Hospice Nurse Resume Example
Pursuing a career as a hospice nurse provides opportunities for career progression and responsibilities involving coordinating with MDs and providing patient care. For a successful hospice nurse application, you'll want to submit a professional resume that showcases your relevant skills. In this article, we'll showcase resume tips and examples that can help you create a professional hospice nurse resume that catches the eye of hiring managers.
This complete guide to a hospice nurse resume will equip you with the tools you need to compete in your applications. The article will take you through the key steps of creating a resume that presents your key skills, qualities and career achievements in a format that employers favor. It will also help you tailor your resume according to your unique skills and experience level. Read on to learn the tips Jobseeker careers experts recommend as the best for your hospice nurse resume.
Key sections for a hospice nurse resume
The key sections to include in a hospice nurse resume are similar to those for any role or profession.
For junior and entry-level hospice nurse positions, you may be short on work experience to include in your resume. Select a resume layout that emphasizes your skills and qualifications, such as a functional format. Focus the content of your resume on your soft and transferable skills, and any hard or technical skills you've learned from your studies or career to date. You can also mention any relevant internships, training courses or voluntary roles you've taken on.
For those with some prior experience as a hospice nurse work experience is the most important element of a resume. Use a traditional, reverse-chronological resume format to emphasize your career timeline and achievements. In your resume work experience section, outline your relevant achievements and showcase the impact you've made in your career to date. Make sure everything you include is relevant to the job description.
For senior hospice nurse applications, concentrate on your work experience and any accolades or achievements that prove your status as a highly experienced candidate. Use a reverse-chronological resume format with additional sections. Expect your senior resume to be slightly longer than resumes for more junior roles. This is because you 'll want to add details of professional memberships, awards, publications, presentations and other achievements expected of senior professionals.
Your resume layout and structure may differ depending on your experience levels, but make sure your resume includes the following:
Resume Header with Contact Details
Your hospice nurse resume header is the place to add your contact details. Start by adding your full name and underneath, include your email address, phone number and location. Adding your LinkedIn profile, if you have one, can help the employer get a better insight into your skills and industry expertise. You don't need to include any additional personal information or a photo. Be aware of the amount of space your resume header takes up. You don't want your contact details to take space away from the main content of your resume, so keep this section as brief as possible.
Use an email address that's professional and appropriate for professional communication. Typically this would be an email address based on your first and last name, or your initials. If necessary, you could include your profession or another unique identifier. Avoid using old email addresses that could be considered unprofessional or inappropriate. Additionally, always check your contact details before sending your resume to ensure they're up-to-date.
Jonathan Jimenez
jonathan.jimenez@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA
linkedin․com/in/jonathan–jimenez123
Resume Summary
Following your resume header, write a resume summary to introduce yourself and showcase some of your key skills and achievements. Alternative names for this section are 'resume objective' and 'personal profile'. While a resume summary focuses on your career experience, a resume objective covers your ambitions and career plans. In addition, your objective should highlight why you're an ideal candidate for hospice nurse roles by showing key skills and qualities that reflect the job description.
Alternatively, use this section to emphasize your career objectives and explain how and why this role is a suitable step for you at this stage of your career.
A great resume summary should highlight why you're an ideal candidate for hospice nurse roles by showing key skills and qualities that reflect the job description and provide evidence to support them. It should also introduce your personality and unique qualities to the reader, to help them start to form an opinion about you as a candidate. See below for some great examples of what to include in your hospice nurse resume summary.
Good example:
Compassionate and dedicated Hospice Nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and extensive experience in providing end-of-life care. Proven ability to manage pain and symptoms, support emotional well-being, and ensure comfort for terminally ill patients. Skilled in coordinating with interdisciplinary teams, educating families, and maintaining detailed patient records. Committed to delivering empathetic and holistic care to enhance the quality of life for patients and their families during challenging times
Bad example:
Nurse with some background in healthcare and working with patients at the end of their lives. Have experience in helping manage discomfort and providing support. Worked with different teams and talked to families about care. Keep track of patient information and aim to provide care that helps patients and families during tough times
Conversely, a bad resume summary might be too generic, lacking focus on the specifics of the job description. It will also fail to provide any useful insights on what makes you a unique candidate. See above for some examples of things to avoid when writing your hospice nurse resume summary.
