keenresume
  1. Home
  2. Resume examples
  3. Nursing
  4. Emergency room nurse

Emergency room nurse resume example

A resume for an emergency nurse with five years in a Level I trauma center ED and two on a medical floor before that. ED managers hire for range and judgment under pressure, so it shows triage, trauma and resuscitation alongside the certifications every ED screens for.

Emergency room nurse resume example, page 1 of 1Andrés CalderónBSN, RN, CENSUMMARYEmergency nurse with five years in a Level I trauma center ED after twoyears on a medical floor. I triage with ESI, run trauma and resuscitationrooms, and keep patients moving when the waiting room is full. CENcertified and bilingual in Spanish.EXPERIENCERegistered Nurse, Emergency DepartmentSep 2021 – PresentSandia Regional Medical Center · Albuquerque, NM•Work every area of a 72-bed Level I trauma ED with about 95,000 visits ayear: triage, resuscitation, trauma, pediatrics and fast track.•Triage nurse 2 to 3 shifts a week, with 93% ESI accuracy in quarterlychart audits.•Primary or recording nurse for about 15 trauma activations a month,including massive transfusion with a rapid infuser.•ED sepsis champion: helped raise SEP-1 bundle compliance from 61% to84% with a triage screen and nurse-initiated lactate orders.•Precepted 6 nurses new to the ED and teach the department’s TNCCreview sessions.Registered Nurse, Medical UnitJul 2019 – Aug 2021Bosque Valley Hospital · Albuquerque, NM•Cared for 5 to 6 adult medical patients a shift, including the hospital’sCOVID-19 surge unit in 2020 and 2021.•Joined the rapid response float pool for 6 months, attending about 20calls a month.EDUCATIONBachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)2015 – 2019University of New Mexico · Albuquerque, NMCONTACTandres.calderon@example.com(505) 555-0176Albuquerque, NMLICENSE AND CERTIFICATIONSRegistered Nurse, multistatelicenseNew Mexico Board of Nursing · 2019Certified Emergency Nurse(CEN)BCEN · 2023TNCC and ENPCEmergency Nurses Association · 2024ACLS and PALSAmerican Heart Association · 2025SKILLSESI triageTrauma resuscitationRapid infuser and massivetransfusionSepsis protocolsStroke alerts (NIHSS)12-lead ECG and cardiacmonitoringProcedural sedation monitoringUltrasound-guided IVsPediatric emergenciesBehavioral health crisesEpic ASAPLANGUAGESEnglishNativeSpanishNative
Emergency room nurseUse this example

What recruiters look for

  • The kind of ED: trauma level, annual visits, bed count, adult or pediatric. It sets your experience in context.
  • Range across the department: triage, resuscitation, trauma, pediatrics, fast track, behavioral health.
  • Emergency certifications: CEN, TNCC, ENPC or PALS, ACLS. Many EDs require TNCC within a year of hire.
  • Throughput and protocol results: door-to-ECG, sepsis bundle compliance, stroke times, left-without-being-seen rates.
  • Leadership: precepting, charge shifts, trauma committee or educator roles.

Writing the summary

Lead with emergency experience and the type of ED, then your strongest areas (triage, trauma, pediatrics) and certifications. If you speak a language patients use, say so.

The summary in this example

Emergency nurse with five years in a Level I trauma center ED after two years on a medical floor. I triage with ESI, run trauma and resuscitation rooms, and keep patients moving when the waiting room is full. CEN certified and bilingual in Spanish.

Medical-surgical RN moving into the emergency department

Registered nurse with three years on a busy medical-surgical and telemetry unit, now moving into emergency nursing. ACLS and PALS certified, TNCC completed in 2026, and the unit’s go-to nurse for rapid responses and difficult IV starts.

Pediatric emergency nurse

Pediatric emergency nurse with six years in a children’s hospital ED with 60,000 visits a year. CPEN and ENPC certified. I triage children of every age, calm families in the worst moments of their lives and teach PALS for the department.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

  • Cut door-to-ECG time for chest pain from 14 to 7 minutes by moving ECGs to triage with standing orders.
  • Helped reduce left-without-being-seen rates from 6% to 2% as a member of the ED throughput team.
  • Cared for 4 to 5 patients at once in the main ED, including 1 critical patient on drips or a ventilator awaiting ICU.
  • Led stroke alerts at triage, helping cut the ED’s median door-to-needle time to 38 minutes.
  • Placed 300 ultrasound-guided IVs in a year and trained 12 nurses in the technique.
  • Charge nurse 1 to 2 shifts a week for a 40-bed ED pod with 12 nurses.
  • Completed the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE-A) program and cared for 30 patients in 2 years.
  • Taught de-escalation to 50 ED staff after an increase in workplace violence reports, followed by a 30% drop in injuries.
  • Responded to a 22-patient mass casualty event as triage nurse, with every patient triaged within 15 minutes of arrival.

Skills to list

Hard skills

  • ESI triage
  • Trauma assessment and resuscitation
  • ACLS and PALS algorithms
  • Sepsis, stroke and STEMI protocols
  • 12-lead ECG interpretation
  • Procedural sedation monitoring
  • Ultrasound-guided IV access
  • Rapid infuser and blood products
  • Behavioral health and de-escalation
  • EHR (Epic ASAP, FirstNet)

Soft skills

  • Fast prioritization
  • Calm under pressure
  • Clear communication with EMS and physicians
  • Supporting families in crisis

Certifications and licenses worth listing

  • Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN), Board of Certification for Emergency Nursing: the main emergency specialty certification.
  • Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC), Emergency Nurses Association: required by most trauma centers.
  • Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course (ENPC) or PALS: for EDs that see children.
  • ACLS and BLS: required.
  • CPEN, TCRN or SANE-A: for pediatric emergency, trauma or forensic nursing roles.

Length and format

One page fits most ED nurses with under about eight years; two pages are fine with several hospitals, travel work or charge and educator roles. Certifications should be visible at a glance; a two-column layout helps.

Common mistakes

  • Not saying what kind of ED: trauma level and annual visits change how a manager reads everything else.
  • Listing only the dramatic parts of the job. Triage accuracy and throughput results matter to managers too.
  • Missing or expired TNCC, ACLS or PALS. EDs often screen on them first.
  • Describing a case with enough detail to identify the patient. Keep it general.
  • Leaving out the floor experience that came before the ED. It shows the base you built on.

Questions and answers

Can I get an ER nurse job without ED experience?

Yes, many EDs hire nurses from medical-surgical, telemetry or ICU units, and some take new grads through ED residencies. Lead with the skills that transfer (rapid responses, IV access, prioritizing) and take ACLS, PALS and TNCC before you apply.

How soon can I take the CEN exam?

BCEN recommends two years of emergency nursing, but it is not required. You need an unrestricted RN license. Many nurses take it after one to two years in the ED.

Should ER nurses list charge nurse experience?

Yes, with how often and the size of the area. ED charge work shows judgment about flow and staffing that managers look for.

Related examples

All Nursing examples

All resume examples