Top Licensed Practical Nurse Skills to Include in Your Resume (With Examples)

Why Licensed Practical Nurse Skills Matter in a Resume

Your resume skills paint a clear picture to recruiters and hiring managers about your qualifications and suitability for the nursing role. In healthcare, especially nursing, employers demand a balance of technical proficiency and interpersonal capabilities. Highlighting the key skills for Licensed Practical Nurse resume not only demonstrates competency in medical procedures but also your ability to communicate, empathize, and collaborate in high-pressure environments. Optimizing these skills in your resume ensures you stand out within the competitive healthcare job market.

1. Hard Skills for Resume

Hard skills represent your technical knowledge and clinical expertise. For Licensed Practical Nurses, these skills prove your ability to perform nursing tasks accurately and efficiently. Including hard skills for resume is critical because they are often the first criteria employers scan for in applicant tracking systems (ATS) and during manual resume review.

Essential Hard Skills

• Patient Vital Signs Monitoring
• Medication Administration
• Wound Care Management
• Phlebotomy and IV Therapy
• Electronic Health Records (EHR) Documentation
• Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification
• Medical Equipment Operation
• Infection Control Procedures
• Charting and Reporting
• Patient Safety Compliance

2. Soft Skills for CV

While hard skills validate what you can do, soft skills highlight how you do it — effectively and compassionately. Soft skills for CV are especially vital in nursing due to the patient-facing nature of the role, requiring empathy, communication, and teamwork.

Key Soft Skills

• Effective Communication
• Empathy and Compassion
• Attention to Detail
• Time Management
• Team Collaboration
• Stress Management
• Critical Thinking
• Adaptability to Change

3. List of Licensed Practical Nurse Skills

To make your resume robust and recruiter-friendly, it helps to categorize your skills efficiently. Here is a comprehensive list of Licensed Practical Nurse skills in resume that cover a range of competencies.

Analytical & Strategic

• Patient Assessment and Monitoring
• Clinical Decision Making
• Problem-Solving During Emergencies

Technical & Development

• Proficiency with Medical Software and EHR Systems
• Administering Intramuscular and Subcutaneous Injections
• Implementation of Care Plans

Product Delivery & Process

• Medication Preparation and Dosage Calculation
• Infection Control and Sterilization Processes
• Accurate Documentation and Reporting

Leadership & Communication

• Patient and Family Education
• Team Coordination and Support
• Conflict Resolution

Emerging / Modern Skills

• Telehealth Nursing Competencies
• Utilizing Mobile Health (mHealth) Technologies
• Data Privacy and HIPAA Compliance

4. How to Showcase Licensed Practical Nurse Skills

a. Integrate Skills

Don’t just list skills; weave them naturally into your work experience descriptions and summary to demonstrate your proficiency in real-world scenarios.

• Describe how you used specific skills to improve patient outcomes or streamline workflows.
• Use action verbs and quantify results where possible to make skills tangible.

b. Quantify Achievements

Including measurable outcomes linked to your skills helps employers grasp your impact. For example, cite patient satisfaction rates, medication error reduction percentages, or the number of patients managed.

c. Tailor Skills

Customize your Licensed Practical Nurse skills for resume based on the job description. Emphasize skills that align directly with employer requirements to pass ATS checks and appeal to recruiters.

d. Add “Key Skills” Section

e. Include Tools & Certifications

Highlight relevant certifications (e.g., BLS, IV Therapy License) and technical tools (e.g., Meditech, Epic) in your skills section or a separate credentials area to showcase professionalism and readiness.

5. Skills in Resume Sample

6. Best Skills by Industry

• Long-term Care Facilities: Patient Monitoring, Medication Management, Compassionate Care, Fall Prevention
• Hospitals: IV Therapy, Emergency Response, EHR Proficiency, Team Coordination
• Rehabilitation Centers: Patient Mobility Assistance, Pain Management Techniques, Therapeutic Communication
• Home Healthcare: Patient Education, Infection Control, Telehealth Technology Use, Family Liaison Skills

7. Emerging Licensed Practical Nurse Skills

As healthcare evolves, Licensed Practical Nurses must adopt new skills to remain effective and competitive. Here are some emerging professional skills for resume in the nursing field.

• Telemedicine Patient Assessment
• Use of AI-driven Diagnostic Tools
• Health Informatics Knowledge
• Remote Patient Monitoring
• Enhanced Data Privacy Protocols

Conclusion

Including the right Licensed Practical Nurse skills in resume documents is crucial to demonstrating your expertise and securing healthcare roles. Combining a strong foundation of hard skills with interpersonal and emerging abilities will set you apart in recruiter searches and applicant tracking systems. Remember to tailor your skills to job descriptions, quantify your impact, and keep your resume clear and professional. Staying up-to-date with the evolving nursing landscape through modern skills further showcases your commitment to quality patient care and professional growth.