Employment History
Next, list your relevant employment history and any key achievements that show you're suitable for a hospice nurse position. Mention only the most appropriate and relevant jobs you've had in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent and working backwards. Add your job title, the name of the employer, the location of the role and your dates of employment.
Add some bullet points under each job entry, explaining your achievements in the role, so the reader can see how you contributed towards success for the company. Provide evidence of your impact and make sure each point addresses a requirement listed in the job description.
The best resume work experience sections focus only on the most relevant previous jobs, and link each bullet point back to a skill or experience listed in the job description. It's also critical to provide evidence that shows the value you added to each role in a quantifiable way, such as project outcomes, key performance indicators or feedback from customers, colleagues or managers. There are some examples of strong resume work experience sections below.
Good example:
Hospice Care Nurse, January 2022 - Present
Serenity Care Hospice Services, Phoenix
- Implemented individualized care plans, improving patient comfort and quality of life by 30%
- Trained and mentored 50+ nursing staff, enhancing team competence and patient care standards
- Coordinated interdisciplinary care teams, ensuring seamless communication and comprehensive patient management
Bad example:
Hospice Care Nurse, January 2022 - Present
Serenity Care Hospice Services, Phoenix
- Provided excellent patient care, ensuring satisfaction and comfort for all patients
- Worked collaboratively with healthcare teams to enhance overall patient experience
- Supported nursing staff in delivering high-quality care to patients
The example above can give you some idea of what not to include in your resume work experience section. Ineffective work experience sections tend to focus too much on everyday responsibilities over skills and achievements. If you use vague descriptions of activities and fail to back up your achievements with evidence, you're likely to fail to make an impact on the reader.
Education
Under education, add details of any degrees or professional qualifications relevant to hospice nurse roles.
Opportunities as a hospice nurse and similar roles in the sector usually require a specialist degree. If you have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, be sure to mention this in your resume. You might also want to list any qualifications that highlight your end-of-life care or pain management expertise.
Include any qualifications relevant to the role. For each, add the name and level of the award, the institution name, its location and your dates of study. You could also add one or two bullet points to draw attention to your grades if they were particularly good, as well as any specialist subjects you studied. This will help the hiring manager understand your knowledge and special skills better.
If you organized or participated in any clubs or societies while at university, or you took part in any voluntary work, you could also mention these here.
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), 2017 - 2020
University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN
Hard and Soft Skills
Listing your key skills can help to prove your suitability for hospice nurse jobs. These could be advanced life support (ALS), team collaboration skills or various other relevant skills. Again, refer to the hospice nurse job description for an indication of the types of skills the employer is looking for, and make sure your skills section reflects these.
How to include hard skills on your hospice nurse resume
In your hard skills list, include any specific abilities related to the role you're applying for. These could be technical skills or industry knowledge that showcases your expertise in your chosen profession. Furthermore, your hard skills list helps to show employers how competent and experienced you are at key hospice nurse duties and responsibilities. Include around four or five key hard skills that are listed in the job description. These skills will help to convince the hiring manager that you're a good fit for the position.
The best resume hard skills sections focus on specific technical skills necessary for the job, showcasing skills that you have particular expertise in. There are some examples of valuable hard skills for a hospice nurse resume below.
- Pain management expertise
- Medication administration proficiency
- EMR documentation skills
Adding soft skills to your hospice nurse resume
Your soft skills are the core qualities and personal characteristics that make you a good employee. They tend to apply to multiple professions and jobs, though the soft skills you'll require may change as you move from junior to senior positions. Indeed, without soft skills, you may struggle to adapt to hospice nurse roles or meet the standards expected of you. So make sure you include several key soft skills on your resume. You should generally look to include up to five soft or transferable skills that match the job description.
A good soft skills section would include skills that match the job description, and also reflect your key strengths and qualities. See the graphic below for an indication of what to include in a strong soft skills section for a hospice nurse resume.
