Top 20 Nursing Skills for Your Resume in 2026: Essential Hard and Soft Skills Employers Demand

Why Your Nursing Skills Section Matters More Than Ever

The nursing profession has evolved dramatically in recent years, and your resume needs to reflect that transformation. With registered nurse employment projected to grow 6 percent from 2023 to 2033 and nearly 195,000 openings expected annually according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, competition for the best positions remains fierce.

Here is the reality: hiring managers spend only seconds scanning your resume before making their initial decision. A well crafted skills section can be the difference between landing an interview and getting lost in the applicant tracking system. The key is showcasing a strategic mix of clinical expertise, technical proficiency, and interpersonal abilities that demonstrate you can thrive in modern healthcare environments.

By the end of this article, you will know exactly which nursing skills to highlight on your resume in 2026, how to present them effectively, and how to tailor your skills section for maximum impact. Whether you are a new graduate or a seasoned RN exploring new opportunities, these insights will help position your resume for success.

Clinical and Technical Skills

These hard skills demonstrate your hands on expertise and ability to provide safe, effective patient care. They form the foundation of your nursing resume and should align directly with job posting requirements.

1. Patient Assessment

Performing thorough patient assessments is fundamental to quality nursing care. This skill encompasses several critical components:

• Physical examinations through inspection, palpation, and auscultation
• Collecting detailed patient history covering medical, family, and lifestyle factors
• Neurological evaluations including mental status, reflexes, and consciousness
• Pain assessment using standardized scales
• Identifying subtle changes that may indicate declining conditions

How to showcase it: Include specific examples of patient populations you have assessed and any specialized assessment protocols you follow. Mentioning the volume of patients you assess daily adds concrete evidence of your experience.

2. Vital Signs Monitoring

Accurately measuring blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, body temperature, and pain intensity remains essential across all nursing specialties. Modern vital signs monitoring increasingly involves digital devices and remote monitoring equipment.

How to showcase it: Reference your experience with specific monitoring equipment and any specialized vital signs protocols relevant to your target position.

3. Medication Administration

Safe medication administration requires knowledge of pharmacology, dosages, drug interactions, and side effects. Nurses must verify the five rights of medication administration while documenting everything accurately in the electronic health record.

Interview Guys Tip: When listing medication administration skills, be specific about the types of medications and delivery methods you are experienced with. IV medications, controlled substances, and high risk medications like insulin or anticoagulants deserve special mention on your resume.

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4. IV Therapy and Venipuncture

Starting IVs, managing infusions, and performing blood draws are critical nursing procedures. These skills require both technical precision and the ability to put anxious patients at ease during potentially uncomfortable procedures.

How to showcase it: Quantify your experience when possible. Stating that you have successfully started more than 500 IVs demonstrates competency more effectively than simply listing the skill.

5. Wound Care Management

Proper wound assessment, dressing changes, and understanding of the wound healing process are valuable skills, particularly as more patients require ongoing wound care management. The American Nurses Association emphasizes wound care as a growing specialty area.

How to showcase it: Mention specific wound types you have treated and any wound care certifications or specialized training you have completed.

6. Emergency Response and Critical Care

The ability to provide emergency and critical care consistently ranks among the most valuable nursing skills. Emergency departments and ICUs are always searching for qualified staff who can handle high pressure situations while delivering excellent patient outcomes.

By listing emergency and critical care nursing on your resume, you demonstrate:

• Ability to stay calm under pressure
• Quick thinking and rapid decision making
• Effective response to unexpected medical emergencies
• Proficiency with life saving interventions
• Experience managing multiple critical patients simultaneously

If you have experience with behavioral interview questions about handling stressful situations, you know how important this skill set is to hiring managers.

Technology and Digital Skills

Healthcare technology has transformed nursing practice, making digital proficiency as important as clinical skills. These competencies show employers you can navigate modern healthcare systems efficiently.

7. Electronic Health Records (EHR) Proficiency

Experience with EHR systems like Epic, Cerner, or Meditech has become non negotiable for nursing positions. With Epic alone being used by 1.7 million nurses, EHR proficiency directly impacts your daily efficiency and documentation quality.

Epic recently launched free training programs through their SmartUser initiative to help nurses improve their EHR workflow efficiency, recognizing how critical these skills are to reducing burnout and improving patient care. Employers value nurses who can navigate these systems quickly while maintaining accurate documentation.

How to showcase it: Name the specific EHR systems you have used and include any certifications or advanced training. If you have experience with multiple platforms, highlight your adaptability.

