Be sure you use the proper cover letter format to make your cover letter readable and professional.

Nursing Cover Letter Template (Text Format)

(Today’s Date)

(Company Name)
(Company Address)
(Contact Person’s Phone Number)
(Contact Person’s Email Address)

Dear (Mr/Ms/Mx) (Contact Person’s Name),

As a Senior Adult Nurse with a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and 4+ years of clinical experience, the advertisement for Senior Adult Nurse with (Organisation name) on Indeed.com sparked my interest. I’m certain the combination of my qualifications and previous experience will be a great contribution to your organisation.

In my recent and previous roles as an Adult Nurse, I perfected my abilities to provide care for patients in general practice surgery and long-term recovery settings, serving as a firm foundation for the Senior Adult Nurse position. With my outstanding people skills and determination to familiarise myself with each patient’s family members and support systems, I provide both patients and relatives with appropriate support and effective home care schedules.

Highlights of my qualifications include:

  • Training and supervising 7+ clinical and nursing associates annually
  • Liaising regularly with doctors and GP administrators to ensure all patients receive equal access to full medical assistance

I believe my relationship with your organisation would be mutually beneficial, as I’m seeking a challenging environment where I can utilise my skills to the fullest extent. In my years of employment, I’ve been recognised and commended for being a dedicated and reliable medical professional who can work under minimal supervision.

I appreciate your time and look forward to meeting you in person. Please call me at 07123 456 789 or send me an email at your.name@email.com for more information.

Yours sincerely,

(Your Name)

How to write a nursing cover letter

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Nurses are in high demand in the UK. Whether you’re a newly-qualified nurse looking for a supportive team to help you establish your career or an experienced nurse ready for a change of scene, there are many opportunities available across the country, both in the NHS and in private healthcare.

But to land yourself an interview for one of these opportunities, you’ll need a nursing CV and cover letter that stands out to your potential new employer.

Here are three tips to help you create an impressive nursing cover letter so you can start the journey towards your dream job.

1. Start with a professional nursing cover letter format

Professionalism is key in your role as a nurse, from interacting with patients to completing daily tasks. Before you start thinking about the content of your cover letter, make a good impression with a professional cover letter format.

Just as a tidy nurses’ station tells you everything you need to know about the work ethic of the team, a neat and organised cover letter demonstrates your commitment to doing a good job.

On the other hand, if every paragraph is in a different font style or size, it’ll make your cover letter look unprofessional.

While formatting an application letter for nursing roles, use a clear and professional cover letter font (such as Arial, Times New Roman, or Calibri) with a font size of 10–12 points, and set your page layout to 2.5 cm margins.

Also, be strategic with your use of white space in your nursing cover letter. A large block of text can make it difficult for recruiters to get a quick overview of your qualifications, particularly if they have dozens of applications to check. So try dividing your cover letter into opening, body, and closing paragraphs, and separate them with spaces to make it easier to read.

Finally, after writing your cover letter, proofread it to ensure there are no errors. Use your word processor’s spelling and grammar check, and read it out loud to spot any mistakes you might’ve missed.

Try using a pre-formatted cover letter template so you can focus on writing excellent content instead.

2. Showcase your nursing skills

Depending on the kind of nursing position they’re advertising for, recruiters will look for specific skills on your CV.

Still need to finalise your nursing CV? Use an online CV maker to ensure your application is well-written and properly formatted — and ready in minutes.

Check the job description thoroughly so you’re clear on what skills your target employer needs for this particular nursing role. Then, use your nursing cover letter to showcase the skills you’ve got that match the job ad and catch the recruiter’s attention.

Hard skills (also called technical skills) are gained through nursing school or on the job. These abilities are what you use to treat patients and save lives.

For example, a senior theatre nurse role will depend on hard skills you’ve picked up working in the operating theatre.

Here’s a list of hard skills to highlight on your cover letter for a nursing job:

 

  • First aid, triage, and treating injuries
  • History-taking
  • Checking vital signs
  • Administering drugs and immunisations
  • Minor medical procedures
  • Rehabilitation and physical therapy
  • Keeping detailed medical reports
  • Customising help and medical care to patients
  • Staying up-to-date on technical knowledge in the nursing field

 

But as all employers know, your bedside manner is just as important as your knowledge. Soft skills are important for interacting with patients so you can gain a better understanding of what’s happened and earn your patient’s trust.

Interpersonal skills are also vital when you’re explaining what medical procedures entail and receiving informed consent to proceed.

Here are some nursing soft skills to showcase when you make a cover letter:

 

  • Communication skills
  • Active listening
  • Social perceptiveness
  • Working with children, the elderly, or people with disabilities
  • Organisation
  • Coordination
  • Time management
  • Reading comprehension
  • Critical thinking skills

 

3. Use powerful action verbs in your nurse cover letter

Unfortunately, demonstrating your experience by explaining what you were ‘in charge of’ or ‘responsible for’ can work against you. Nursing employers typically have a fair idea of what a nurse does, so listing those tasks doesn’t give them much new information.

Instead, use action verbs for your CV to convey more of your personality and initiative to the reader. Action verbs help:

  • describe how you did the job or what you achieved, rather than just your to-do list
  • add depth and value to the sentences on your cover letter
  • portray you as a leader in your field

Here are two sections of a nursing cover letter, with the first statement describing an applicant’s duties in a passive way:

A bullet point statement from a nursing cover letter example describing a nurse applicant

By contrast, look at how effective action verbs (highlighted in bold) can transform the way the applicant presents their experience:

A descriptive bullet point statement from a nursing cover letter example describing a nurse applicant

Because your cover letter is only one page, you won’t have space to describe all of your nursing experience in the letter. So ensure you highlight the aspects of your work that closely relate to the role you’re applying for to show the recruiter how you’d work within their team.

Eva Chan
Written by

Eva Chan

Eva Chan is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Senior PR Writer at CV Genius. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Eva has 6+ years of experience inspiring and guiding a range of professionals.   Eva graduated from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in English.   Eva's insights and career advice have earned recognition from leading platforms including The Times, Stylist, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, WorkLife, and Forbes.   For any media-related queries or for a future quote, you can reach her via LinkedIn. Please note that we don’t accept any guest posts.