Licensed Practical Nurse resume example. Plus the keywords recruiters search for.
A licensed practical nurse resume that shows safe medication passes, sharp observation and steady resident care — with the license, long-term care and charting keywords employers screen for.
Reviewed by Nazir Elmurodov · Updated
/ The example
Licensed Practical Nurse resume example.
Latoya Williams
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Long-Term Care
Memphis, TN · latoya.williams@email.com · (901) 555-0137
Summary
LPN with 5 years in skilled nursing and outpatient care. I run accurate med passes for 20+ residents a shift, catch changes in condition early and keep families in the loop.
Experience
Licensed Practical Nurse, Magnolia Bend Rehabilitation & Nursing Center · Apr 2023 – Present
- • Complete medication administration for 22–26 residents per shift on a 44-bed skilled nursing unit, documenting in the eMAR
- • Perform wound care, dressing changes and treatments for 8–10 residents a shift and update the wound care nurse weekly
- • Report each change in condition to the RN supervisor and provider using SBAR; the unit's 30-day hospital readmissions fell from 22% to 16% in a year
- • Assign and supervise 3–4 CNAs per shift and check that care plans are followed
- • Chart vital signs, progress notes and treatments in PointClickCare
Licensed Practical Nurse, Cotton Row Internal Medicine · Jun 2021 – Mar 2023
- • Took vital signs, histories and medication reconciliation for 30+ patients a day in a 4-provider practice
- • Gave injections and immunizations and kept the clinic's vaccine storage logs current
- • Called patients with lab results and care instructions as ordered by providers
Education & certifications
Practical Nursing Diploma, Wolf River Technical College, 2021 · LPN license, Tennessee (NCLEX-PN) · BLS
Skills
Medication administration · Med pass · Wound care · Vital signs · Care plans · Change in condition · SBAR · Long-term care · Skilled nursing · PointClickCare · eMAR · Family communication
Latoya Williams
Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Long-Term Care
latoya.williams@email.com · Memphis, TN
(901) 555-0137
Summary
LPN with 5 years in skilled nursing and outpatient care. I run accurate med passes for 20+ residents a shift, catch changes in condition early and keep families in the loop.
Experience
Licensed Practical Nurse — Magnolia Bend Rehabilitation & Nursing Center
Apr 2023 – Present
• Complete medication administration for 22–26 residents per shift on a 44-bed skilled nursing unit, documenting in the eMAR
• Perform wound care, dressing changes and treatments for 8–10 residents a shift and update the wound care nurse weekly
• Report each change in condition to the RN supervisor and provider using SBAR; the unit's 30-day hospital readmissions fell from 22% to 16% in a year
• Assign and supervise 3–4 CNAs per shift and check that care plans are followed
• Chart vital signs, progress notes and treatments in PointClickCare
Licensed Practical Nurse — Cotton Row Internal Medicine
Jun 2021 – Mar 2023
• Took vital signs, histories and medication reconciliation for 30+ patients a day in a 4-provider practice
• Gave injections and immunizations and kept the clinic's vaccine storage logs current
• Called patients with lab results and care instructions as ordered by providers
Education
Wolf River Technical College
Practical Nursing Diploma · 2021
Certifications
LPN license, Tennessee (NCLEX-PN)
BLS
Skills
Medication administration, Med pass, Wound care, Vital signs, Care plans, Change in condition, SBAR, Long-term care, Skilled nursing, PointClickCare, eMAR, Family communication
Why it works
It shows license, state and setting at the top, gives the resident load in numbers, and points to safety and quality results — readmissions, med passes, escalation — instead of a list of nursing duties.
Use this as your starting point
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Start from this exampleSample resume. Names, companies and figures are illustrative.
/ Summary examples
Three summary examples. Pick the one closest to you.
Two or three lines: your level, your field and one result.
- New graduate
Newly licensed LPN who passed the NCLEX-PN in 2026. Completed clinical rotations in long-term care, rehab and a family practice, with hands-on med passes and dressing changes.
- Experienced
LPN with 5 years in skilled nursing and outpatient care. I run med passes for 22–26 residents a shift and escalate changes in condition early using SBAR.
- Charge nurse
LPN charge nurse with 10 years in long-term care who leads shifts of 6 CNAs, coordinates admissions and keeps families informed about care plans.
More for other jobs and situations (no experience, career change, senior): resume summary examples.
/ Bullet points
Bullet point examples. From duty to result.
Turn duties into results: what you did, how, and what changed.
Medication safety
Instead of: Passed medications
Write: Completed med passes for 22–26 residents a shift with no medication errors found in 2 annual state surveys
Observation
Instead of: Reported changes to the RN
Write: Escalated changes in condition through SBAR; unit readmissions within 30 days fell from 22% to 16%
Wound care
Instead of: Did wound care
Write: Performed wound care and treatments for 8–10 residents a shift and updated the wound care nurse weekly
Supervision
Instead of: Worked with CNAs
Write: Assigned and supervised 3–4 CNAs per shift and checked that care plans were followed
Clinic care
Instead of: Helped in a doctor's office
Write: Took vital signs and reconciled medications for 30+ patients a day in a 4-provider practice
Family communication
Instead of: Talked to families
Write: Gave weekly updates to families of new admissions, cutting after-hours calls to the unit
/ Keywords
Keywords and skills for licensed practical nurses.
These come up often in licensed practical nurse job posts. Include only the ones you can back up in an interview, and use the exact wording from the post you're applying to.
- Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
- LPN license
- NCLEX-PN
- Medication administration
- Med pass
- Wound care
- Vital signs
- Care plans
- Change in condition
- SBAR
- Long-term care
- Skilled nursing
- IV therapy
- PointClickCare
- eMAR
- BLS
- Family communication
/ ATS tips
ATS tips for licensed practical nurses.
Lead with license and state
"LPN, Tennessee" belongs in your headline or right under your name. Add BLS and any other current certifications nearby.
Give the resident or patient load
"22–26 residents, 44-bed skilled nursing unit" tells a director of nursing your pace in one line.
Show safety results
Medication accuracy, falls, readmissions and survey results show the quality of your care better than a list of tasks.
Name the charting system
PointClickCare, MatrixCare, Epic and eMAR are common screening terms in long-term care and clinic posts.
Stay inside your scope
Describe what you did the way your state's LPN scope allows — for example, collecting data and reporting to the RN rather than "completed assessments" if that's how your role worked.
How does your licensed practical nurse resume compare?
Free ATS score, missing keywords and fixes in about 10 seconds.
/ Questions
Licensed Practical Nurse resume FAQ.
Writing the cover letter too? See Latoya's cover letter, annotated
LPN or LVN — which title should I use?
Use the title on your license. California and Texas license vocational nurses (LVNs); most other states use LPN. Both take the NCLEX-PN. If you're applying across states, "LPN/LVN" in your headline covers both.
Should I put my LPN license number on my resume?
Usually not. List the license type and state; employers verify the number during hiring. Add it only if the posting asks for it.
Can I list IV therapy?
Only if your state lets LPNs perform it and you've completed any training or certification it requires. LPN scope for IV therapy differs from state to state, so name the certification and the state.
How do I show I'm working toward my RN?
Add the program and expected graduation under education, such as "LPN-to-RN bridge program, expected May 2027." Employers with tuition support often look for this.
How long should an LPN resume be?
One page for most LPNs. Lead with license and setting, then two or three jobs with resident or patient numbers and results.