How To Write a Neonatal Nurse Resume
A neonatal nurse resume needs to show you have the clinical training and experience to deliver quality care to the hospital’s tiniest patients. It should focus on your ability to handle high-stress situations and work as part of a larger care team. Learn how to put all these things together into one dynamic resume in this guide.
- Entry-Level
- Mid-Career
- Senior-Level
1. Write a dynamic profile summarizing your neonatal nurse qualifications
The profile section of your resume should be a short summary of just three to four sentences. Detail how much experience you have, specific areas of expertise, and any advanced training or certifications. List any organizations you’re a member of as well, such as the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN).
Look through the job description to find out what’s most important to the hiring manager and hit these points — even if it’s at a high level. This is likely to include things like neonatal transport, parenteral nutrition, and resuscitation training. The goal is to have the hiring manager excited about you as a candidate before they move on to the rest of your resume.
Profile Example #1
Neonatal Nurse with strong recent newborn intensive care experience at a major hospital. Provide attentive, quality care to sick newborns while working closely with physicians and other healthcare team members. Adapt readily to new work challenges and conditions. Member of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN).
Profile Example #2
Neonatal Nurse with 4+ years of experience. Demonstrate strong collaboration with nursing teams, providers, and other healthcare staff. Focused on providing optimal care for sick newborns and maintaining active parent and family communications. Committed to continually gaining and applying new nursing care skills and knowledge. Member of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN). Bilingual: Fluent in English and Spanish.
2. Add a compelling section featuring your neonatal nurse experience
The professional experience section is where you provide more details about what you’ve done in previous roles and how your accomplishments have made a difference in patient care. Choose duties and responsibilities to highlight that line up with the responsibilities of the new role, and be as specific as possible.
There should be a good mix of clinical duties, professional collaboration, and interaction with patients’ families. It’s just as important to talk about your role in parent education as it is to discuss your contributions to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Professional Experience Example #1
Neonatal Nurse, RNM Hospital, New York, NY | October 2021 to Present
- Praised for high dedication and attentiveness providing care to sick newborns in hospital’s NICU
- Collaborate on a 15-member nurse team caring for sick term and preterm infants and newborns with surgical diagnoses
- Demonstrate calm and competence balancing various tasks in a high-risk healthcare setting
Professional Experience Example #2
WNP Hospital, Philadelphia, PA | July 2016 to Present
Neonatal Nurse (September 2018 to Present)
- Member of 12-person nursing team at hospital’s Level II newborn special care unit
- Closely monitor and assess newborns’ health status, and communicate key changes to the physician
- Provide various forms of newborn care such as nasal cannula, gavage feeding, and intravenous therapy
- Member of resuscitation team attending high-risk deliveries
Medical-Surgical Nurse (July 2016 to August 2018)
- Gained strong early experience in patient care and nursing team collaboration in an acute-care facility
3. Outline your education and neonatal nurse-related certifications
Neonatal nursing is a specialized position that requires a great deal of clinical training. Hiring managers are likely to be looking for candidates with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at a minimum.
Advanced certifications play an important role in highlighting your interest and continued education in neonatal care after nursing school. High-value certifications in this field include Neonatal Resuscitation, Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing, and Neonatal Pediatric Transport. Include the date you earned the certification and the date it expires, if applicable.
Education
Template
- [Degree Name]
- [School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]
Example
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- Boston College, Boston, MA | 2018
Certifications
Template
- [Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]
Example
- Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 2019
4. List key neonatal nurse skills and proficiencies
A key part of your resume is showing the hiring manager you have the clinical skills to deliver high-quality patient care. Adding a bulleted list of these skills on your resume ensures you can include everything important to the position without taking up valuable space in your work history bullets.
We’ve included some of the most common required skills for neonatal nurses below. However, it’s still important to check the job description for what’s important to individual hiring managers and hospitals. As you build your resume, carefully review each job posting for specific keywords and skills.
