Hospitals and staffing agencies use ATS to filter nursing applicants on licenses, certifications and exact clinical terms. Here are the keywords that appear in real nursing postings, grouped by category.
Certifications are exact-text matches. Write the full form the posting uses — "BLS" and "Basic Life Support" are often treated as different strings, so use the abbreviation if that is what the job lists.
EMR names are high-signal: hospitals hire for their specific system. If you used Epic, say "Epic" — "electronic medical records" will not match the posting that says "Epic".
List the skills the unit actually uses. A telemetry posting will screen for "telemetry" and "rhythm interpretation"; a home-health posting will screen for "wound care" and "patient education".
Name the unit and patient population you worked with. This is how hospitals filter for staffing needs — the exact unit name matters.
Open with license and unit, name the EMR, and attach volume or outcomes where you can. ATS matches the terms; the numbers keep the nurse manager reading.
Yes. For ATS and for the human screener, the license line (state, number, compact status) is the first thing they look for. Put it in the header or a certification line at the top.
If you logged real patient care in it, list it — even a clinical rotation counts. Do not list one you have never touched; hospitals verify.
One page for most nurses, two only with substantial experience or publications. Keep bullets tight so the ATS parses each line cleanly.
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