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Agency Nurse skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted Expert
Jordan Porter DNP, APRN, FNP-BC
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical agency nurse skills. We ranked the top skills for agency nurses based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 30.5% of agency nurse resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an agency nurse needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 agency nurse skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how agency nurses use patients:
  • Traveled to different medical facilities daily * Provided care per MD orders and facility protocol * Home visits performed for non-hospitalized patients
  • Provided conscious sedation and monitoring in special procedures labs for varying diagnosis and populations of patients.

2. ICU

ICU means intensive care units. It also has a name known as the critical care unit or intensive therapy unit. The ICU handles patients experiencing acute diseases or severe injuries that need specialized treatment procedures by specific professionals.

Here's how agency nurses use icu:
  • Worked in the ER, ICU, and NICU at three hospitals before being hired on full-time at Pioneer Valley.
  • Worked as an agency nurse at various hospitals (medical surgical and ICU), primarily with patient care.

3. Medical Surgical

Here's how agency nurses use medical surgical:
  • Accepted assignments at Howard Regional Hospital & Frankfort Hospital in Telemetry Medical Surgical Unit
  • Filled temporary vacancies in area facilities on rehab and medical surgical units.

4. IV

Here's how agency nurses use iv:
  • Frequent IV insertions, infusions/transfusions while monitoring the patient and providing thorough documentation.
  • Administered medications and provided IV therapy with long-term antibiotics.

5. Medication Administration

Here's how agency nurses use medication administration:
  • Provided direct patient care, medication administration, compliance with facility regulations for patient care and safety.
  • Prepared and distributed course materials on various topics, including medication administration, diabetes and seizure prevention.

6. Emergency Room

Here's how agency nurses use emergency room:
  • Worked in different emergency rooms in smaller community hospitals.
  • Performed direct patient care in assigned roles at varying emergency room facilities.

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7. Vital Signs

Vital signs are a set of values indicating different body systems' performance. They are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four major vital signs used in medicine to assess a patient are body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.

Here's how agency nurses use vital signs:
  • Performed vital signs and assisted staff with patient feedings/nutritional augmentation.
  • Administered medications, transcribed doctors' orders, obtained vital signs and documented all care and events of the shift.

8. Term Care

Here's how agency nurses use term care:
  • Provided staff relief assignments in long-term care/sub acute facilities.
  • Completed numerous agency assignments at hospitals, assisted living centers, long-term care centers and acute care centers throughout northern Nevada.

9. Per Diem

Per Diem means "per day" in Latin. This phrase is commonly used to define a substitute teacher's role, which is decided on a day-by-day basis. This may also define a teacher's or other employee's pay rate, which may be paid out based on the number of days worked instead of the number of hours.

Here's how agency nurses use per diem:
  • Provided per diem care in the adult Intensive Care Unit and the Open Heart Intensive Care Unit at Washington Adventist Hospital.
  • Served as LPN in medical, geriatric and psychiatric facilities as well as home care, on a per diem basis.

10. Acute Care

The branch of secondary healthcare which is responsible for giving short-term care to patients recovering from severe injuries or urgent medical problems is known as acute care. Acute care comprises multiple domains like; emergency care, urgent care, short-term stabilization, pre-hospital care, critical care, and trauma care.

Here's how agency nurses use acute care:
  • Performed duties of an ER nurse responsible for all care and disposition of Assigned patients in an acute care setting.
  • Worked at nursing homes and acute care facilities, and provide the highest levels of nursing care and services.

11. Triage

Triage is a method of prioritizing a patient or a group depending on the severity, diagnosis, and condition of the disease needing immediate medical care. It is often to determine a condition and identifying the appropriate destination before assessing where the patient will be going. A triage nurse commonly performs it.

Here's how agency nurses use triage:
  • Skilled fill-in coverage for an extensive range of nursing services including pediatric & adult in-patient, out-patient, and triage settings
  • Assess patient, performing an appropriate triage and implement standing orders or notify the provider when needed.

