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Staff 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 staff nurse skills. We ranked the top skills for staff nurses based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 28.0% of staff nurse resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a staff nurse needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 staff nurse skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how staff nurses use patients:

Monitored and recorded data pertaining to ventilation for tracheotomy patients, administered oxygen and other therapy needed safely.
Cared for patients needed telemetry monitoring and those with artificial respiratory support systems.

2. BLS

Here's how staff nurses use bls:

Maintained certification as BLS instructor and Lactation Counselor.
Stabilize patients in crisis using BLS, PALS and ACLS protocols, including motor vehicle accidents, gunshot and stab wounds.

3. 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 staff nurses use cpr:

Delivered patient/family education in CPR, crisis intervention and physiological warning signs; assisted with discharge planning and community resource coordination
Initiated/assisted with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and emergency procedures, to include receiving ambulance and giving report.

4. Acls

Here's how staff nurses use acls:

Maintained ACLS Instructor status implemented and initiated regularly scheduled mock codes.
Performed therapeutic nursing interventions: PAL protocol ACLS protocol Trauma Injury

5. 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 staff nurses use acute care:

Monitored acute care patients to ensure optimal response to treatment, identified early deterioration and recommended interventions to ensure patient safety.
Provided quality Nursing care to acute care psychiatric patients Assessed new patients upon admission Educated patients on medicines

6. Direct Patient Care

Here's how staff nurses use direct patient care:

Registered nurse on Oncology/Pulmonary Unit accountable for direct patient care and monitoring of care provided by other professional and ancillary personnel.
Provided direct patient care; made patient assignments; assisted Critical Care Director with staff scheduling and continuous quality improvement

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7. Patient Safety

Here's how staff nurses use patient safety:

Ensured appropriate recovery time post procedures and education of patient and family on discharge instructions to ensure patient safety post procedure.
Complied with regulatory requirements, patient safety requirements, infection control practices and other established practice standards, policies and procedures.

8. IV

Here's how staff nurses use iv:

Provided medical-surgical nursing care which included medication administration, supplemental nourishment, skin/wound care, oxygen therapy and IV infusion therapy.
Completed patient assessments; monitored vital signs and administered medications via IV as directed by Physicians.

9. Surgery

Here's how staff nurses use surgery:

Oversee care and treatment for patients undergoing various plastic surgery procedures regarding correction of trauma-related injuries, cosmetic imperfections and genetic influences
Documented and charged all OR supplies/machines/anesthetic and regulated drugs used by the patient during surgery for proper billing.

10. Critical Care

Here's how staff nurses use critical care:

Provide, plan and implement critical care including cardiac and trauma management, to patients primarily adolescent through geriatric populations.
Function as a member of a multidisciplinary team delivering comprehensive care and education to medical and surgical critical care patients

11. Telemetry

A telemetry is a process of automatically monitoring and recording vital conditions like the blood pressure, heart rhythm, and oxygen saturation of a patient, particularly those in the Intensive Care Unit or ICU critical condition. It is where the information gathered to report as a basis for a doctor's findings.

Here's how staff nurses use telemetry:

Organized and administered individualized age specific professional care to patients within telemetry unit of the hospital in support of medical care.
Monitored patient's cardiac status on telemetry monitors, notified cardiology team of any changes and implemented appropriate treatments.

12. Family Education

Here's how staff nurses use family education:

Provide professional nursing care including assessment, problem identification, planning, intervention, patient/family education, and planning for discharge.
Performed general nursing responsibilities, including assessments medication administration, admissions and discharges, plan of care development and patient/family education.

13. Infection Control

Infection control describes the principles and practices used in hospitals and other healthcare facilities to control and minimize the spread of infections with the aim of lowering rates of infection. Infection control refers to the process of detecting and controlling pathogens in order to reduce their spread.

Here's how staff nurses use infection control:

Selected to serve as an infection control coordinator- facilitated and organized meetings with ward managers to ensure infection control policy compliance.
Performed surgical site infection surveillance, writing and revising of infection control policies, new staff orientation, mandatory in-service administration.

14. Medication Administration

Here's how staff nurses use medication administration:

Documented medication administration and outcomes; ensured all processes were carried out in compliance with established hospital guidelines and industry regulations.
Trained new staff and residents on clinical operations, intervention, medication administration and emergency situations required by company policy.

15. Staff RN

Here's how staff nurses use staff rn:

Staff RN on a Medical-Surgical unit specializing in Neurology, Cardiology and Orthopedics.
Assigned as a staff RN to a variety of hospitals, nursing homes & hospice care facilities in the Raleigh/Durham area.

12 Staff Nurse Resume Examples

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What skills help Staff 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 Staff 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 Staff 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 Staff 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 Staff 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 Staff 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 staff nurse skills to add to your resume

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

Patients
BLS
CPR
Acls
Acute Care
Direct Patient Care
Patient Safety
IV
Surgery
Critical Care
Telemetry
Family Education
Infection Control
Medication Administration
Staff RN
Rehabilitation

Triage
Dexterity
Resuscitation
ICU
Oncology
Quality Care
Physician Orders
Vital Signs
Patient Education
Discharge Planning
Registered Nursing
Physical Stamina
EKG
PACU
Chemotherapy
Patient Assessment

Patient Care
Catheter
Primary Care
Patient Flow
Medical Care
OB
Nursing Diagnosis
Arrhythmia
Emotional Support
Advanced Life Support
Pain Management
Surgical Procedures
Labor Delivery
GI
Medical History
Collective Bargaining

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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Staff Nurse Skills

Updated January 8, 2025

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