Healthcare Resume Examples & Writing Guide for 2024

Crafting a top-notch healthcare resume is your first step towards landing that impactful role in people's lives. Regardless if you're a seasoned professional, an eager intern, or a student just stepping into this field, a well-structured resume showcasing your qualifications can make a world of difference in your job application. Let's dive in and learn how to enhance your healthcare prospects!

Martin Poduška

Editor in Chief / Resume Writer

Last updated: Jan. 10, 2024

Average: 4.9 (65 votes)

Registered Nurse at Akron Children's Hospital Resume Sample

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Average: 4.9 (65 votes)

Embarking on a journey to pen the perfect healthcare cover letter? You're in the right place! With our expert-curated tips, real-life examples, and professional samples, we're about to turn this sometimes intimidating task into a walk in the park.

To make your resume compelling to employers, you must focus on creating a well-organized and thoughtful resume that showcases your qualifications as a healthcare provider.

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In this guide, we will cover crucial components of your resume to pay attention to, including tips for tailoring each section for the job you are applying for. Keep reading to learn:

How to choose the right resume format for your healthcare experience level
How to write a healthcare-specific resume summary
Which key healthcare skills to select for inclusion on your resume
What details to include in your work experience descriptions
How and when to create a dedicated certifications section
Where to find the best job search resources for healthcare professionals

1. Choose the right resume format for your healthcare experience level

There are many different types of positions within healthcare – and the position you are applying for effects which resume format will best suit your needs.

These positions include:

•   Medical Doctors and Assistants
•   Mental Health Professionals
•   Nurses
•   Pharmacy Technicians
•   Physical Therapists
•   Dentists
•   Veterinarians

As for resumes, there are two main formats you can choose between for a standard resume: reverse-chronological and functional.

Reverse-chronological resumes are well-suited for experienced job candidates who have enough relevant work history to fill out a large, main section on the resume. This is also the most common type of resume format, so employers will have an easier time navigating this format visually and textually.
Functional resumes take the emphasis off work experience and place it instead on skills, education, certifications, and any other sections a resume may have. This format is sometimes preferred by recent college graduates who may have unpaid internship experience, but few formal jobs to showcase.

Pro tip: For highly experienced healthcare professionals, consider a CV-style resume. CV stands for Curriculum Vitae and is a long-form resume with multiple pages. If you are applying for a high-level healthcare position, such as an executive, a CV will give you a greater opportunity to list all of your qualifications – including research and publications.

2. Write a summary of your healthcare qualifications

Grab attention with a strong health care resume summary or objective statement at the top of the document.
In the healthcare field, recruiters often receive a flood of resumes for each position. They spend just a few seconds scanning each one.

Your resume summary acts as a concise introduction that grabs their attention right from the start. It allows you to highlight your key qualifications, relevant experience, and the value you bring to the table. Crafting a compelling summary helps you stand out among the sea of applicants and ensures that your resume is given the attention it deserves.

Incorrect healthcare resume summary example

"Healthcare professional with many years of experience working in medical administration and office management. Strong understanding of medical terminology and excellent communication skills."

What's wrong with this example? Though there are some good details included here, such as the candidate’s experience as a medical administrator, this summary lacks specificity. For this type of summary, you want to highlight your best accomplishments and qualifications to help your resume stand out from your competition’s.

Corrected healthcare resume summary example

"Driven healthcare professional with more than 5 years of experience in medical administration and office management. Highly knowledgeable in managing patient records, medical billing, and hospital expenses. Implemented a new patient scheduling system that boosted patient retention by 20% in previous position."

Why is this better? In this example, the candidate provides specific details regarding their years of experience and the types of responsibilities they held. Additionally, they include a notable achievement of boosting patient retention – thus, highlighting the value they can bring to a new employer.

3. Select key healthcare skills to include on your resume

The skills you include on your resume will ultimately depend on what position in healthcare you are applying for.

Job descriptions are often rich with keywords and skills that the employer wants from applicants. Finding and including these on your resume will not only help you impress employers but will show that you have a close attention to detail as well.