- Empathy and compassion
- Effective communication skills
- Emotional resilience
Certifications
Under certifications and licenses, add any further qualifications that show you're a good fit for the job. Add any official certifications or accreditations that increase your level of qualification and suitability for working as a hospice nurse. Therefore, add any professional licenses or certifications, along with valid dates that show they're still valid.
See below for some suggestions of relevant certifications for a hospice nurse resume:
- CHPN: Certified Hospice, 2022
- ACHPN: Advanced Certified, 2022
- RN-BC: Registered Nurse-Board, 2022
Expert Tip:
Optional Sections
As well as the main sections of a hospice nurse resume, optional sections can help you prove your credentials to employers. Choose optional sections from the list below, if they help to showcase your relevant skills and experience.
Personal Interests
Listing your hobbies and interests can reveal key qualities that some employers may value. These are particularly useful for your resume if you're short of work experience and need to showcase a particular skill or experience. Don't include hobbies and interests in your resume unless they showcase a specific interest or aspect of your personality. You'll want them to add something to your application that you can't add elsewhere.
Volunteer Experience
Voluntary work can help you develop useful skills, so it's a valuable addition to your hospice nurse resume. Include the title of your volunteer role, who you volunteered for, as well as the dates you carried out the work. Provide brief details of your responsibilities and the impact you made.
References
It's relatively unusual to include references in a standard hospice nurse resume, but they are required occasionally. Check the job advert to see if you'll need to add references to your resume. Include a maximum of three professional references, being sure to check with your referees before including them in your resume.
References are available upon request.
Best strong verbs for your a hospice nurse resume
Add strong verbs to your work experience section to show the hiring manager the impact you made in your previous roles. Add strong verbs from the list below to create a greater impact with your work experience section.
- Assess
- Administer
- Coordinate
- Educate
- Advocate
- Support
- Document
- Monitor
- Counsel
- Collaborate
If you want to create a resume that stands out from the crowd, use Jobseeker's expert-designed resume templates. You can also find cover letter templates that work to get you noticed by employers.
Example of a hospice nurse resume
Now that you know everything that needs to go into your hospice nurse resume, let's review an example resume that you can use as a guide when creating your own:
1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA
•
jonathan.jimenez@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/jonathan–jimenez123
Compassionate and dedicated hospice nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and extensive experience in palliative care. Proficient in providing holistic, patient-centered care to individuals with life-limiting illnesses. Strong background in pain and symptom management, emotional support, and end-of-life care. Skilled in communication with patients, families, and multidisciplinary teams to ensure the highest quality of care and comfort
Palliative Care Nurse
2020
-2022
Serenity Haven Palliative Care (Pittsburgh)
- Developed and implemented a comprehensive pain management protocol, reducing patient discomfort by 40%
- Successfully coordinated interdisciplinary teams to enhance patient-centered care, improving overall patient satisfaction scores by 35%
- Led educational workshops for nursing staff, increasing proficiency in palliative care techniques by 50%
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
2017
-2020
Villanova University (Villanova, PA)
Pain management expertise
Medication administration proficiency
EMR documentation skills
Empathy and compassion
Effective communication skills
Emotional resilience
CHPN: Certified Hospice
ACHPN: Advanced Certified
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Do's and don'ts of a hospice nurse resume
Simple tips for creating a winning resume
- Adapt your resume depending on the job you're applying for. Take a look at the job description and make sure you reference all the required key skills and experience.
- Showcase your key skills throughout your resume, as well as in your dedicated skills list, with each skill reflecting the job description.
- Use a clear, professional resume format to make your document as accessible as possible, including a readable font and appropriate headings, margins and line spacing. This will make your resume easier for recruiters and hiring managers to read.
- Make a strong first impression with a concise, impactful hospice nurse resume summary that showcases your key qualities.
- Proofread your resume before sending it, to avoid any unnecessary mistakes that may harm your chances.
Pitfalls to avoid with your resume writing
- Don't list unrelated work experience unless you can show you used skills that are valuable to the job you're applying for.
- Don't include hobbies unless you're light on work experience and they help you prove a skill required for the job.
