FresumeA strong licensed practical nurse (LPN) resume leads with your active state license and NCLEX-PN status, then proves your clinical range with concrete numbers, patient loads, medication passes, and the care settings you have worked. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) scan for those credentials and role-specific skills before a nurse manager ever sees the page, so the exact license names and clinical terms belong in plain text, not buried in a graphic.
What makes a strong Licensed Practical Nurse resume?
Recruiters skim for proof that you can work safely and independently under an RN’s direction. Make that easy to find near the top of the page.
- Lead with your license and certs. Put your active LPN license (with state), NCLEX-PN, and BLS/CPR near the top so both the ATS and the reviewer see them in seconds.
- Quantify your caseload. Note patients per shift, facility bed count, or medication passes per day so hiring managers can gauge your pace and setting.
- Name the care setting and EHR. Long-term care, skilled nursing, med-surg, and home health each read differently, and list the charting system you use, such as Epic, PointClickCare, or Cerner.
- Mirror the job posting. Reuse the exact clinical terms from the listing, like wound care, IV therapy, or medication administration, so keyword-matching filters score you higher.
Licensed Practical Nurse resume sections
Header: Full name, the LPN credential, phone, email, city and state, and license number if the posting requests it.
Summary: Two or three lines naming your years of experience, care setting, and standout skills, such as wound care or geriatric care.
Skills: Medication administration, vital signs, wound care, IV therapy, EHR documentation, and patient education.
Experience: Reverse-chronological roles with facility type, caseload, and measurable outcomes.
Education: Accredited practical nursing diploma or certificate and the school name.
Certifications/Licenses: Active state LPN license, NCLEX-PN, and BLS/CPR (AHA), plus IV certification, wound care, or ACLS where applicable.
Common mistakes
- Leaving off the state where your LPN license is active, or its current expiration status.
- Listing duties instead of results, such as “administered medications” with no patient volume or safety record.
- Hiding credentials in headers, tables, or graphics that ATS parsers drop.
- Using one generic resume for hospital, long-term care, and home health roles instead of tailoring each.
- Omitting the EHR systems and clinical procedures the posting explicitly asks for.
ATS keywords for licensed practical nurses
Weave these terms in where they are true to your experience: LPN license, NCLEX-PN, BLS/CPR certification, medication administration, vital signs, wound care, IV therapy, patient assessment, EHR/EMR documentation, infection control, phlebotomy, and patient education. For long-term care roles, add skilled nursing, geriatric care, and PointClickCare.
How do you write a new grad LPN resume with no experience?
A new grad LPN resume leads with your NCLEX-PN pass and active state license, then substitutes clinical rotations for paid experience. List each rotation with the care setting, patient population, and skills you practiced, such as medication administration, wound care, and vital signs, the same way you would a job. Add your accredited practical nursing program, BLS/CPR, and any tech or CNA experience that shows patient-care hours.
- Turn clinical rotations into experience. List each rotation with the facility type, patient population, and hours so managers see real bedside time.
- Front-load your license. Put NCLEX-PN, your active state LPN license, and BLS/CPR at the top, above the experience section.
- Prove patient-care hours. Add caseload numbers, skills you were signed off on, and any CNA or tech time that shows hands-on care.
Moving up from a nursing assistant role? Start from our CNA resume example and layer in your new LPN license and clinical rotations. Planning your next step? The registered nurse resume example shows how the same skills scale to an RN role.
