How to Write a Nurse Job Description: 5 Tips

Attracting and retaining talented nursing professionals begins with a great nurse job description. A targeted, well-crafted description defines your open position’s role, responsibilities, and requirements. It also provides your applicant insight into your corporate culture and the benefits of working with your organization.

We’ve compiled some helpful tips to assist you in creating a job posting that will attract the best talent. Whether you’re looking to draft a job description for a CNA, LPN, RN, or travel nurse, we’ve got you covered.

Before we review our tips in detail, here are some important considerations to keep in mind as we go through the process.

• Tone: If your tone is too sterile or stiff, it may appear dull or cold to your applicants. Choose an engaging style that best matches your facility’s personality
• Honesty: As the most trusted profession, nurses put a lot of stock in honesty. They will move on to the next posting without hesitation if they sense overembellishments or inaccuracies. Present the best version of your company to win the best candidate for your job.
• Readability: Job searchers rely more on smartphones to research and apply for positions. They will quickly browse job descriptions and apply to the ones that interest them. To capitalize on this trend, keep your paragraphs short and provide bulleted lists where appropriate.
• Examples: While we provide examples of each tip section below, you can also check out these job postings for examples of completed nursing job descriptions.

1. Job Title

Applicants will start their job search by keying the job title they hope to attain. The nursing profession encompasses many roles, each with its own scope of practice. So while some responsibilities overlap among the different levels of nursing, there are important nuances to appreciate. Choosing the correct job title for the nurse job description will ensure you find the best fit for your organization while adhering to government regulations.

2. Corporate Snapshot

Nursing is a high-stress and demanding profession. So, for nurses, choosing the right employer is just as important as choosing the right job. This is the perfect opportunity in your nurse’s job description to give applicants a sense of what it’s like to work for your facility and why you’re a preferred choice. Use this moment to shine.

Your Ethos

In a brief summary, provide the applicant with an overview of your facility and the principles that drive you. Include your company’s:

• mission
• vision
• core values
• culture

Your Benefits

Not only will nurses want to know about your work environment, but they’ll also be intent on finding out how your benefits can fit their needs. List out the perks of working for your facility.

Example:

• health, dental, and vision coverage
• employee assistance program (EAP)
• 401(k) or 403 (b) plan eligibility
• paid time off (PTO)
• malpractice insurance
• tuition assistance
• employee discount program(s)

3. Role Description

When nurses reach this part of your nurse’s job description, they’re looking for the nuts and bolts of what the position entails, its requirements, and your expectations. The trick in providing descriptive yet succinct explanations is to utilize a list format that includes relevant keywords for searches and to start each sentence with an action verb.

Responsibilities

The better you describe your nurse’s daily duties and responsibilities, the higher the likelihood that you’ll find and retain nurses equipped to meet your facility’s needs. Organize the list with the primary and most important duties at the top.

Example:

• Conduct initial and follow-up assessments on patients or residents.
• Administer a wide range of nursing care to patients or residents, including medications and treatments as prescribed by the healthcare practitioner.
• Communicate abnormal patient or resident findings and observations to your supervisor.
• Create and maintain nursing care plans.
• Assist the healthcare team as needed, i.e., with procedures, positioning for exams, etc.
• Document nursing care and treatments, including patient or resident responses to nursing interventions.
• Educate patients, residents, and their families on their medical conditions and provide status updates.

Qualifications and Skills

By clearly identifying the prerequisite background and skills in the nurse job description, you can save your recruiting team and the applicant a lot of time. It can be discouraging for all involved to rescind a job offer due to a lack of qualifications. It’s also important to differentiate between mandatory requirements and preferred credentials. While the goal is to draw in the top candidates, you don’t want to inadvertently diminish your applicant pool with optional qualifications.

Example:

• Diploma or degree from an accredited registered nurse program
• RN state or multi-state license
• Minimum 12 months RN experience in post-acute care or hospital setting
• Ability to prioritize tasks, delegating to others within the scope of practice, as needed
• Excellent and empathic bedside manner
• American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification
• IV Certification (preferred)
• Wound Care Certification (preferred)

4. Compensation and Shifts

Now that you have piqued the nurse’s interest in the position and your company, they’ll want to know more about pay and time. The qualified nurse may consider a posting only if it provides a salary range in a competitive market. They typically want to know whether the compensation meets their requirements before investing time and effort in the application process.

With time being the latest form of currency, shift scheduling is equally essential. The nurse will want to know the length of shifts, the schedule options, and the mandatory requirements. Nurses desire flexibility to balance work and life responsibilities.

Example:

• RN pay range is $35-$65/hour
• hiring for all shifts
• evening, night, and weekend shift differentials
• bonuses available
• flexible scheduling with 8-hour, 10-hour, and 12-hour shifts
• one mandatory weekend shift per month

5. Call to Action

The call to action is where all your hard work writing a great staff nurse job description comes together. The aspiring nurse candidate is excited and ready to apply for your position. Make the process fast and easy by providing the nurse with a direct website link or button to your job application site so they may apply immediately.

Example:

Ready to join a team that values and respects nurses? Start the process now by clicking the “apply now” button. We look forward to reviewing your completed application.

Need a Staffing Partner You Can Trust?

Securing reliable and talented nursing professionals in a small job market can be challenging. But it doesn’t have to be. By partnering with Intelycare, we can ease your burden of writing and posting your nurse job description, recruiting, and hiring a suitable candidate by taking care of staffing for you.