Travel Nurse Resume Guide: Stand Out to Recruiters

Introduction

Your resume is the first impression you make on agencies, recruiters, and hiring managers. In travel nursing, it is doing double duty: it gets you signed with an agency, and then it gets submitted to facilities as your professional calling card for every single assignment. A strong travel nurse resume highlights the right experience, certifications, and clinical details in a format that recruiters can scan in 30 seconds and hiring managers can evaluate in under a minute.

The resume that landed your staff nursing job will not work here. Travel nursing demands a different level of detail, a different format, and a different emphasis. This guide shows you exactly how to build a resume that gets callbacks, earns submissions, and lands you the assignments you want.

Travel Nurse Resume vs. Staff Nurse Resume

If you have only ever written a traditional nursing resume, the travel nursing version will feel unusually detailed — and that is the point.

Staff nurse resumes focus on accomplishments, leadership roles, and career progression within one or two organizations. They emphasize institutional commitment, committee participation, and professional growth. Length is typically one page, and the details about specific unit types or charting systems are minimal.

Travel nurse resumes need to read more like clinical profiles. Recruiters and hiring managers want to see exactly what you have done, where you have done it, and what tools you used doing it. Every facility, every unit type, every charting system, every patient population — these details are not filler on a travel resume. They are the substance.

The reason is straightforward: travel nurse hiring decisions happen fast. A unit manager reviewing your resume needs to determine in under a minute whether your experience matches their needs. “Three years of nursing experience” tells them nothing. “Three years of MICU experience across two Level I trauma centers, managing vented patients on CRRT with Epic charting” tells them everything.

Length expectations for travel nurse resumes are one to two pages. One page is fine if you are a first-time traveler with a few years of staff experience. Two pages are appropriate once you have multiple travel assignments to document. Going beyond two pages is unnecessary and suggests poor editing.

Essential Resume Sections

Structure your resume with these sections in this order:

Contact Information and Professional Summary

Place your name, phone number, email address, and city/state (full home address is unnecessary) at the top. Below that, write a two- to three-sentence professional summary that captures your specialty, years of experience, travel nursing background, and key differentiators. This summary replaces the outdated “objective statement.”

Strong example: “Critical care registered nurse with 4 years of ICU experience across 6 travel assignments in Level I and Level II trauma centers. CCRN certified. Proficient in Epic, Cerner, and Meditech. Experienced in managing ventilators, arterial lines, CRRT, and ECMO.”

Licenses and Certifications

List these prominently, near the top of your resume. For each certification, include the credential name, certifying body, and expiration date. For nursing licenses, include the state, license number, and whether it is a compact (multistate) license. Hiring managers scan this section first to confirm you meet the basic requirements.

Keep your certifications current — an expired ACLS on your resume looks worse than not listing it at all.

Clinical Experience

This is the core of your travel nurse resume. For each position — both staff and travel — include:

Employer: Agency name (for travel positions) or facility name (for staff positions)
Facility name and location: City and state
Dates: Month/year to month/year
Unit type and specialty: Be specific (Medical ICU, Cardiac Step-Down, Level I Trauma ER)
Bed count: How many beds on the unit
Patient ratios: Typical nurse-to-patient ratio
Patient population: Common diagnoses and acuity level
Charting system: Epic, Cerner, Meditech, etc.
Key responsibilities and skills: Procedures, equipment, and clinical capabilities

This level of detail is what separates a travel nurse resume that gets submitted from one that sits in a database.

Skills Checklist Highlights

Most agencies require a separate skills checklist, but including a brief skills section on your resume reinforces your capabilities. Group skills by category: clinical procedures (IV insertion, central line management, ventilator management), equipment proficiency (balloon pumps, CRRT machines, external pacemakers), and charting systems.

Education and Continuing Education

List your nursing degree, school name, and graduation year. Include any additional degrees or continuing education that is relevant to your specialty. CE hours are valuable to mention if they demonstrate ongoing professional development, particularly in your target specialty.

