Nursing Cover Letter: Examples & Templates (Skills to Include)

As a nurse, you need to include a nursing cover letter in your application documents. With a cover letter, you will be able to present yourself as the most suitable nurse for this specific post. The idea is to stand out among your competition by highlighting your skills, experience, and qualifications as a nurse. In addition, you need to show the hiring manager that you are the best choice when it comes to treating illnesses and attending to patients.

The only way for you to showcase these nursing abilities is by writing a nursing cover letter alongside a powerful résumé. However, to have a properly written cover letter for the nursing job, you must include all the required elements and observe the necessary tips. With this article, you will learn to create a genuine, eye-catching cover letter and compelling to the reader.

What is a Nursing Cover Letter?

It is a professional cover letter written by a job candidate when applying for a nursing position. This letter should contain the qualifications, experience, and skills you have as a nurse that make you the most relevant and suitable candidate.

In this case, your cover letter should focus on the healthcare sector. The company or organization addressed in the letter should be a hospital, clinic, or medical setting requiring a nurse. This cover letter highlights your personality to give the hiring manager a glimpse of the attributes that make you a qualified nurse. Therefore, you need to ensure that your first impression is positive and professional, as presented by the cover letter.

Importance of Nursing Cover Letter

There are instances when cover letters for nursing positions are required, which means you must know how to write a compelling one. In addition, sometimes, a cover letter for the nursing position is required when applying directly to a specific individual. This means you might be among the applicants who need to address their job application to a specific person instead of the general application system.

Also, you will need to write a cover letter if the nursing position you want is based on a referral made by another professional or mentor. This enables the hiring manager to view you as a trusted and qualified nurse recognized in the healthcare industry. Another situation when you should write a cover letter is if it is in the job listing. If the hiring manager requires a cover letter, ensure that you write one as this will present you as an attentive individual who follows instructions.

There are several benefits of writing and including a cover letter for a nursing position in your application. Here is what a cover letter for the nursing position does:

Identifies your intent

A cover letter states your intentions as a job candidate. Whether it is about expanding your skills or gaining new nursing abilities, a cover letter highlights everything about you. That will help the employer to understand your interest, mission, and vision as a nurse.

Provides an in-depth description of the candidate

Your resume only focuses on your educational background and professional credentials. However, a cover letter provides in-depth descriptions of who you are as a nurse. In addition, the cover letter contains personal and professional abilities that make you a great nurse. Also, the cover letter allows the hiring manager to learn more about your character and personality even before meeting you for an interview.   

Shows your willingness

A cover letter shows your willingness to work in complex situations and go the extra mile as a nurse. This is especially in cases where the job requirement does not mention the need to include a cover letter. However, it is still essential to include a cover letter to highlight how willing you are to put more effort and get the work done.

Explains the gaps

Another important thing that a cover letter for the nursing position will accomplish is explaining the gaps present in your résumé. In addition, it provides more meaningful details of what is in your résumé. This way, expansive details about your work history and any other choices or wins you have in your nursing profession will be discussed.

You must include the following elements in your cover letter when applying for a nursing job:

Header 

The first part of your cover letter should be a well-written header. It would be best if you started with your details as the job candidate, and this will include your full name and complete contact details such as the phone number and address. This should be followed by the date and then the recipient’s details. Finally, for the recipient, you can include the details of the hiring personnel, who might be a nurse or nurse manager, along with their title, the hospital’s name (company), and contact details.

Greetings

When applying for the nursing position, you must include professional greetings in your cover letter before getting to the content section. This is an official letter, and including greetings will have a positive first impression on the hiring manager. You can write your greetings as “Dear [Name of the hiring manager]”.

Introduce yourself and the job position

This information should appear in your first paragraph. First, you should introduce yourself by mentioning your name and then the job position you are applying to. Ensure that your first paragraph is relevant, engaging, specific, and brief. This section should also contain a short breakdown and overview of your professional medical background as a nurse.

Advertise your nursing skills and medical expertise

The only way to keep the hiring manager interested in reading your cover letter is by advertising your nursing skills and medical expertise. Therefore, your second paragraph should highlight your skills that must align with the company’s job requirements. It is all about showing your employers that you can perform your duties and have great specialization as a nurse. To impress your future employers, you must include both hard and soft skills in your cover letter.

The hard skills will present an individual knowledgeable in nursing. In contrast, the soft skills will portray an individual who can relate to people and work in stressful conditions like a hospital. These skills complement each other and present a well-rounded and able nurse who is excellent with the patients, medical staff, and management.