12. Oncology

Oncology is defined as the facet of medicine that deals with cancer. Oncology also deals with the prevention and diagnosis of these diseases. A medical professional who has studied the discipline of oncology is referred to as an ‘oncologist'. An oncologist can further specialize in their discipline and become a medical oncologist, surgical oncologist, or radiation oncologist.

Here's how agency nurses use oncology:
  • Contracted at Johns Hopkins Hospital in surgical oncology.
  • Worked directly with patients involved in Post-Op care, Diabetes, Oncology, Cardiac, and Respiratory illnesses.

13. Direct Patient Care

Here's how agency nurses use direct patient care:
  • Reported to different Nursing facilities to perform direct/indirect patient care according to company policy.
  • Provide direct and indirect patient care to residents within the nursing home and providing hospice services to clients during end of life

14. Ortho

Ortho is a medical prefix that refers to straightening something. This is seen in medical professions such as an orthodontist, who straightens teeth, or an orthopedic physician or surgeon, who assists in straightening a skeletal structure to prevent future deformities or harmful issues to develop.

Here's how agency nurses use ortho:
  • General, Ortho, Podiatry, Plastics.
  • Scrub nurse and circulating nurse, General, Ortho, Gyn, and ENT surgeries.

15. EKG

Here's how agency nurses use ekg:
  • Skilled in Hewlett Packard bedside monitoring, 12-lead EKG, and Bennett 7600 ventilator.
  • Assisted with rapid sequence intubation, EKG interpretation, lab values, and cardiac monitoring.
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Jordan Porter DNP, APRN, FNP-BCJordan Porter DNP, APRN, FNP-BC LinkedIn Profile

Lecturer of Nursing, University of Maine

In nursing, maximizing your salary isn't just about climbing the traditional ladder. It’s crucial to broaden your perspective and think innovatively. Advanced certifications and education are key—they don’t just boost your expertise, they open doors to higher-paying opportunities that many might not consider, like roles in healthcare technology or business. Mastering negotiation is also essential. It’s about articulating your unique value compellingly, telling your story in a way that not only highlights your skills but also demonstrates how you can meet the needs of an organization in a mutually beneficial way. But let's not overlook the non-traditional paths. For instance, travel nursing can offer not just adventure but also lucrative contracts, especially in high-demand areas. And stepping into entrepreneurial roles within healthcare can tap into new revenue streams that go beyond hourly wages. Yet, while exploring these avenues, it’s important to remember the bigger picture. A healthy work environment where you feel genuinely supported and valued is priceless. It’s about finding a balance where you are not just well-compensated but where you also belong. Leaders who invest in your growth, a culture that respects your work-life balance, and a role that allows you to maintain your professional integrity—all these factors contribute to long-term satisfaction and well-being. After all, the ultimate goal isn’t just to earn more, but to build a fulfilling career that sustains you physically, emotionally, and mentally over the long haul. In the grand scheme of things, making a bit less in exchange for a life well-lived is not a compromise; it’s a strategic choice for lasting happiness and impact.

List of agency nurse skills to add to your resume

Agency Nurse Skills

The most important skills for an agency nurse resume and required skills for an agency nurse to have include:

  • Patients
  • ICU
  • Medical Surgical
  • IV
  • Medication Administration
  • Emergency Room
  • Vital Signs
  • Term Care
  • Per Diem
  • Acute Care
  • Triage
  • Oncology
  • Direct Patient Care
  • Ortho
  • EKG
  • PACU
  • Patient Care
  • Catheter
  • Tube Feedings
  • LTC
  • Patient Education
  • Patient Assessment
  • Physician Orders
  • FLU
  • EMR
  • Blood Pressure
  • Trach Care
  • Tracheostomy
  • Pain Management
  • LTAC
  • PCU
  • Family Education
  • SNF
  • Alzheimer
  • ADL
  • TB
  • Local Hospitals
  • MICU
  • Chemotherapy
  • Emotional Support
  • SICU
  • Acls
  • G-Tube
  • Patient Teaching
  • Memorial Hospital
  • Tracheotomy
  • PICC
  • Regional Hospital
  • Staff Relief
  • Correctional Facilities

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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