References

“References available upon request” is sufficient on the resume itself. However, have a separate reference sheet ready with three to five professional references, including their name, title, facility, phone number, email, and your relationship to them. Collect references from every assignment — having recent references from supervisors at your last two or three facilities significantly strengthens your profile.

How to Present Travel Assignments

Formatting multiple short-term assignments clearly is one of the biggest challenges of a travel nurse resume. Here is how to handle it.

Use a consistent format for every assignment. The reader should be able to scan quickly and find the same information in the same location for each position:

Aya Healthcare — Memorial Regional Medical Center, Richmond, VA Medical ICU | January 2025 - April 2025 24-bed MICU | 1:2 ratio | Epic | Level I Trauma Center Patient population: sepsis, ARDS, multi-organ failure, DKA Skills: ventilator management, arterial lines, central lines, CRRT, vasopressor titration

Include the agency name for travel positions. This is standard practice and helps recruiters and hiring managers understand your employment history. The agency is your employer of record.

Handle gaps between assignments honestly. Short gaps of two to four weeks between contracts are normal and expected in travel nursing. You do not need to explain them on the resume. Longer gaps — three months or more — might warrant a brief note if the time was spent productively (certification study, continuing education, personal leave). Do not try to hide gaps by fudging dates; hiring managers and agencies verify employment history.

Present staff experience clearly. If you transitioned from staff to travel, your staff experience should be formatted the same way as your travel assignments — with the same level of clinical detail. This consistency makes the resume easy to scan and ensures your staff experience is not undervalued.

Skills and Keywords That Recruiters Look For

Travel nurse resumes pass through both human reviewers and, increasingly, digital applicant tracking systems. Using the right keywords ensures you make it through both.

Clinical skills should be specific and measurable. Instead of “experienced in critical care,” write “ventilator management including ARDS protocols, prone positioning, and lung-protective strategies.” Instead of “medication administration,” write “vasopressor titration, insulin drips, and continuous sedation management.”

Charting systems should always be listed by name. Epic, Cerner, Meditech, CPSI, and Allscripts are the major ones. If you have used multiple systems, list them all — charting system experience is one of the first things hiring managers look for. Familiarity with a facility’s charting system can be the deciding factor between two otherwise equal candidates.

Certifications as keywords are critical: BLS, ACLS, PALS, CCRN, CEN, CNOR, TNCC, ENPC, NRP, and RNC-OB should all appear prominently if you hold them. These are exact-match search terms that recruiters and tracking systems filter by.

Soft skills deserve mention but should be demonstrated, not just listed. Instead of writing “team player,” describe a specific example of collaboration. Instead of “adaptable,” note that you have worked across six different facilities and four charting systems in two years.

Common Resume Mistakes to Avoid

These mistakes are surprisingly common and easy to fix.

Being too vague about clinical experience is the most damaging error. “Provided patient care in a fast-paced environment” tells a recruiter nothing. Specifics — unit type, bed count, patient ratios, charting systems, procedures, equipment — are what get your resume submitted.

Omitting charting systems is a missed opportunity. Hiring managers often filter candidates by charting system experience. If you have used Epic at three facilities, that needs to be visible on your resume.

Including irrelevant non-nursing experience wastes space. Unless your pre-nursing career is directly relevant (paramedic experience for an ER nurse, for example), leave it off. Your travel nurse resume should focus exclusively on your nursing credentials and clinical experience.

Typos and formatting inconsistencies signal carelessness. If you cannot proofread a two-page resume, hiring managers will wonder about your charting accuracy. Have someone else review your resume before submitting it. Use consistent formatting for dates, facility names, and section headers throughout.

Using an objective statement instead of a professional summary is outdated. “Seeking a challenging travel nurse position” adds nothing. A professional summary that highlights your specialty, experience level, and key qualifications is dramatically more effective.