Best hard skills to include on a healthcare resume

CPR & First Aid
HIPAA Knowledge
Customer Billing
Patient Record Management
Quality Assurance
Medical Budgeting
Data Entry
Outbound/Inbound Calling
Urgent Care
Pharmaceutical Sales

Best soft skills to include on a healthcare resume

Communication
Positivity
Active Listening
Compassion & Empathy
Emotional Support
Conflict & Stress Management
Time Management
Work Ethic
Professionalism
Attention to Detail

4. Include specific and quantifiable details in your work experience section

As you write out your work experience section, it is crucial to include as many of your achievements and key responsibilities as possible.

You don’t want your work experience descriptions to come across as too bland or ordinary. Using action verbs to emphasize your participation in previous jobs is key, as well as including specific and quantifiable details regarding your achievements.

Here's an example of a well-written work experience entry on a healthcare resume

Medical Administrator | Kindred Hospital Denver

Denver, CO | June 2017 to January 2021

Onboarded and coordinated care for more than 200 patients.
Implemented a new scheduling system that increased patient retention by 20 percent and decreased scheduling expenses by 35 percent.
Reviewed more than 100 medical applications on a weekly basis.

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5. Create a dedicated certifications section aside from your education section

On a healthcare resume, your education section matters – sometimes even more than your work experience.

While you want to include all your relevant educational information – such as your university, degree, and year of graduation – you will likely also have a plethora of certifications to include as well. Whether you earned these through your degree program or sought out additional qualifications on your own, including these on your resume is key.

As for where to include them, it depends on how many you have. If you have between 1 to 3 additional certifications outside of your degree, you may be able to include them in your education section.

However, we recommend creating a dedicated certifications section that goes alongside your education section. This way, your certifications are kept nicely organized without over-stuffing your education section with too much bunched-up information.

6. Useful job search resources for healthcare professionals

If you're angling for a role in the dynamic world of healthcare, having the right resources can power up your job search. Let's focus on some key platforms that can provide invaluable help:

Healthcare-specific job boards: Websites like HealthJobsNationwide and Health eCareers specialize in healthcare positions, from entry-level to senior roles, across multiple specialties.
LinkedIn: This professional networking site is not just for techies and marketers. Many healthcare organizations use LinkedIn for recruitment. Make sure your profile is up-to-date and optimized with relevant keywords to appear in recruiters' searches.
Professional associations: Many healthcare professions have associations like the American Medical Association (AMA) or the American Nurses Association (ANA) that post job opportunities for their members.
Industry publications: Publications such as Modern Healthcare and Healthcare IT News often feature job postings alongside industry news.
Hospital job boards: Don't forget to check the career pages of hospitals in your area. They often post job openings on their websites before listing them on other platforms.

Remember, while these resources can be great aids, they can't replace the power of networking. Always be ready to make connections, whether online or in person, who can help propel your healthcare career forward.

Healthcare Resume FAQ

Absolutely! The advice in this healthcare resume guide applies across various healthcare roles, nursing included. The emphasis on formatting, highlighting skills, and detailing experiences can benefit all healthcare professionals. Just remember, specificity counts - tailor each aspect of your resume to reflect your unique nursing skills and experiences.

As a new graduate, focus on your academic accomplishments, coursework that ties in directly with the job you're applying for, internships, and any practical training or projects that you were part of. Your soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, are valuable too. Aim to show your potential and your enthusiasm for a career in healthcare.

Yes, you can reference specific cases or instances as long as they illustrate your professional achievements and skills, and you ensure patient confidentiality is maintained. Never include identifiable patient information.

If you have significant employment gaps, the best way to handle them on your healthcare resume would be a functional or skills-based resume, which emphasizes your skills rather than your chronological work history. If needed, briefly address these gaps in your cover letter while focusing on what you did during these periods (like further studies or voluntary work) that could enhance your healthcare profession skills or knowledge. Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all career path in healthcare.

In such a case, your healthcare resume should highlight the diversity of your experience. Create a "Professional Experience" section and categorize your roles under each relevant position. Alternatively, sort it based on medical specialty, depending on which approach presents your skills and experiences best. Remember, your goal is to show an employer the full range of your healthcare proficiencies.

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Average: 4.9 (65 votes)

Martin Poduška

Editor in Chief / Resume Writer

Martin is a resume expert and career advice writer at Kickresume. In his five years at Kickresume, he has written hundreds of in-depth, painstakingly researched resume advice articles and, as chief editor, he has also edited and revised every single article on this website. Tens of thousands of job seekers read Martin’s resume advice every month. He holds a degree in English from the University of St Andrews and a degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Amsterdam.