Table of contents
Let’s say you have an in-depth understanding of your healthcare profession. You can simplify complex processes into language the average person can understand.
But there’s one question you should ask yourself when you start looking for a job — can you represent these skills on your resume?
A well-structured healthcare resume serves as a roadmap of your career history, guiding you to your ideal position in the healthcare industry. Acknowledging the importance of your resume is the first step, and you’re about to learn how to craft one that truly stands out.
This guide will offer you:
- Clear examples of successful healthcare resumes.
- Tips for creating a resume that makes an impact in the healthcare sector.
- Guidance tailored to healthcare professionals at various stages of their careers.
- The significance of cover letters in healthcare job applications.
- Key strategies to enhance your resume.
Need help with your resume? Our AI Resume Builder can assist you. Choose a design that suits a healthcare career and receive customized advice for each section, including personalized text recommendations.
Popular healthcare resumes
Before you start writing your resume, you should know what a good healthcare resume looks like.
You want to show your healthcare skills and experiences clearly and simply so anyone can understand it. Here are three examples of great resumes for different healthcare jobs:
Medical Assistant
Patient Care Coordinator
Healthcare Administrator
How to write a resume for a healthcare role
Start by learning how to create a resume that catches the attention of hiring managers.
First things first, let’s break down what goes into a good resume:
- Your contact information should be at the top, where it’s easy to find.
- Include a brief profile that showcases what makes you unique.
- Add sections that highlight your skills and expertise.
- List your job history, beginning with your most recent position.
- Mention the schools you attended and any degrees you’ve obtained.
- You can also include a few extra sections to make your resume stand out.
Now, let’s go through each part step by step in a way that’s simple and straightforward.
Step 1
Start with your contact information
Think of your resume as your professional introduction — like a business card. If you want hiring managers to contact you easily, your contact details should be the first thing they see. So, place them prominently at the top of your resume.
Include in your resume header:
- Your full name
- Your phone number
- A professional email address
- The city and state where you reside
Keep the header simple and clean. You can express a bit of your personality, but the focus should remain on your professional achievements.
Now, let’s move on to your professional summary.
Step 2
Create a strong professional summary
Your resume starts with a summary that acts as your introduction, where you lay out your most relevant key skills and experiences. Use this section to explain why you are the right candidate for the job and capture the recruiter’s attention.
If you have extensive experience in healthcare, opt for a professional summary. Here, in a few sentences, emphasize your key skills and notable achievements.
If you are newer to the field or shifting to a different area within healthcare, consider using a resume objective. This should outline your career goals and describe how you intend to contribute to the organization, showing your commitment.
Your aim here is to show how well-suited you are for the job.
Customize your summary for each healthcare role you apply for, highlighting the specific keywords mentioned in the job posting. This approach helps your resume pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Professional summary example for a healthcare resume:
Dedicated healthcare professional with over three years of experience in clinical settings. Highly skilled in patient assessment, emergency care and health education. Committed to providing top-notch care while adhering to healthcare regulations and privacy standards. Known for excellent communication skills and a proactive approach in a dynamic healthcare environment.
Example of an objective for a healthcare resume:
Recent nursing graduate with practical experience in fast-paced hospital environments. Passionate about providing high-quality patient care and eager to bring knowledge of healthcare protocols and patient management to a thriving medical team. Looking forward to making a positive impact by enhancing patient outcomes and streamlining care procedures.
Step 3
Showcase your essential skills
Imagine your skills as tools in a first aid kit. Just as you need different tools for different medical situations, you utilize a diverse set of skills in healthcare every day. The key is to highlight these skills on your resume in a way that catches an employer’s eye.
You rely on hard skills, like patient diagnostics or administering treatments, for your technical tasks. Your soft skills, such as empathy and communication, are crucial when interacting with patients and collaborating with other healthcare professionals.
Think of your hard and soft skills as the two halves of a stethoscope: both are vital to diagnosing and treating patients effectively.
Healthcare, much like balancing a diet, requires a mix of nutrients — your skills. While it’s important to list your clinical abilities, don’t overlook the interpersonal skills that make you a compassionate caregiver.
Soft and hard skills on your healthcare resume
- Clinical knowledge
- Patient care procedures
- Medical recordkeeping
- Emergency response
- Empathy
- Team collaboration
- Patient communication
- Stress management
Step 4
Detail your work experience
Your career in healthcare is like a marathon filled with unique challenges and rewarding milestones. Whether you’re administering lifesaving treatments or conducting health assessments, each role you’ve held adds to your professional journey.
