation Council UK course for staff likely to respond first to a cardiac arrest: list it with its date.
• Safeguarding adults and children Recognising and reporting abuse or neglect: state the level of safeguarding training you completed.
• Falls prevention Risk assessment and measures on the ward or in the community: show a change you contributed to.

Records, handover and care planning

• Electronic health records (EHR) Documenting care accurately and on time: name the system you used.
• SystmOne A clinical system widely used in GP practices and community services in England.
• Epic EHR An electronic record used by some hospital trusts: list it if you worked in one.
• Cerner (Oracle Health) Another hospital record system found in several NHS trusts.
• SBAR handover Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation: a structured way to escalate and hand over safely.
• Care planning Writing and reviewing person-centred care plans: say whether you led them or contributed.

Specialist and holistic care

• Palliative and end of life care Symptom control and support for patients and families: say in which setting you provided it.
• Patient education Teaching patients about their condition, medicines or self-care: give an example, such as diabetes or wound self-care.
• Mechanical ventilation Caring for ventilated patients in critical care: list it with your unit and any critical care course.
• Dementia care Communicating with and supporting people living with dementia: valued on older people's wards and in care homes.
• Pain management Assessing pain with a recognised scale and reviewing relief after each intervention.
• Personal care Washing, dressing, eating and continence support with dignity: the core of healthcare assistant roles.

Soft skills

Soft skills are proven with facts: each one below with how to show it.

• Compassion Shown through what you did for a patient or family, not by the word: one short example is enough.
• Communication with patients and families Explaining care clearly, listening to worries, breaking difficult news with the team.
• Teamwork Ward life depends on it: describe how you supported colleagues on a busy shift.
• Prioritisation Deciding what comes first across a bay of patients: a question that often comes up at interview.
• Resilience Coping with pressure and emotional situations while staying safe and kind.
• Accountability Owning your practice, escalating concerns and recognising the limits of your competence.

Add these skills to my resume

Click the ones you really have: they join the resume kept in this browser by the resume builder, with no AI and nothing sent. Without a resume, the first click creates it.

Recognized certifications and qualifications

Put them in the Education or Certifications section of your resume, with the year, only if you hold them.

• NMC registration (Registered Nurse) Required to work as a registered nurse anywhere in the UK, in one of four fields: adult, children's, mental health or learning disabilities. Write your field and your NMC PIN status.
• NMC registration (Nursing Associate) Nursing associates are regulated in England, where the title is protected: registration follows an NMC-approved nursing associate programme.
• BSc (Hons) Nursing (NMC-approved programme) The usual route to registration, by university or degree apprenticeship: give the field and the university.
• Care Certificate Standards for health and social care workers new to care, developed by Skills for Care, Skills for Health and NHS England: common in HCA job ads in England.
• Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support Required within the Senior Healthcare Support Worker apprenticeship in England, and listed by many senior HCA job ads.
• Senior Healthcare Support Worker Level 3 Apprenticeship An apprenticeship standard in England with options such as adult nursing support or mental health support.
• Immediate Life Support (ILS), Resuscitation Council UK A one-day course for staff who may respond first to a cardiac arrest: give the date, as employers check it is current.

Where to put them on your resume

Put registration first: under your name or in your summary, write "Registered Nurse (Adult), NMC registered" or "Registered Nursing Associate, NMC registered", and keep your PIN ready for the application form rather than on a CV you send widely. Healthcare assistants can open with the Care Certificate or a relevant diploma. Then a Skills section grouped by area (clinical, patient safety, records, specialist care) so the reader sees at a glance what you can do on day one.

For each post or placement, give the setting before the skills: ward or service, specialty, number of beds or caseload, patient group, shifts. Then what you did and improved. A Training section with dates (life support, safeguarding level, moving and handling, any specialist courses) answers the mandatory training question before it is asked. Newly qualified nurses can list placements like jobs. Coming from another field, such as care work or a support role? See the career change guide and transferable skills.

For each application, read the person specification: the essential and desirable criteria are the requirements the shortlisting panel scores. Use their words in your CV and your supporting statement, and check what is missing with the resume / job match checker. The guide to explaining gaps helps if you are returning to practice after a break.

Example bullet points for your experience

Fictitious examples, built with the XYZ formula: replace them with your own results, and never make up the measure.

• Before Did observations on patients.

  After Escalated 6 deteriorating patients in my first year on a 28-bed surgical ward by recording NEWS2 scores on time each round and using SBAR to hand over to the outreach team.

• Before Responsible for wound care.

  After Cut the average healing time of leg ulcers on my district nursing caseload from 16 to 11 weeks by introducing compression assessments and photo records for 25 patients.

• Before Helped with infection control.

  After Raised the ward's hand hygiene audit score from 78% to 96% over six months as infection control link nurse by running monthly five-minute refreshers at handover.

• Before Healthcare assistant on an elderly care ward.

  After Reduced falls on a 24-bed elderly care ward from 9 to 4 a month by setting up intentional rounding with two colleagues and checking call bells and footwear at each round.

Common mistakes

• Registration hidden or unclear. A shortlisting panel should not have to search for your NMC status and field. Put it at the top, and say clearly if your registration is pending.
• Clinical skills without the setting. "Wound care" on a surgical ward and in the community are different jobs. Name the ward, specialty or service for each skill that matters.
• Out-of-date training. Life support and mandatory training have renewal dates set by employers and course providers. Give dates, and update them before applying.
• Skills you are not signed off for. List an extended skill such as cannulation only once your competency is signed off. Saying "in training" is honest and still useful.
• Patient details in examples. Never include names, dates or details that could identify a patient, even in an anonymised story. Describe the situation in general terms.

Frequently asked questions