8. Telehealth and Virtual Care Delivery

What was once considered an alternative care delivery method has evolved into a fundamental nursing skill. Virtual nursing roles are expanding rapidly, allowing professionals to assess, monitor, and support patients remotely.

Telehealth competency includes:

• Virtual patient assessment techniques
• Digital communication and bedside manner
• Remote monitoring technologies
• Video consultation platforms
• Patient education through virtual channels
• Coordination with in person care teams

As healthcare organizations continue expanding their telehealth offerings, nurses with these skills find themselves increasingly in demand.

Interview Guys Tip: If you have telehealth experience, quantify it by mentioning the number of virtual consultations you have conducted or specific telehealth platforms you have used. This concrete evidence helps your resume stand out in applicant tracking systems.

9. Remote Patient Monitoring

The U.S. home healthcare market is expected to grow significantly over the coming years, driven by an aging population and increased chronic disease management at home. Nurses skilled in remote patient monitoring can track patient health metrics in real time using wearable devices and monitoring systems.

How to showcase it: Mention specific monitoring devices or platforms you have experience with and any training in interpreting remote patient data.

10. Medical Device Operation

From telemetry equipment that monitors cardiac patients to infusion pumps and specialized diagnostic tools, nurses must be comfortable operating increasingly sophisticated medical technology. Telemetry skills are particularly valuable as they demonstrate your ability to use specialized equipment for remote cardiac monitoring.

How to showcase it: List specific medical devices and equipment you are certified to operate, particularly those mentioned in your target job descriptions.

11. Clinical Documentation and Informatics

Beyond basic charting, nursing informatics combines healthcare knowledge with information management skills. Understanding how to optimize clinical documentation, work with health information systems, and contribute to data driven care improvements makes you a valuable team member.

How to showcase it: Reference any informatics training or experience improving documentation workflows in previous positions.

Soft Skills and Interpersonal Abilities

While technical skills get your foot in the door, soft skills often determine whether you land the job. These interpersonal abilities impact team collaboration, patient outcomes, and your overall effectiveness as a nurse.

12. Communication Skills

Effective communication encompasses both verbal and written abilities. Nurses must communicate clearly across multiple channels and audiences:

• Explaining complex medical information to patients and families
• Coordinating care with physicians and specialists
• Documenting assessments and interventions accurately
• Participating in shift handoffs and team huddles
• Developing digital bedside manner for telehealth consultations
• De-escalating tense situations with anxious patients

How to showcase it: Provide examples of how you have used communication skills in challenging situations, such as explaining complex diagnoses to patients or coordinating care across departments.

13. Critical Thinking and Clinical Judgment

The ability to analyze complex patient situations, make sound decisions quickly, and provide safe care under pressure distinguishes excellent nurses from average ones. Critical thinking enables you to recognize subtle changes in patient conditions and intervene appropriately before situations escalate.

This skill connects directly to how you might answer behavioral interview questions about problem solving and decision making in high stakes environments.

14. Emotional Intelligence and Empathy

Nursing demands emotional engagement with patients and families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. Demonstrating empathy allows you to connect with patients on an emotional level, providing comfort and support while managing your own emotional responses.

Interview Guys Tip: During interviews, hiring managers often assess emotional intelligence through questions about handling difficult patients or navigating workplace conflicts. Prepare specific examples that showcase your empathy while maintaining professional boundaries.

15. Cultural Competence

Healthcare disparities and diverse patient populations require nurses who can provide culturally sensitive care. Understanding and respecting diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and needs helps build patient trust and ensures equitable care delivery.

How to showcase it: Mention languages you speak, cultural competency training you have completed, or experience working with specific patient populations.

16. Teamwork and Collaboration

Nursing never happens in isolation. Working effectively with physicians, other nurses, specialists, and ancillary staff directly impacts patient outcomes. Strong collaboration skills include giving and receiving feedback, supporting colleagues, and contributing to a positive workplace culture.

How to showcase it: Reference specific interdisciplinary teams you have worked with and any collaborative projects or initiatives you have participated in.

17. Time Management and Organization

Managing multiple patients with varying acuity levels while meeting documentation requirements and responding to emergencies requires exceptional organizational skills. Nurses who can prioritize effectively while adapting to rapidly changing situations become invaluable team members.

How to showcase it: Describe your typical patient load and how you organize your workflow to ensure timely care delivery and accurate documentation.

Emerging Skills for 2026

These forward looking competencies can differentiate your resume and position you for career advancement as healthcare continues evolving.

