Operating Room Nurse Sample

It’s been said that ‘nurses are strong enough to tolerate almost anything and soft enough to understand almost everyone.’ No one knows who said it, but it certainly rings true. Do you know how to relay that fundamental concept in your Operating Room Nurse resume?

Many OR Nurses make a list of hospitals they’ve worked at and the OR duties they’ve performed and call it a day. But, your resume has to be more in-depth than that. In this article, we’ll show you how to write an interview-winning resume with an OR Nurse resume example that you can use for inspiration and a ton of tips and tricks to draw from.

Just like every second counts in the OR, every resume you send is your first, and sometimes only, chance at a great first impression. It’s a spotlight on how you blend strength, knowledge, and compassion to care for your patients. 

Put on your learning hat and let’s go. 

How to write a resume

Just like you have certain steps that need to be completed to get an OR ready for surgery, there are key steps to complete to write your OR Nurse resume, too. Remember, the goal is to demonstrate that you have a unique blend of skills, knowledge, achievements, and compassion. 

Before you put your fingers on a keyboard though there are a couple of research steps to take:

1. Read job descriptions: When you look through different job descriptions, you’ll find keywords necessary to include in your resume.

2. Research the hospital you’re applying to: You'll learn about its culture and values by digging into what makes the institution tick. This is valuable information for tailoring your resume and proving that you take initiative by being proactive. This step will also help you prepare for an interview.

Now that you’ve done the leg work, it’s time to write. 

Match your skills to keywords

Start by making a list of your skills and matching those to the keywords you find in the job description. You’ll want to focus on hard skills and soft skills. When you use the same language found in the job description, especially as it relates to using the right skills, you’ll have an easier time getting past the applicant tracking system, or ATS, that hospitals use to weed out candidates. 

Choose the right format

You may be tempted to use a creative format that you find during a Google search. Avoid doing this as those pretty templates often get rejected by the ATS because the computer can’t properly parse the information. Instead, you’ll want to use an easy-to-read straight-line text format, like the reverse-chronological resume. 

The reverse-chronological resume format organizes the information on your OR Nurse resume in a clear way with each section broken into easy-to-navigate sections. Those sections include:

• Contact information

• Title or headline

• Profile summary

• Core competencies

• Work History

• Education and credentials

• Affiliations, publications, and research

Use quantifiable achievements

One mistake that people make is using language from their current job description to fill in their resume. Avoid doing this at all costs. Future employers aren’t interested in what you were supposed to do as an OR Nurse at your last job. They only care about what you actually did and how those achievements made the ORs you’ve worked in better. 

The best way to emphasize what you’ll bring to the table for a prospective employer is to use numbers. Some examples include:

• Complied with regulatory and accreditation standards, ensuring a 100% pass rate during audits and inspections.

• Increased patient satisfaction scores by 30% by implementing patient-focused initiatives.

• Reduced communication errors by 35% and contributed to a safer OR environment through cross-functional collaboration.

• Slashed OR supply costs by 15% without sacrificing patient care standards by implementing inventory management strategies.

These are the types of statements that will stand out to future employers. Their thought process will be, “If this OR Nurse can do those things for that hospital, then they can be done for my hospital, too.”

Proofread your final resume at least three times

You’d be amazed at the number of Operating Room Nurse resumes submitted to open positions with typos and grammatical errors. Don’t be that person. Read your resume to correct problem spots. Then, read it again, but read it out loud this time. Your brain will interpret what’s supposed to be on the page rather than what actually is on the page when you read it silently. Reading it out loud will help you find spots that reading it silently may miss.

Finally, get someone else to read it. Be prepared to accept brutal honesty and take their feedback for what it is – guidance on a critical component that will help you land a new job. 

Operating Room Nurse Resume example 

For many people, seeing is believing. So, with that in mind, we’ve crafted an OR Nurse resume example that you can use as a template or as inspiration in writing your own. 

Key hard & soft skills for Operating Room (OR) Nurse

One thing you should notice on the Operating Room Nurse resume sample in the last section is that it has a balanced mix of hard and soft skills. 

• Hard skills are things you know how to do from education and experience

• Soft skills are personality traits and characteristics that make you good at your job

While it is natural to focus on the fact that you know how to perform a lot of different procedures, your ability to connect with patients and demonstrate compassion are critical, too. In fact, when employers have two candidates with equal experiences and skills, those soft skills will often win the day. 

Hard skills for your OR Nurse resume

As you think about what you do on a daily basis, it should be fairly easy to come up with a list of skills. Some of those hard skills include:

• Surgical expertise

• Patient assessment

• Anesthesia knowledge

• Medical equipment operation

• Patient monitoring

• Medical administration

• Emergency response

• Documentation and charting

Soft skills for your OR Nurse resume

When it comes to working with patients on a personal level or collaborating with doctors, pharmacists, and other nurses, you’ll have to dip into the well of soft skills. Here are some examples:

• Critical thinking

• Communication

• Empathy

• Compassion

• Stress management 

• Adaptability

• Cultural competence

• Time management

Not only can a good mix of hard and soft skills give you an advantage in trying to secure an interview, but employing both types of skills in your daily life can ensure that you’re happier at work. 

Summary & Last Words

While it may seem that writing your OR Nurse resume is a task, it’s really more of an art, especially when you consider the line you have to balance to ensure that future employers understand what you’ll bring to the table for their team. When written properly – using the right skills and achievements from your career history – your resume will open doors to rewarding opportunities.

Introduction to ZipJob: Professional Resume Writers

Of course, if you’re like many people, you want to leave such an important task to the professionals. ZipJob’s team of professional resume writers have the experience necessary to make your Operating Room Nurse resume get past the ATS and impress hiring managers. Not only do you get personalized service from someone who knows how to cull out the best moments from your career, but you also get a tailored document that is optimized with the right keywords that will win you more interviews – guaranteed.  

Why you should make use of our resume writing services to land your next job as Operating Room (OR) Nurse

ZipJob has built a reputation for using the same technology that employers use to ensure that your resume isn’t rejected by the ATS. ATS rejection is the main cause of job seekers being ghosted by companies. The ATS spits out the resume as unqualified or illegible so the human beings at the company don’t even know you exist. Our services even start with a free review of your resume so you’ll see exactly what will be done before we even get started.

Resume writing service for Operating Room (OR) Nurse: Let us write your resume

The best way to elevate your Operating Room  Nurse resume is with ZipJob’s expert writing services. We understand the unique intricacies of applying to an OR Nurse position and know what hiring managers are looking for when they review OR Nurse resumes. Let us know when you’re ready to turn your resume into a powerful narrative that will win interviews.