However, to make your resume truly stand out, you need to do more than list your daily tasks. Think of your work history as stories of successful treatments: each one should have a clear outcome that shows your impact.
Here’s how to make your career history resonate:
- Focus on results, not just responsibilities. Instead of simply listing job duties, highlight achievements such as improving patient recovery times or reducing medication errors.
- Illustrate your career progression. Present your roles in reverse-chronological order, starting with the most recent, to show your growth in the healthcare field.
- Use action verbs. Bring your experiences to life with action-oriented words like “implemented,” “coordinated” and “achieved” to add an energetic, results-focused feel to your resume.
Never underestimate your technical expertise. While teamwork and patient interaction are key, your specialized healthcare skills are your bedrock. These abilities are used daily, whether you’re conducting detailed health assessments, managing complex treatments or educating patients on wellness practices.
Healthcare work experience entry example:
Clinical Research Coordinator
Healthcare Innovations Group | Newtown, NY | August 2021 – April 2024
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams, contributing to two pioneering research studies that were published in top medical journals.
- Played a critical role in enhancing clinical operations, increasing overall efficiency by 20% and significantly reducing operational waste.
- Implemented and upheld rigorous data management protocols, improving data accuracy and expediting the data review process by 20%.
Step 5
List your education
Your educational background is an important part of your story. In fact, for most healthcare positions, you’re only eligible for a role if you have the proper degrees and certifications.
Here’s the order in which you should list your education:
- Start with your most advanced degree, such as a master’s or doctorate, if you have one.
- Next, include your undergraduate degree.
- Only mention your high school diploma if you haven’t pursued higher education.
If you have relevant certifications, list them together with your education details. Also, if you received any awards or honors during your studies, this section is a perfect place to highlight them.
Healthcare education example:
Education
Master of Public Health,
Columbia University, New York, NY | 2018
Bachelor of Science in Biology,
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL | 2016
|Honors: Graduated Summa Cum Laude
Certifications
Certified in Public Health (CPH)
National Board of Public Health Examiners (NBPHE)
Certification Date: June 2019
If your degree included a focus or specialization relevant to the job you’re applying for, mention this in your education section. For example, if you specialized in pediatric care, mental health or emergency medicine, make this clear as it can set you apart from other candidates.
Step 6
Add unique sections
Your healthcare resume can reflect more than just your work and academic history. Consider adding sections that showcase your broader interests and contributions to the field.
Ideas for special sections:
- Publications: If you’ve authored or co-authored medical articles or research papers, include them. It demonstrates your commitment to advancing medical knowledge.
- Volunteer work: Involvement in volunteer work like health drives or community outreach programs illustrates your dedication to applying medical skills outside of traditional settings.
- Conferences: Participation in medical conferences, whether attending or speaking, shows you are engaged with the medical community and stay updated on industry trends.
If you’ve received any awards or been recognized for your contributions, include these in a special section. This highlights your achievements and the recognition you’ve received from peers.
Finally, selecting the right template for your resume is essential. Although there are many creative options available, for a healthcare resume, it’s best to use a simple, plain template. This ensures that your resume remains professional and easy to read, focusing on your qualifications rather than design elements.
By the way, you don’t need to spend time searching for a template. There are plenty of free and simple options available on platforms like Microsoft Word or Google Docs. The most important thing is that your resume is organized and showcases your qualifications clearly.
Healthcare resume examples by experience level
Work experience is a crucial part of a healthcare resume. As you accumulate more experience in hospitals, clinics or other healthcare settings, you pave the way for new career opportunities.
As your experience grows, you might wonder how best to organize your resume. Generally, there are three main types of resume formats, each suitable for different stages in your career:
- Functional resume: Ideal for entry-level healthcare professionals, this format focuses on your skills and education rather than your work history. It’s a good choice if you’re new to the field and want to highlight your knowledge and abilities.
- Combination resume: This format is great for healthcare professionals in the middle of their careers. It blends details about your skills with your work history, allowing you to showcase both your competencies and experience.
- Chronological resume: Most healthcare professionals opt for this format, especially if they have extensive experience. It lists your jobs starting with the most recent and is effective in showing your career progression over time.
If you’re unsure which format to use, go with a chronological resume. It’s the standard and generally preferred in healthcare as it clearly demonstrates your career trajectory and professional growth.
Entry-level healthcare resume
Why this is a great resume for an entry-level healthcare worker:
-
Lays out career goals
When you’re just starting out, you don’t have much work experience to focus on, so you should focus on your goals. This applicant uses a resume objective, mentioning the skills and ambitions that would make them an exceptional personal care aide.