Some of the hard nursing skills you should possess include patient evaluation and assessment, bedside monitoring, knowledge of medications, patient and family education, computer literacy, maintaining patient charts, monitoring vital signs, etc. For soft skills, a nurse should have the following abilities: leadership skills, teamwork spirit, compassion, patience, interpersonal skills, people skills, conflict resolution skills, and multitasking skills.

Show your passion for helping others

The nursing profession is a career that is built on helping others. Therefore, your cover letter should show your passion for helping others if you are to land that nursing job. It is all about being willing to work the extra hours and deal with difficult situations to help those in need. The hiring manager should see your emotional abilities and passion when committed to caring for and providing quality patient care.

Describe why this place is best for you

Apart from highlighting how you will benefit the respective employer, it would be best if you showed them how they would benefit you. It would be best to describe why working at that place is the best option for you. The idea is to compliment them and show them how suitable their workplace culture is for you. Express your genuine interest, care, and passion for getting hired by them. Always make them feel special, and they will view you as a great addition to their medical staff.

Conclusion

For your conclusion paragraph, ensure that you summarize all the main points in your cover letter that present you as the most suitable candidate. In addition, it is essential to add a call to action to express your passion and eagerness to join the company. Finally, be straightforward about wanting the position but ensure that you do it politely and professionally that interests and impresses the hiring manager.

Sign off formally

Since the cover letter for the nursing job is an official letter, it is important to sign off formally with a ‘sincerely’ or ‘respectfully’ complimentary close at the end, followed by your signature.

Sample

Here is a cover letter sample you can use to write your own letter:

Download collection of free nursing cover letter templates from our site:

Do’s and Don’ts

Here are some of the do’s and don’ts that you should keep in mind regarding writing and sending your cover letter:

They include:

Research the company/hospital/clinic

Ensure you do extensive research about the company/hospital/clinic you are applying to. The idea is to be aware of the job description or posting to learn about the kind of employee (nurse) they want.

Be relevant

You are applying for the nursing position, which means that the information in your cover letter should be relevant. Ensure that you include qualifications, skills, and experience in your cover letter for the nursing position.

Write confidently

When applying for the nurse position, you must write your cover letter with confidence. Your prospective employer should see your confidence in being a nurse as the best candidate. Confidence will help you stand out from the rest of the job applicants.

Focus your cover letter around experiences

Ensure that you also focus your cover letter on your nursing experience. Being in the health care sector is about being an expert at what you do. Ensure that these experiences are varied and may include volunteer work, internships, educational experiences, and even the different jobs you have had before.

Emphasize your attention to detail

It is essential to emphasize your ability to pay attention to detail. As a nurse, your ability to pay attention to detail is crucial in monitoring situations, making correct assessments, and providing patients with proper medical/emotional support. Therefore, your cover letter should focus on this ability, especially when handling tasks and making accurate judgment calls for emergency cases.

Review the cover letter

You need to review your cover letter to correct any grammar and spelling mistakes once you finish writing. In addition, having a correctly written letter guarantees that you will create a positive first impression on the hiring manager, which is essential if you want to stand out and improve your chances of getting the job position.

They include:

Having typos in your cover letter

There should be no typos in your cover letter. You need to ensure that you spell everything correctly. This will present you as a proficient and detail-oriented individual.

Focusing too much on yourself

Don’t focus on yourself too much as you write your cover letter. You need to ensure the information you provide in the letter is specific and relevant to your nursing profession. Ensure that you are also strategic with the way you write your accomplishments and qualifications. The idea is to show the employer that you are beneficial to them.

Addressing the letter to the wrong person

Don’t make the mistake of addressing the letter to the wrong person. This guarantees that the hiring manager will no longer be interested in your letter and will stop reading it immediately.

Lying

Another vital aspect you should avoid is lying in your letter. Being honest and genuine improves your credibility as a nurse. Therefore, you should only include correct and truthful details in your cover letter.

Rewriting your resume

Your cover letter should not repeat your résumé but rather an expansion of the details present. These two documents are different and should therefore not be a repeat of each other. Also, remember that your cover letter should show your intent while your résumé shows your worth as a nurse.

Using different formatting than your resume

Don’t use a different format from that in your résumé. Maintaining the same formatting as this presents you as a neat individual who pays attention to detail is essential.