The early stages of your career are often the most difficult, even in nursing, where job opportunities are abundant. Building an eye-catching cover letter is a great way to differentiate yourself from the competition as you begin applying for entry-level nursing positions. The key is to emphasize your genuine passion for patient-centered care in addition to your clinical knowledge. Our guide provides expert tips and examples to help you build a strong cover letter and jump-start your health care career.
Entry-Level Nurse Cover Letter Templates and Examples
- Entry-Level
- Mid-Career
- Senior-Level
How To Write an Entry-Level Nurse Cover Letter
When writing a great entry-level nurse cover letter, the key is to highlight the strongest aspects of your nursing externships. The early stages of your career can be especially challenging in a competitive job market, so it’s important to carefully describe your early career experience. Also, tailor your application for each nursing position to maximize your odds of landing the interview. Below, we’ll walk you through each section of your entry-level nurse cover letter:
1. Contact information and salutation
List all essential contact information in the header of your entry-level nurse cover letter, including your name, phone number, email, and LinkedIn URL. Be sure to address the hiring manager by name — Mr. or Ms. [Last Name]. If you can’t find the hiring manager’s name, use a variation of “Dear Hiring Manager.” This adds a personal touch to your application and shows you’ve researched the hospital before applying.
2. Introduction
Open your entry-level nurse cover letter with a strong introduction to make a lasting impression on the hiring manager. During the early stages of your career, you need to compensate for a lack of hands-on experience by carefully tailoring your content towards individual health care organizations. Emphasize key aspects of your nursing experience that align with the hospital’s needs. Build your introduction around one of your most notable achievements, especially if it can be backed by clinical data.
Example
In my first year as a registered nurse at Temple Hospital, I achieved patient satisfaction ratings of over 93%. As a nursing professional, I’m passionate and committed to providing superior care to my patients using evidence-based approaches to treatment. My exceptional clinical knowledge will allow me to achieve positive outcomes for patients at your esteemed hospital.
3. Body paragraphs
In the body paragraphs of your entry-level nurse cover letter, continue to describe your clinical achievements and qualifications. Start by mentioning specific details about the hospital’s approach to patient care. Emphasize why you’re interested in the position and how your clinical skills align with the organization’s needs. Include accomplishments demonstrating your ability to interface effectively with multidisciplinary teams and diverse patient populations. This shows potential employers that you’re the right fit for the hospital’s culture.
Example
UCSF’s commitment to providing cutting-edge patient care using innovative research and technology excites me as a newly qualified nurse. My ability to deliver compassionate, patient-centered care would be a strong asset to your team based on my recent achievements:
- Achieved 98% positive patient feedback scores during precept placement and received consistent scores of over 90% during theoretical and practical assessments
- Conducted patient assessments, collected medical history, and performed a variety of medical testing, including X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and blood testing
- Interfaced effectively with diverse patient populations and developed treatment plans in alignment with emotional, spiritual, and physical needs
4. Entry-level nurse skills and qualifications
Creating quality content for your entry-level nurse cover letter can be challenging if you have limited clinical experience. One way to compensate for this is by incorporating key terms from the job description into your paragraphs. This shows potential employers how you’ve applied your nursing skills during your externship and academic programs. Below, you’ll find a list of skills to keep in mind when building your entry-level nurse cover letter:
| Key Skills and Qualifications | |
|---|---|
| Activities of daily living (ADLS) | Acute care |
| Case management | Clinical operations |
| Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) | Electronic Health Records (EHR) |
| HIPAA | Infectious disease protocols |
| IV therapy | Medication administration |
| Oncology | Patient advocacy |
| Patient centered-care | Patient education |
| Patient management | Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) |
| Telemetry | Treatment planning |
| Vital sign monitoring | Wound care |
5. Closing section
In the closing paragraph of your entry-level nurse cover letter, include a call to action inviting the hiring manager to bring you in for an interview. Emphasize how your nursing expertise can help drive patient satisfaction and positive clinical outcomes. Be sure to thank the hiring manager for their time and consideration in the last sentence.
