Registered Nurse Resume Keywords for ATS
Nursing resumes are screened for clinical skills, systems and licenses. These ATS keywords reflect what hospital recruiters and their software look for.
Applicant tracking systems rank your resume by how closely it matches the job description. Below are the keywords ATS software and recruiters look for on a registered nurse resume. Use the ones that genuinely apply to you, woven naturally into your skills and experience sections — never stuffed.
Core skills
- Patient care
- Patient assessment
- Medication administration
- Care planning
- Vital signs
- IV therapy
- Wound care
- Patient education
- HIPAA
Tools & systems
- Epic
- Cerner
- Electronic health records
Licenses & certifications
- RN license
- BLS
- ACLS
- PALS
See which of these keywords you're missing
Paste a job description into ATS Grade and it shows exactly which keywords your registered nurse resume is missing, plus an instant ATS score and a 12-point report — free.
Analyze my resume freeHow to use these keywords
- Only include keywords that reflect real skills and experience — honesty beats keyword stuffing.
- Mirror the exact wording of the job description when it matches your background.
- Spell out acronyms at least once (e.g. "Search Engine Optimization (SEO)") so the ATS catches both forms.
- Put your strongest keywords in your skills section and in your most recent role.