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and hood oxygen therapy | Convalescent newborn care |
| High-frequency ventilation | Intravenous therapy |
| Neonatal transport | Newborn monitoring and assessment |
| New nurse orientation | Parent education and communications |
| Patient admission and stabilization | Patient monitoring and assessment |
| Respiratory care | Task prioritization |
| Team collaboration | Total parenteral nutrition (TPN) |
| Training and mentoring | |
How To Pick the Best Neonatal Nurse Resume Template
The overall organization and format of your resume is the first thing a hiring manager sees, and it should make a good impression. Narrow down your choices to templates that are professional, black and white, and clearly organized with headers. Stay away from anything too creative, as it’s not a good match for the health care industry.
Pick a template that has space for all the sections you want to include. Make sure it’s compatible with multiple formats like Microsoft Word and Adobe Reader for versatility.
Neonatal Nurse Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
- Entry-Level
- Mid-Career
- Senior-Level
Kevin Morrison
123 Carpenter Street, Philadelphia, PA 12345 | (123) 456-7890 | [email protected]
Profile
Neonatal Nurse with 4+ years of experience. Demonstrate strong collaboration with nursing teams, providers, and other healthcare staff. Focused on providing optimal care for sick newborns and maintaining active parent and family communications. Committed to continually gaining and applying new nursing care skills and knowledge. Member of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN). Bilingual: Fluent in English and Spanish.
Professional Experience
WNP Hospital, Philadelphia, PA | July 2016 to Present
Neonatal Nurse (September 2018 to Present)
- Member of 12-person nursing team at hospital’s Level II newborn special care unit
- Closely monitor and assess newborns’ health status, and communicate key changes to the physician
- Provide various forms of newborn care such as nasal cannula, gavage feeding, and intravenous therapy
- Member of resuscitation team attending high-risk deliveries
Medical-Surgical Nurse (July 2016 to August 2018)
- Gained strong early experience in patient care and nursing team collaboration in an acute-care facility
Education & Credential
Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
Certified
Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP)
Affiliation
Member
National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN)
Languages
Fluency in Spanish | Basic proficiency in Italian
Key Skills
- Convalescent Newborn Care
- CPAP & Hood Oxygen Therapy
- Patient Admission & Stabilization
- Parent Education & Communications
- Patient Monitoring & Assessment
- Task Prioritization
- Team Collaboration
Frequently Asked Questions: Neonatal Nurse Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for neonatal nurse resumes?-
Precision in word choice is important for neonatal nurses — in their jobs and on their resumes. Using specific action verbs creates a more engaging resume and helps a hiring manager picture you in the role. It can also help you focus on certain skills and duties important to the position.
For example, if the hiring manager lists “patient evaluations,” “completing documentation,” and “working with other team members,” verbs like “evaluated,” “documented,” and “collaborated” are good options. Here are some common action verbs to help jump-start your resume:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Administered | Assessed |
| Assisted | Charted |
| Collaborated | Communicated |
| Conducted | Counseled |
| Documented | Educated |
| Evaluated | Initiated |
| Monitored | Observed |
| Performed | Planned |
| Prepared | Prioritized |
| Responded | Resuscitated |
How do you align your resume with a job description?-
Jobs for registered nurses (RNs) are expected to grow at a rate of 6% through 2032, which is faster than average. Specializations, such as neonatal nursing, may be in even greater demand. It may be tempting to send out the same resume for every position. But taking a few extra minutes before submitting to align it with the job description can increase your chances of getting an interview.
Look through the job description and identify the skills or qualifications that are a high priority for the hiring manager. Use as many of these in your resume as you can. For example, a resume for a job in the NICU should include your experience with 24-hour ventilation and CPAP machines.
What is the best neonatal nurse resume format?-
Neonatal nurses need to show a combination of their clinical skills and job experience on their resumes. The combination resume style is a great choice to do just that.
This format splits the space of your resume roughly equally between your practical skills and your work history. It also still has sections for your education, certifications, and profile. If you have an extensive work history, focus on positions held in just the past five to 10 years or nursing jobs that involved neonatal care or the ICU.
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