Example
I look forward to speaking with you further about how my dedication to patient advocacy and clinical excellence can benefit your hospital. Feel free to contact me via phone or email at your convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best regards,
Matthew Johnson
Entry-Level Nurse Cover Letter Tips
1. Quantify your nursing experience
Although you likely have limited work experience at the entry level, it’s still important to feature hard numbers and clinical data to convey your positive impact on patients and clinical operations. Citing patient satisfaction scores from your externship is one possible approach. You could also feature the size of the hospital and patient ratio, as this demonstrates you can deliver quality care in fast-paced health care environments:
- Achieved patient satisfaction ratings of over 93% in 2023, communicated empathetically with diverse patients, and drove the delivery of patient-centered care
- Collaborated with a multidisciplinary team of nurses and physicians to improve patient outcomes and enhance clinical workflows in a 400-bed hospital with a 1-to-5 patient ratio
- Performed health exams for illnesses, injuries, and life-threatening conditions, developed treatment plans, and provided emotional support to patients and families
2. Align your cover letter with the hospital’s culture
Tailoring your cover letter towards individual applications is a great way to stand out during the job search. Research the hospital before building your document, as this provides valuable insights into the types of information to prioritize. In the example below, the candidate showcases how their commitment to patient advocacy, which positions them as an ideal fit for the hospital’s culture:
UPenn is a world-class hospital truly devoted to clinical advancement and patient-centered care. In the early stages of my nursing career, I’ve served as an advocate to ensure the alignment of treatment plans with my patients’ emotional, physical, and cultural needs. I can bring the same dedication to your medical team based on my previous successes:
3. Highlight your areas of clinical expertise
Hiring managers will be interested in learning more about your clinical knowledge, so showcasing these skill sets throughout your cover letter is essential. Emphasize nursing skills that match the job description. In the example below, the candidate highlights their knowledge of various oncology treatments to show they’re qualified to work in this specific unit:
As you can see from my attached resume, I have two years of experience providing clinical support for leukemia, bone marrow transplants, and chemotherapy treatments. While at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital, I delivered specialized care to diverse patient populations in a pediatric oncology unit with 60 beds. I look forward to applying my expertise in patient-centered care to drive positive clinical outcomes in the pediatric nurse position.
Entry-Level Nurse Text-Only Cover Letter Templates and Examples
- Example #1
- Example #2
- Example #3
Matthew Johnson
Registered Nurse | [email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | Philadelphia, PA 12345 | LinkedIn
January 1, 2024
Tyrone Jackson
Senior Hiring Manager
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
(987) 654-3210
[email protected]
Dear Mr. Jackson:
In my first year as a registered nurse at Temple Hospital, I achieved patient satisfaction ratings of over 93%. As a nursing professional, I’m passionate and committed to providing superior care to my patients using evidence-based approaches to treatment. My exceptional clinical knowledge will allow me to achieve positive outcomes for patients at your esteemed hospital.
UPenn is a world-class hospital truly devoted to clinical advancement and patient-centered care. In the early stages of my nursing career, I’ve served as an advocate to ensure the alignment of treatment plans with my patients’ emotional, physical, and cultural needs. I can bring the same dedication to your medical team based on my previous successes:
- Achieved patient satisfaction ratings of over 93% in 2023, communicated empathetically with diverse patients, and drove the delivery of patient-centered care
- Collaborated with a multidisciplinary team of nurses and physicians to improve patient outcomes and enhance clinical workflows in a 400-bed hospital with a 1-to-5 patient ratio
- Performed health exams for illnesses, injuries, and life-threatening conditions, developed treatment plans, and provided emotional support to patients and families
I look forward to speaking with you further about how my dedication to patient advocacy and clinical excellence can benefit your hospital. Feel free to contact me via phone or email at your convenience. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Best regards,
Matthew Johnson
Entry-Level Nurse Cover Letter FAQs
Why should I submit an entry-level nurse cover letter?-
While a cover letter may not always be required for nursing positions, it can sometimes offer unique advantages during the early stages of your career. This allows you to compensate for a lack of hands-on experience with a strong introduction that captures who you are as a nursing professional. Including a cover letter also speaks to your genuine enthusiasm for the position, which can make all the difference in today’s competitive job market.
How long should my cover letter be?-
It’s best to keep your cover letter short and compelling, especially when pursuing entry-level positions. Limit your document to 400 words or less, and avoid bulky paragraphs that simply reiterate job responsibilities from your resume. Instead, focus your content around the most impactful aspects of your nursing experience, even if you can only cite your externship.
Should I use artificial intelligence to write my cover letter?-
While artificial intelligence (AI) can be a viable support tool to help you get started, never allow it to write your entire document. Your cover letter needs to capture your passion and commitment to patient care in your own words. Relying solely on AI tools such as ChatGPT will likely yield generic content and effectively rob the cover letter of your unique voice.
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