How To Write a Health Care Resume
The health care sector comprises many job levels and specialties. But whether you’re looking to be a certified nursing assistant or chief medical officer, you can write a great health care resume. Showcase how you help people overcome illness and achieve better physical or mental well-being. Display your skills from first aid to patient transport and IV installation. The tips below will help you develop this core theme in each section of your resume so it gets you interviews for your next health care job.
- Entry-Level
- Mid-Career
- Senior-Level
1. Craft an outstanding profile with a summary of your health care qualifications
A strong profile lets you impress hiring managers from the moment they start reading your resume. Use this section to outline the top reasons you excel at supporting people’s physical or behavioral health. Your profile length should depend on your health care vocation and employment level. For instance, if you’re a doctor with over 10 years of experience, you’ll probably need more space to list your core skills, awards, and board certifications. But if you’re applying for entry-level jobs, you may want to focus on transferable and soft skills, such as patient relations or documentation.
Senior-Level Profile Example
Reliable licensed dental hygiene professional with over six years of experience. Expertise working with diverse populations, including seniors, adolescents, and medically compromised patients. Skilled in soft tissue management, whitening procedures, periodontal charting, and sonic and ultrasonic instrumentation. Certified in Basic Life Support and Nitrous Oxide Monitoring. Productive working both independently and with dentist and office staff.
Entry-Level Profile Example
Certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with entry-level experience in patient transport, pre-hospital care, and ambulance operation. Expertly coordinate with medical teams to deliver emergency treatment to patients in crisis.
2. Create a powerful list of your health care experience
Working in health care means that patients’ well-being, and sometimes lives, are in your hands. Your resume experience section must show you’ve excelled in past jobs and understand the seriousness of working in health care. Give detailed examples of your success driving positive health outcomes for clients or patients. When listing your job duties, include both technical and soft skills. For instance, if you’re applying for a nursing job, you could include both IV installation and teaching newly diagnosed patients how to monitor and treat diabetes.
Senior-Level Professional Experience Example
Dental Hygienist
Bismarck Dental Services, Bismarck, ND | May 2014-present
- Review patients’ health and oral health history prior to dental hygiene procedures
- Manage patient anxiety using pleasant demeanor, education, and empathy
- Examine patients’ teeth, removing plaque and calculus, performing debridement and root planing as needed
- Operate digital X-ray machine to provide intraoral radiographs
- Counsel patients on the importance of proper oral hygiene
- Introduced a cleaning approach that reduced patient discomfort and anxiety
Entry-Level Professional Experience Example
Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
Southwest Medical, Nashville, TN | June 2021-present
- Deliver first aid, basic life support, and emergency treatment to over 50 patients per week in various medical emergencies
- Ensure safe transport of patients and administer appropriate medical treatment on-scene and en route to hospitals, including CPR and pharmaceutical interventions
- Maintain ambulatory vehicles and inspect equipment for defects
- Communicate with patients and families on-site to obtain medical histories and determine best treatment based on symptoms
3. Outline your health care-related education and certifications
Include your degree and any certifications to show you have a strong health care knowledge base. If you have a license or other credential that has to be renewed, include both the completion and expiration dates. The education section is usually short, with just one or two bullet points. But feel free to give more detail if needed, as more credentials generally make you a stronger candidate in the medical field.
Education
Template
- [Degree Name]
- [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] – [Graduation Year]
Example
- Doctor of Medicine
- University of California, Los Angeles, CA – 2004
Certifications
Template
- [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]
Example
- Board Certified, Medical Board of California, 2010
4. List key skills and proficiencies for health care
If you can’t fit all your health care skills in your experience section, a key skills list lets you cover any extras or must-haves from the job posting. What you list in this section will depend on your target job, but it’s a good idea to list any required technical skills in your field, such as X-ray or EKG proficiency, as well as general soft skills. The following list can help you brainstorm items for this section.
