How to Craft Your Resume to Shift from Clinical Nursing to Healthcare Administration
If you’ve built a strong foundation in nursing, you may be ready to take the next step in your career and move into healthcare administration or transition into a corporate role. Bedside care can be rewarding but exhausting. So how do you shape your resume to show that you’re ready for this change and have the skills and experience necessary to thrive in a new role?
Highlight Leadership
While you may not hold a management title, that doesn’t mean you can’t be a leader within the organization. Have you been a part of any committees or pilot programs? Have you had opportunities to share your insight or feedback? Have you stepped up to really help out your team or support an initiative? Make sure your resume shows it! Highlight your role and any achievements or results that came from it.
Showcase Supervision and Training
Part of healthcare administration often involves leading teams or training others. If you have helped to train new hires or nursing students or served as Charge Nurse, it should be included on your resume. Show that you know how to effectively lead and support others and ensure proper policies and procedures are being followed. Don’t forget to include any professional development, certifications, or degrees that you’ve personally done to move into administration too!
Emphasize Communication
No matter where you work, communication is key. This is especially true in healthcare. You likely spend a part of your day consulting with physicians, pharmacists, other departments, and administrators as well as patients and their families. Show that you are able to work together to promote quality care, resolve problems, and collaborate on solutions. The ability to explain complex medical information in an easily understandable way is also important.
Demonstrate Process Improvements
What have you done to improve your work environment and increase efficiency? Have you recommended any changes? Are there things you’ve done even just for yourself that have helped you stay organized and provide better care? Emphasize your ability to look at the big picture, identify areas for improvement, and actually take action.
Focus on Documentation
The ability to keep accurate, up-to-date records is essential. Discuss any specific software programs you’ve used, whether for electronic medical records or other documentation. Have you generated or analyzed reports? Do you interpret the information provided by various documents? Show that can not only keep clear records, but effectively use and understand them.
Incorporate Patient Care
Even administrators and business personnel should have a strong ability to positively interact with patients and their families. You never know when you will be tasked with addressing problems or developing solutions, so you should be comfortable working in high-pressure situations while keeping your cool. In clinical care, you have almost certainly been faced with working with difficult people, so demonstrate your ability to handle these situations and achieve positive results. Also touch on how your medical knowledge, training, and experience has allowed you to collaborate on and execute effective treatment plans and provide exceptional care.
If you’re ready to transition away from the bedside or practice and into the corporate world, make sure your resume is helping, not hurting, your efforts. The team at Grammar Chic will work with you to highlight your training, experience, strengths, and accomplishments that make you a good fit for a healthcare administration role. Contact us today (803) 831-7444 or resumewriting@grammarchic.net to learn more or schedule a consultation.