Field guide
How ATS screens healthcare and nursing resumes
Healthcare hiring starts with licenses and certifications. Most clinical postings require an active license (RN, LPN, PA) and life support certificates such as BLS or ACLS, and many systems screen those out before a person reads the resume.
What recruiters filter and search on
- Required license and its state, plus whether it is a compact (multistate) license
- Certifications: BLS, ACLS, PALS, specialty certificates such as CCRN or CEN
- Unit and setting experience: ICU, med-surg, emergency, outpatient, and the EHR used (Epic, Cerner)
Name things the way the posting does
- List the license with type, state and status: "Registered Nurse (RN), Illinois, active"
- Put every certification in a Certifications section with its full name and acronym
- Name the unit, patient ratio and EHR in each role
What trips up parsers in this field
- A license mentioned only in the summary, not in a Certifications or Licenses section
- Expired or missing dates on certifications that renew
- Clinical rotations listed without the unit or hours for new graduates
How PassMyResume scores this field
Keywords 40%, credentials 30%, formatting 15%, content alignment 15%. Credentials only count when the posting requires one; otherwise that weight moves to keywords. The full formula.
The scanner knows 205 terms specific to this field, such as Epic Systems, Epic Ambulatory, Epic Inpatient, Epic Resolute, Epic Cadence, and credentials like Registered Nurse (RN), Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN).
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