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Active listening methods | Behavioral health |
| Clinical operations | Complex problem-solving |
| Cross-discipline collaboration | Cultural sensitivity |
| Data gathering and analysis | Disease prevention and treatment |
| Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems | Emergency response |
| Health evaluation | Infection control |
| Medical charting and documentation | Medical coding and billing |
| Medication administration | Organizational development |
| Patient and family education | Patient assessment |
| Patient care coordination | Patient communications |
| Patient-centered care | Policy development |
| Process streamlining | Regulatory compliance |
| Task prioritization | Team collaboration |
| Vital signs monitoring | |
How To Pick the Best Health Care Resume Template
Resume templates help you organize your skills and experience, but how do you know which one is best? A good resume template will be clean and straightforward, with sections separated by distinct borders and headings. Stick with conservative colors and traditional resume fonts to avoid distracting the reader and keep the overall focus on your relevant career details.
Health Care Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
- Example #1
- Example #2
- Example #3
Prisha Ali
[email protected]
(111) 121-2121
3031 Brannon Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017
Profile
Board-certified physician with 10+ years of experience in both hospital and private practice settings. Specialize in internal and family medicine, with a focus on treating non-life-threatening conditions and illnesses. Maintained an 85% patient success rate over the course of a 10-year career based on patient surveys. Dedicated to providing quality care services with utmost confidentiality.
Professional Experience
Physician, Hope Health, Los Angeles, CA
November 2015 – Present
- Counsel patients on specialist referrals
- Train teams of 6 residents for internal medicine program, reviewing the quality of their care and compliance with health care regulations
- Analyze data X-rays and other laboratory tests for patient diagnosis, treatment, and referral
Physician, Johnson Family Medicine, Los Angeles, CA
July 2011 – February 2015
- Managed health care records for 50+ patients using Microsoft Excel
- Prescribed medications and set treatment plans for patients with non-life-threatening conditions
- Consulted with medical sales reps to discuss cost-effective treatments and medical products
Internal Medicine Resident, UCLA Health, Los Angeles, CA
July 2011 – February 2015
- Provided health care to internal medicine patients under supervision of senior physicians
- Helped examine and diagnose patients upon intake
- Conducted patient interviews and thoroughly documented information to maintain accurate health records
Education
Doctor of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles, CA, June 2004
Bachelor of Science in Biology
University of California, Los Angeles, CA, June 2000
Key Skills
- Family Practice
- Intake Processing
- Leadership
- Patient Care
- Patient Confidentiality
Certifications
- Board Certified, Medical Board of California, 2010
Frequently Asked Questions: Health Care Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for health care resumes?-
If you’re struggling to write your resume experience section, you’re not alone. Many find it hard to think of unique action verbs for each past job, but the list below can help you brainstorm. Look for verbs that are as specific as possible. It’s also a good idea to include action verbs that appear in the job posting to tailor your resume further.
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Adapted | Administered |
| Advocated | Analyzed |
| Assisted | Collaborated |
| Conducted | Counseled |
| Determined | Diagnosed |
| Discerned | Documented |
| Educated | Empathized |
| Evaluated | Facilitated |
| Identified | Interpreted |
| Isolated | Listened |
| Monitored | Observed |
| Prioritized | Provided |
| Relayed | Reported |
| Researched | Resolved |
| Responded | Reviewed |
| Supported | Trained |
| Treated | |
How do you align your resume with a job posting?-
The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that health care jobs will increase by about 13% (or 2 million) between 2021 and 2031. This growth rate is much faster than the average for all U.S. vocations.
When you find a health care job posting that interests you, look closely at the required skills and qualifications. Are there any you possess but haven’t featured on your resume yet? For instance, have you worked with the same types of medical procedures or patient groups? If so, consider mentioning that experience in your resume profile or key skills section. Often, you can simply add it to the end of your intro line. Taking this extra step will make your resume that much more relevant to each job opportunity and prone to catch hiring managers’ interest.
What is the best health care resume format?-
Generally, the best health care resume formats are reverse-chronological or combination.
The reverse-chronological format lets you show a detailed work history and your primary duties in each job, which can highlight your career growth and investment in the medical community over time.
The combination format works well if you’re changing departments or roles and want to show past health care experience, even if it doesn’t precisely match the position.
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Including a cover letter with your health care resume can help you stand out among many applicants. Your health care cover letter doesn’t have to be extensive and, in most cases, shouldn’t be longer than a few paragraphs. Use this space to show your interest in the facility’s mission and elaborate on some of the top points from your resume.
