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Head nurse skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Angela Mund,

Angela Mund

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical head nurse skills. We ranked the top skills for head nurses based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 31.0% of head nurse resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a head nurse needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 head nurse skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how head nurses use patients:

Performed advanced nursing care to acute/chronic medical/surgical, cardiac, thoracic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic and oncology/ hematology patients.
Developed and implemented a weekly course for educating newly diagnosed cancer patients and their families who are undergoing chemotherapy.

2. BLS

Here's how head nurses use bls:

Obtained BLS and ACLS certifications among others such as telemetry certification and gained experience with multiple computer documenting/charting systems.
Registered Nurse on Medical-Surgical/Telemetry unity Skills: ACLS, BLS Certified 12 Lead EKG Interpretation Geriatrics-focused medical training

3. Compassion

Here's how head nurses use compassion:

Dedicated and patient-focused RN with experience performing admissions, assessment, treatment and education for multicultural patients with compassion and empathy.
Leveraged compassion in facilitating pain management and completing prescribed treatments including dosage changes, blood glucose checks, and ambulation.

4. 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 head nurses use acute care:

Supervised a staff of 42 on a 35-bed orthopedic/urology post-operative acute care unit
Managed nursing care on a 17-bed acute care inpatient pediatric-adolescent unit.

5. Acls

Here's how head nurses use acls:

Maintained required certifications including ACLS.
Facilitated the Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS) and Advanced Cardiac Life support (ACLS) training for nursing staff.

6. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how head nurses use cpr:

Maintained certification and instruction to staff as CPR Instructor.
Certified staff in CPR and blood glucose monitoring.

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7. 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 â€˜oncologist'. An oncologist can further specialize in their discipline and become a medical oncologist, surgical oncologist, or radiation oncologist.

Here's how head nurses use oncology:

Initiated hospital-wide study to identify areas for process improvement including a Stem cell program in collaboration with Oncology physicians.
Oversee the night management on a medical-surgical 72 bed unit with sub-specialty of hematology/oncology.

8. Surgery

Here's how head nurses use surgery:

Provide support and assistance with surgery scheduler's implementation of updated surgery scheduling system and patient data history.
Shared joint responsibility for successful opening and operation of new CT/Vascular Surgery ICU.

9. Patient Education

Here's how head nurses use patient education:

Scheduled patients and procedures and conducted patient education.
Provided individual patient education on topics related to nutrition, diabetic care, wound care, post operative care, etc.

10. 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 head nurses use triage:

Developed and lead camp health orientation, performed triage and delegated care to EMT and agency RN for over 400 individuals.
Prepare coordinate and assist medical doctors in C-section and other obstetrics emergencies, also head of triage unit.

11. 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 head nurses use icu:

Assumed 24hour responsibility for a twenty bed medical-surgical ICU.
Participated in ICU Committee, Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, and Nursing Practice Committee from 1983 - 1988.

12. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how head nurses use patient care:

Assessed competency of staff, collaborated and communicated with physicians and other departments for coordination of total patient care.
Managed unit budgets, consulted/collaborated with physicians regarding patient care, treatment planning, served on quality improvement committees.

13. Direct Patient Care

Here's how head nurses use direct patient care:

Provided direct patient care in Medical-Surgical-Telemetry/intensive care unit (ICU), Mother/Baby, Emergency Department at this critical access hospital.
Participated in direct patient care-gave treatments to patients, prepared surgical instruments, assisted in operations and provided post -operational care.

14. Discharge Planning

Here's how head nurses use discharge planning:

Discharge Coordinator- Conducted Discharge Planning Meetings with Interdisciplinary Team members and families/ legal guardians.
Coordinated with discharge planning, social workers and Visiting Nurse Service for safe home discharge.

15. Patient Safety

Here's how head nurses use patient safety:

Established unit guidelines for patient safety and a therapeutic milieu.
Promoted patient safety through hospital policies.