-
Centers skills
In your early career, skills are the name of the game. As a strategy for overcoming a lack of experience, this resume includes two substantial skills sections, one of which is so detailed it includes subheadings and bullet points.
-
Touches on certification
When you’re trying to land a healthcare job, certifications aren’t only nice — they’re essential. This applicant made sure to list their Home Health Aide (HHA) training certificate.
Midcareer healthcare resume
Why this resume is great resume when you’re in the middle of your healthcare career:
-
Simple design
In your midcareer, you want to let your accomplishments speak for themselves. This applicant wisely uses a simple resume design, which gives their work experience and skills room to breathe.
-
Jobs timeline is clear
Employers love candidates who’ve shown steady career growth. This applicant neatly lays out their journey from internships to full-time positions.
-
Includes a range of skills
Well-rounded employees typically fare better than others. This resume encompasses soft skills like organization and time management with technical abilities such as medical billing and HIPAA guidelines.
Experienced healthcare resume
Why this is a great resume for an experienced healthcare worker:
-
Beautifully designed
Once well-established in your field, you can do whatever you like with your resume design — as long as it’s clear and consistently formatted. This one is both eye-catching and impeccably structured, something any recruiter would appreciate.
-
Certifications are more advanced
Experienced healthcare workers will likely gain more certifications as their responsibilities increase, and this is represented here with a Phlebotomy Certification and recognition from the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP).
-
Effective uses of action verbs
Every bullet point in the work history section starts with a forceful action verb. Examples include “resolved,” “handled,” “performed” and “assembled.”
Don’t forget your cover letter
You might be surprised to learn that a great cover letter can really boost your job search.
A cover letter lets you share more about yourself — things like why you took a break for further education or why you’re switching to healthcare from a different career. It’s your space to fill in the blanks that your resume might leave due to space constraints.
To get started, refer to a guide on how to write an effective cover letter. This can help you understand what key points to include.
Ready to write your cover letter? Check out some basic examples for formatting tips and to see how to make your letter catch an employer’s eye.
If you’re pressed for time or want to make sure your cover letter looks its best, you might want to try a cover letter tool. These tools can suggest phrases and sentences tailored to healthcare jobs, which you can adjust to make sure they sound like you and highlight your own achievements.
Interested in what opportunities might lie ahead in your healthcare career? Let’s take a look at the possibilities.
Facts about the healthcare industry
Interested in understanding the earnings potential of different positions in the healthcare industry landscape as you chart your career?
Here are some key insights that highlight the importance of having a strong resume:
- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average pay for home health aides is $33,280 annually.
- The average pay for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses is $60,150 annually.
- The average pay for medical and health services managers is $128,310 annually.
Key takeaways for your healthcare resume
-
Customize your healthcare resume
Every healthcare job has specific requirements. Carefully read the job description and tailor your resume to emphasize the skills and experiences that match what they’re looking for.
-
Highlight your clinical skills
From patient care to advanced medical technology, ensure your resume reflects the unique skills you bring to healthcare.
-
Include your certifications
Certifications are essential in healthcare and can distinguish you from other candidates. Be sure to list any relevant certifications prominently on your resume.
-
Back up your achievements
Results are important in healthcare. Quantify your accomplishments with specific numbers to show the impact you’ve made.
-
Detail your clinical experience
Hands-on experience in clinical settings is invaluable. Detail the projects you’ve been involved with, the procedures you’ve performed and the outcomes you’ve contributed to.
-
Proofread carefully
Accuracy is critical in healthcare, just as it is in your resume. Review your resume meticulously, and have another person check it as well.
-
Add a cover letter
Never overlook the importance of a cover letter. A well-written cover letter can showcase your passion and commitment to healthcare in a way your resume might not fully capture.
Commonly asked question about resume writing
Was this information about Healthcare Resume: Examples, Template & Skills helpful? Let us know!
Don is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with more than 10 years’ experience creating digital content, including four years helping job seekers develop their careers. He holds an M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University.
More resources
What Is a Resume and Cover Letter?
Confused about the purpose of these two job application docume...
Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills and 30 Examples for Your 2024 Resume
Your resume shouldn t be hard vs soft skills. Let our exampl...
New Job Is Horrible! Is It OK To Quit A Job You Just Started?
New job not working out the way you had hoped it would? Let us...
HR Specialist Resume: Examples, Templates & Tips for 2024
Use our guide and examples to write your next HR specialist re...
Senior HR Manager Resume: Examples, Templates & Tips for 2024
Check out our guide for help writing a job-winning senior HR m...