Preparing a resume for a Travel Nurse or Tech position in the Cath, IR or EP labs is a lot different than one might think. The process for application is very different and the gatekeepers are not very forgiving of missing details. In fact, many of the details that travel resumes usually get dinged on are things that have no reflection on your actual job qualifications!
Let’s Set a few Ground Rules
Presentation matters. Length matters. Good unique content matters. A 5 page resume for a traveler with 10 of the exact same bullet points under each job entry with the only difference being the dates and timeline? While the immediate thought is that resume doesn’t show a whole lot about the person, in fact it shows a lot about that person – like they don’t enough about this job to put their best foot forward.
The Content
Cath, IR and EP is about competence, plain and simple. Your travel resume should reflect your abilities, not what your manager asked you to do every Tuesday at your previous staff position. If you take a look at our blog How to Prepare for a Cath Lab Travel Interview , try to answer some of the interview questions with your resume. It’s also a good way for you to remember during the interview!
- Headline content
- Name, title, phone number to contact for interview
- One sentence summary of your who you are
- “Versatile Cath Lab RN with 18 years of experience looking to….”
- Summary qualifications (list of 5-8 complex procedures where you rock)
- It’s assumed a Traveler already knows the simple ones
- Can also put IR or EP procedures here as well (complex ones)
- Work experience
- Highlight what was different between each job
- Work dates and location (City & State) are required
- Type and size of lab (how many rooms, cases per day)
- Anything “talk worthy” about the lab or the process or the physician
- If there are overlapping entries (working two jobs), write a quick note
- If there is a break for taking care of someone or traveling the world, enter it as if it were its own job entry with dates and location
- Highlight what was different between each job
- Certifications
- Any special ones beyond ACLS / BLS?
- RCIS, RCES
- ARRT Cardiac or Vascular Intervention
- NIHSS Stroke scale certification
- CCRN
- State Nursing Licenses (yes, they will do Nursys checks)
- Any special ones beyond ACLS / BLS?
- Education
- School
- Highest Degree obtained
- Graduation details (dates – month and year)
The Path to Success
If you think the notes above are valuable, then give us a shot to impress even more. Schedule a call with one of our Cath / IR / EP Lab Advisors. It’s a no-pressure question and answer session with a recruiter and Senior Lab Advisor to show you how we place our candidates and the industry knowledge we bring.
Our team has over 70 years of staffing experience in the Cath Lab world. We’ve built an incredible network of travelers and hospital contacts and as we all know, Cath Lab is a small world!