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What skills help Head Nurses find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What type of skills will young head nurses need?

Angela Mund

Vice President, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists

To meet the needs of our current volatile and complex healthcare landscape, all healthcare providers will need to understand the business of healthcare, in addition to providing expert patient care. Starting in 2025, all graduates from nurse anesthesia programs will be awarded a doctoral degree, a doctorate in nursing practice (DNP), or a doctorate in nurse anesthesia practice (DNAP). These degree programs include additional anesthesia experience as well as an understanding of effective leadership, healthcare economics and reimbursement, the use of big data for improving patient outcomes, and evidence-based practice.

What skills stand out on head nurse resumes?

Angela Mund

Vice President, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists

To become a CRNA, the applicant must first be a registered nurse and graduate of a baccalaureate nursing program. A minimum of one year of clinical experience in an intensive care unit (ICU) is required. The application process is rigorous, and many nurse anesthesia programs are seeing higher than typical applicant numbers, perhaps due to the impact of COVID-19 on the ICU nurse workforce.

The most competitive applicants will have an overall GPA >3.5. Basic science courses are heavily weighted with respect to both course grade and type of course. A competitive resumé should include evidence of clinical expertise, leadership, volunteerism, and scholarly work. In addition, all registered nurse applicants should have shadowed a CRNA to learn about the profession prior to application. The interview process may include assessments of critical thinking, decision-making, and emotional intelligence.

What soft skills should all head nurses possess?

Diane Salvador Ph.D.

Executive Director and Professor, Elmhurst University

The most important skill for new nursing graduates is critical thinking. You will be put into varying roles and assume different responsibilities. You must critically think and evaluate situations you find yourself in and make wise nursing decisions. Another important skill that we emphasize in education is communication - this is key to safe, quality care.

What hard/technical skills are most important for head nurses?

Diane Salvador Ph.D.

Executive Director and Professor, Elmhurst University

New nurses should be prepared to demonstrate proficiency in basic nursing care and procedures. It is important to realize that each hospital has its own policy and procedure to follow, so taking advantage of your nurse preceptor and orientation program will ensure you are familiar with these basic procedures.

What head nurse skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Michelle Hampton Ph.D.

Associate Professor, San Jose State University

I think there are always opportunities to work and gain experience once the nurse is licensed. They might need to be creative, flexible, and work where there's a need. That might be a specialty area they hadn't considered or a geographic area that requires some travel. I don't think a gap year is inevitable for all new graduates and there might be opportunities for them to find work, and they can always continue the learning process after you're employed, even if it's not your dream job. The more significant obstacle seems to be for students who are currently still in nursing programs.

Clinical sites weren't accepting students for several months, and now that they are again, they have significantly limited the number of students allowed at one time and the number of hours they can train. When a staff member or patient tests positive, students are pulled from the site for some time, and students are struggling to get the minimum number of hours required to continue progressing in the nursing program. Some schools have even suspended admission for new groups of students instead choosing to focus on getting the current students through the program.

Do you want to know more?

List of head nurse skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a head nurse resume and required skills for a head nurse to have include:

Patients
BLS
Compassion
Acute Care
Acls
CPR
Oncology
Surgery
Patient Education
Triage
ICU
Patient Care
Direct Patient Care
Discharge Planning
Patient Safety
Infection Control

IV
Emergency Care
Clinical Supervision
Medical Assistants
Vital Signs
EKG
Advanced Life Support
FTE
Medication Administration
Staff Development
Resuscitation
Critical Care
Primary Care
Medical Care
Chemotherapy
Telemetry

Staff Nurses
Quality Patient Care
Catheter
Staff Education
CCU
Surgical Procedures
MDS
Educational Programs
Patient Flow
JCAHO
Health Education
Physician Orders
Staff Performance
Patient Assessment
Performance Evaluations
Performance Appraisals

Updated January 8, 2025

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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Head Nurse Skills

Updated January 8, 2025

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