Registered nurse CV example

A complete example CV for a registered nurse in South Africa, then the bullets that make it work, rewritten from weaker versions with the reason for each change.

A fictional example. Zanele Mahlangu is not a real person, and the employers, dates and numbers are made up to show the shape of a good CV. Use your own facts: never copy someone else's.

Zanele Mahlangu

Registered nurse, medical and surgical wards

Mbombela, Mpumalanga · Cell: 0XX XXX XXXX · zanele@example.com

Profile

Registered nurse with six years in adult medical and surgical wards. Current SANC registration and BLS. Leads a shift team, keeps accurate patient records and teaches patients and families before discharge.

Skills

Patient assessment and nursing care plans
Medication administration
Wound care
Infection prevention and control
Basic Life Support (current)
Shift leadership

Work experience

Professional nurseFeb 2022 to present

Private hospital, Mbombela

Lead the night shift on a 32-bed surgical ward with two enrolled nurses and three carers.
Introduced a wound care chart the ward now uses for every post-operative patient.
Audit patient files monthly; the ward scored 95% on the last record-keeping audit.

Professional nurseJan 2020 to Jan 2022

Provincial hospital, Mpumalanga

Nursed adult medical patients, including during COVID-19 surges, on a 40-bed ward.
Trained student nurses on medication rounds.

Education and qualifications

Bachelor of Nursing Science. University, 2018
National Senior Certificate (matric), 2013

Registration

South African Nursing Council: Registered Nurse and Midwife, annual practising certificate current (2026)

Certificates

Basic Life Support, expires 2027

Languages

English, siSwati, isiZulu

References

Available on request

Before and after: the bullets that make it work

Before: ~~Worked night shift.~~
After: Lead the night shift on a 32-bed surgical ward with two enrolled nurses and three carers.
Why: Ward size and team show your scope of responsibility.
Before: ~~Good at wound care.~~
After: Introduced a wound care chart the ward now uses for every post-operative patient.
Why: Shows the skill and that you improve how the ward works.
Before: ~~Kept records.~~
After: Audit patient files monthly; the ward scored 95% on the last record-keeping audit.
Why: Record keeping is checked by audits. Quote the result.

South African details to get right

Nurses must be registered with the South African Nursing Council to practise. Put your registration category and that your annual practising certificate is current near the top. Source: South African Nursing Council.
Give each qualification its NQF level: matric (the National Senior Certificate) is at level 4, and employers use the levels to compare qualifications. If you're unsure of a level, the institution or SAQA can tell you. Source: SAQA: NQF level descriptors.
Leave out your ID number, date of birth, marital status and a photo unless the advert asks for them. Contact details, your area and your work history are enough to be shortlisted.
Keep it in one column with plain headings (Profile, Skills, Work experience, Education). Tables, text boxes and two-column templates often confuse the software that reads CVs first.

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