Making the resume too long is a problem at three or more pages. If you have extensive travel experience, focus on the most recent two to three years and summarize earlier positions briefly. Hiring managers are making fast decisions — a concise, well-organized resume serves you better than an exhaustive one.

Resume Templates and Tools

The best travel nurse resume format is clean, scannable, and information-dense. Avoid elaborate designs, graphics, or multi-column layouts that look impressive but are hard for both humans and applicant tracking systems to read.

Recommended format: A single-column layout with clear section headers, consistent spacing, and a standard font (Calibri, Arial, or Garamond at 10-12 point). Use bold text for facility names and position titles. Bullet points for clinical details under each assignment.

Keep your resume updated between assignments. Do not wait until you are actively job searching to add your latest contract. Update your resume during the last week of each assignment while the details are fresh. Add the facility, unit, charting system, patient population, and key skills immediately.

Maintain multiple resume versions if you work across different specialties. An ICU-focused resume and an ER-focused resume allow you to emphasize the experience most relevant to each assignment you are pursuing. The core content is the same — only the emphasis and professional summary shift.

Digital profiles are becoming increasingly important. Many agencies maintain online profiles for their travelers, and some facilities review these profiles directly. Keep your agency profile as detailed and current as your resume.

Resume Specifics for Traveling RTs and Surgical Techs

The resume principles in this guide — specificity, clinical detail, scannable format — apply equally to respiratory therapists and surgical technologists. But the details you highlight and the way you structure your experience differ based on what recruiters and hiring managers in your discipline need to see.

Respiratory Therapist Resume Essentials

Lead with your RRT credential and state licenses. Your Registered Respiratory Therapist credential from the NBRC should appear prominently near the top of your resume, along with any advanced NBRC credentials (NPS, ACCS, SDS). List every active state license with license numbers and expiration dates. If you hold privileges under the RT interstate compact, note that as well.

Emphasize ventilator and equipment experience. Hiring managers want to know which ventilator models you have managed (Puritan Bennett 840/980, Hamilton G5/C3, Draeger V500, Servo-i), which modalities you are competent in (invasive and noninvasive ventilation, high-flow nasal cannula, BiPAP/CPAP), and what patient populations you have treated. A line like “Managed ventilator patients in a 30-bed MICU including ARDS prone positioning, inhaled nitric oxide, and continuous bronchodilator therapy” tells a hiring manager exactly what they need to know.

Include department structure details. Note whether you worked in a centralized RT department or were assigned to specific units. Include how many beds you were responsible for, the typical patient load, and whether you covered adult, pediatric, or neonatal populations. These operational details help hiring managers assess whether your experience matches their department’s workflow.

Clinical skills to highlight: ABG collection and interpretation, intubation assistance, tracheostomy care and decannulation, bronchial hygiene therapy (CPT, PEP devices, high-frequency chest wall oscillation), pulmonary function testing, oxygen therapy titration, ventilator weaning protocols, and emergency airway management. If you have ECMO experience, feature it prominently — it is a rare and highly valued skill.

Example professional summary for an RT resume: “Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) with 3 years of adult critical care experience across 4 travel assignments. ACCS certified. Proficient in Hamilton, PB 840, and Draeger ventilator platforms. Experienced in ARDS management, prone positioning, inhaled NO, and bronchoscopy assistance. Epic and Cerner charting.”

Surgical Technologist Resume Essentials

Lead with your CST credential and surgical service lines. Your Certified Surgical Technologist credential from NBSTSA should be at the top of your resume. Immediately below, list the surgical service lines you have experience in — this is the first thing an OR manager scans for. Surgical specialties include general surgery, orthopedics (total joints, spine, sports medicine), cardiovascular (CABG, valve, TAVR), neurosurgery, urology, gynecology, ENT, plastics, and robotic-assisted procedures.