18. AI Literacy and Clinical Decision Support

Artificial intelligence is transforming nursing practice through predictive analytics and clinical decision support tools. While AI will never replace nurses, understanding how to work alongside these technologies and verify AI generated insights has become increasingly valuable.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, technology literacy and AI proficiency are identified as key growth areas for healthcare professionals. Nurses who embrace these tools while maintaining their clinical judgment will thrive.

19. Leadership and Advocacy

Nursing roles are expanding beyond traditional patient care into leadership, policy influence, and advocacy. Experienced nurses are taking on greater responsibilities including:

• Mentoring new nurses and nursing students
• Serving on hospital committees and quality improvement teams
• Joining professional associations and advocacy groups
• Influencing healthcare policy at organizational and governmental levels
• Leading interdisciplinary care teams
• Participating in ethical decision making processes

How to showcase it: Include any leadership roles, committee memberships, or advocacy initiatives you have participated in, even if they were informal.

20. Adaptability and Resilience

The nursing field has faced unprecedented challenges in recent years, making resilience a highly valued trait. Employers want nurses who can handle stressful situations with composure, adapt to changing protocols, and maintain well being despite demanding work conditions.

How to showcase it: Rather than simply listing adaptability, provide concrete examples of how you have successfully navigated significant changes or challenges in your nursing career.

Essential Certifications to Highlight

Certifications validate your specialized expertise and demonstrate commitment to professional development. These credentials deserve prominent placement on your nursing resume.

Required Certifications

• BLS (Basic Life Support): Required for all registered nurses regardless of work setting. Ensures proficiency in CPR, AED use, and airway management.
• ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support): Essential for ICU, emergency, or cardiac care settings. According to the American Heart Association, the 2025 ACLS course reflects updated science and education guidelines.
• PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support): Required for nurses working with pediatric patients. Teaches life saving care techniques specifically for infants and children.

Specialty Certifications Worth Pursuing

Depending on your career goals, consider adding these credentials:

• CCRN for critical care nursing
• CEN for emergency nursing
• OCN for oncology nursing
• CWOCN for wound, ostomy, and continence care
• RNC-OB for obstetric nursing
• CNOR for perioperative nursing

How to Present Your Skills Effectively

Simply listing skills is not enough. Strategic presentation maximizes your resume’s impact with both human reviewers and applicant tracking systems.

Create a Dedicated Skills Section

Place a focused skills section near the top of your resume where hiring managers can quickly identify your qualifications. Use a clean format with bullet points or columns that makes scanning easy.

Match Skills to Job Descriptions

Review each job posting carefully and prioritize skills that align with stated requirements. This approach helps your resume pass ATS screening while demonstrating you understand what the position requires. Learning how to tailor your resume for specific positions dramatically improves your response rate.

Integrate Skills Throughout Your Resume

Beyond your dedicated skills section, weave key competencies into your work experience descriptions. Show how you have applied skills in real situations rather than just claiming you possess them.

Quantify When Possible

Numbers make your skills concrete and memorable. Compare these approaches:

• Weak: Experienced in patient care
• Strong: Provided comprehensive care for 12 patients daily in a 36 bed medical surgical unit
• Weak: Skilled in IV therapy
• Strong: Successfully started more than 500 IVs with a 95% first stick success rate

Balance Hard and Soft Skills

The most effective nursing resumes demonstrate both technical proficiency and interpersonal abilities. Your skills section should include a mix of:

• Clinical competencies (patient assessment, medication administration, wound care)
• Technical skills (EHR systems, medical devices, telehealth platforms)
• Soft skills (communication, critical thinking, cultural competence)
• Certifications (BLS, ACLS, specialty credentials)

Putting It All Together

Building a standout nursing resume in 2026 requires showcasing the right mix of clinical expertise, technology proficiency, interpersonal abilities, and emerging competencies. Start by assessing your current skill set against the 20 skills outlined above, then identify gaps you can address through training or certification.

Remember that your skills section serves as a quick reference for hiring managers deciding whether to read further. Make every word count by prioritizing skills that match your target positions while demonstrating your value as a modern nursing professional.

The healthcare landscape will continue evolving, and the most successful nurses will be those who embrace continuous learning. Whether you are pursuing AI literacy, expanding your telehealth capabilities, or developing leadership skills, investing in professional growth positions you for long term career success.

Take the time to update your resume today with the skills that matter most in 2026. Your future career opportunities depend on presenting your qualifications in the most compelling way possible.

The reality is that most resume templates weren’t built with ATS systems or AI screening in mind, which means they might be getting filtered out before a human ever sees them. That’s why we created these free ATS and AI proof resume templates:

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