- Don't use overly decorative formatting and layouts that can detract from the content and make your hospice nurse resume harder for scanning by applicant tracking systems (ATS).
- Don't use an email address that contains unprofessional content, and if necessary create a new, more professional email address.
- Don't lie or exaggerate the details of your hospice nurse career or education, as this can backfire later in the recruitment process.
Making an ATS-friendly resume
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are one of the key ways recruiters and employers manage the hiring process. The systems can screen candidates by scanning and ranking resumes based on each candidate's likely suitability for the vacancy. There are several things you can do when writing your hospice nurse resume, to give yourself the strongest chance of ranking highly in the ATS stage and progressing through the recruitment process.
Create an ATS-optimized resume by following these quick tips:
- Adopt a traditional structure for your resume, such as a reverse-chronological format or a functional format. These are likely to be the easiest layouts for ATS software to scan.
- Include keywords throughout your resume that align with the job description. ATS software tends to compare your resume to the job description for points of similarity, so careful, considered use of keywords should help your chances of success.
- Add each section with clear headings that match the established resume conventions, so ATS software can easily identify each part of your resume.
- Utilize a clean, clear resume design that helps make your content more readable. Use simple fonts and subtle color accents and design elements that don't detract from the written content.
- Use simple, concise language to keep your resume to a maximum of one to two pages in length. This will make it easier for ATS software to read.
For help crafting a winning resume, read our in-depth career blog and review our resume examples for inspiration.
Frequently Asked Questions about a hospice nurse resume
Now that you know how to write a professional hospice nurse resume, you might also want to learn how to write an accompanying cover letter that makes a similar impact.
Firstly, choose whether you're going to write a full cover letter, or whether a brief email confirming your application and drawing attention to your resume will be sufficient.
If you decide you want to write a traditional cover letter, follow the standard letter-writing conventions around layout and structure. In the main body of the letter, write an opening paragraph to introduce yourself and explain why you're applying for the hospice nurse role. Your second paragraph is typically where you highlight your key relevant skills and achievements. Finally, close by expressing your enthusiasm for the role and leave a call to action to encourage the hiring manager to make contact with you.
For help creating an eye-catching cover letter that impresses recruiters and hiring managers, use Jobseeker's professional cover letter templates.
If you have no experience, it's still possible to write a professional hospice nurse resume that makes a positive impression on hiring managers. Choose a resume structure that best showcases your key skills for the role, such as a functional format. This places your skills and education above your work experience. Make the most of additional sections such as hobbies and interests, volunteer work, certifications and internships. These can help you showcase skills that you've developed outside traditional work settings.
A resume headline can catch the attention of the reader and give them a strong first impression about your suitability for hospice nurse jobs. Resume headlines are also a powerful way of increasing your resume's chances of passing the ATS stage. They reference the job title and some of the keywords that match the job description. Take the time to draft a concise, eye-catching headline which includes the job title, one or two key skills and reference to either your experience level or track record.
Here's an example of a strong resume headline:
- Compassionate Junior Hospice Care Nurse
- Compassionate End-of-Life Care Specialist
- Experienced Senior Hospice Care Nurse
The best resume format for you depends on two things. Firstly, it depends on your experience level. Secondly, it depends on the type and level of position you're applying for. If you're applying for a junior position or changing careers, you might want to consider a functional resume. This highlights your skills and education over your work experience. If, however, you have relevant work experience in the industry, it's typically best to use a reverse chronological resume format. This highlights your achievements in work, which is probably the most important factor for hiring managers to consider.
Key takeaways for your hospice nurse resume
The key to a strong resume is to showcase your relevant skills and achievements through your work experience and other activities. Choose the most suitable resume format for your experience levels, and focus on tailoring your resume based on the requirements listed in the job description.
Using the professional resume templates and resources of Jobseeker can help you create a great-looking resume that stands out from other applicants. Sign up today and follow the simple steps to get started. To make the best possible impression with your applications, write a cover letter with the help of Jobseeker. You can also find plenty of expert-designed cover letter examples for inspiration.
Sources:
(1) Tips for Writing a Federal Resume, U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/general/jobs/tips-for-writing-a-federal-resume
(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/
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