Specify case volume and complexity. Include the number of ORs at each facility, the average daily case volume, and the types of cases you primarily scrubbed. “Scrubbed 8-12 cases per week across 16 OR suites in a Level I trauma center specializing in orthopedic trauma, general surgery, and neurosurgery” is far more useful than “performed scrub tech duties in the operating room.”

Highlight robotic and specialized experience. If you have experience with da Vinci robotic systems, Mako robotic-arm-assisted surgery, or specialized equipment like surgical navigation systems or intraoperative imaging, call these out specifically. Robotic surgery experience is a significant differentiator in the 2026 travel market.

Equipment and technology to list: Sterilization and autoclaving systems, surgical navigation platforms, electrosurgical units (Bovie), laparoscopic towers, C-arm fluoroscopy, robotic surgical systems, and any facility-specific instrumentation management software. Include which instrument tracking systems you have used.

Example professional summary for a surgical tech resume: “Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) with 4 years of multi-specialty OR experience including cardiovascular, orthopedics, and neurosurgery. Experienced in open heart cases (CABG, valve replacement), total joint arthroplasty, and da Vinci robotic procedures across 5 travel assignments. Proficient in Cerner SurgiNet and Epic OpTime.”

Format Differences

Both RT and surgical tech resumes should follow the same clean, single-column, one-to-two-page format recommended for nursing resumes. The key difference is in the clinical detail you emphasize: RTs highlight ventilator platforms, patient populations, and respiratory procedures. Surgical techs highlight surgical service lines, case types, and OR-specific equipment and technology. Adapt the template to your discipline but keep the principle of maximum clinical specificity at the core.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a travel nurse resume be?

One to two pages is the ideal range. First-time travelers with only staff experience can typically fit everything on one page. Once you have multiple travel assignments, two pages is appropriate and expected. The key is information density — every line should contain clinically relevant detail that helps a hiring manager evaluate your fit for their unit. If your resume is stretching past two pages, consolidate older experience into a brief summary and focus detailed bullet points on your most recent two to three years.

Should I include non-nursing jobs on my resume?

Generally, no. Your travel nurse resume should focus entirely on your nursing experience, certifications, and clinical skills. The exception is if your pre-nursing career provided directly relevant experience — a former paramedic applying for ER travel assignments, a respiratory therapist turned ICU nurse, or a military medic, for example. In these cases, include that experience with emphasis on the transferable clinical skills. Unrelated work history dilutes the focus of your resume and takes up space better used for clinical detail.

How do I write a resume with only staff experience and no travel assignments?

Format your staff experience the same way a traveler would format their assignments: include unit type, bed count, patient ratios, charting system, and key clinical skills. The level of detail is what matters, not whether the experience was gained as staff or travel. Emphasize adaptability by noting any floating experience, cross-training, or exposure to different units within your facility. Include your certifications prominently, and write a professional summary that clearly states you are transitioning to travel nursing.

Do I need a different resume for each agency?

You do not need a fundamentally different resume for each agency, but you may want to tailor your professional summary and skills emphasis based on the specialty or assignment you are targeting through each agency. The clinical experience section should remain consistent and factual across all versions. Some agencies have specific resume templates they prefer — ask your recruiter if their agency has formatting requirements.

How often should I update my resume?

Update your resume at the end of every assignment or at minimum every three months. Add the facility details, charting system, patient population, and key skills while the information is fresh. Waiting until you are actively searching for your next contract means you will rush the update and likely forget important details. A current resume also means you can respond quickly when your recruiter sends you an assignment that requires immediate submission.

Key Takeaways

Detail matters: list every unit type, bed count, charting system, and patient population
Keep it to 1-2 pages with a clean, scannable single-column format
Lead with a professional summary that highlights your travel nursing strengths and specialty
Include specific patient ratios, acuity levels, and procedures for every assignment
Update your resume at the end of each assignment, not during your next job search
Tailor your resume to the specialty and assignment you are targeting

Affiliate Placement Notes

Resume template services or professional resume writing/review services in the templates and tools section.
Certification study guides in the certifications section crosslink.