Nurse Practitioner Letter of Recommendation Template

When applying for a new job, most healthcare employees are required to submit a letter of recommendation. Nurse practitioners (NPs) in particular are often asked to prove sound judgment and clinical competency by submitting a character reference from a colleague or supervisor. If you’ve been asked to write a nurse practitioner letter of recommendation, you’ll want to make sure that the reference you write is informative, honest, and accurate.

In this nurse practitioner recommendation letter template, we’ll walk you through how to craft a well-organized reference. We’ll also review the content you’ll want to include to ensure your colleague’s strengths, skills, and abilities are showcased appropriately.

We’ll break down the basics of how to write a recommendation letter for an NP, section-by-section, below. We’ve also included a downloadable version of our NP reference letter to give you a feel for what the document should look like as a finished product.

Nurse Practitioner Letter of Recommendation Template

Before agreeing to write a letter of reference, you’ll want to make sure you feel confident in the employee’s moral character and clinical abilities. The company looking to hire may judge your facility based on how well the clinician performs in their organization, so be sure to endorse only the individuals you’d be happy to hire or work with again.

Once you’re ready to vouch for a particular employee, it’s time to start drafting your nurse practitioner letter of recommendation. As you do, keep the following in mind:

• Most hiring managers won’t read past the first page of a resume or clinical reference, so try to keep the length of your letter to a single page whenever possible.

• While anecdotes make for an interesting read, they can sometimes detract from the concrete values and strengths of an employee. If you do use storytelling, keep the narrative brief and relevant to the role they’re applying for.

• Avoid overly generalized statements (“they are a very good nurse”) or those that may make the reader feel as if you don’t actually have a good feel for the employee’s abilities. Concrete, contextual facts can make your commendations more believable.

By adhering to the above strategies, you’ll be able to showcase your colleague as the best candidate for the job. Use the following nurse practitioner letter of recommendation template to get started.

1. Start With a Professional Greeting and Introduction

Tips: You’ll want to begin your nurse practitioner recommendation letter by introducing yourself and stating your role in your company. Explain your relationship to the employee and the length of time you’ve worked together.

If you know the name and the organization of the hiring manager requesting the letter, be sure to address them specifically. If the letter is going to be used for multiple positions or the manager’s name is unknown, you can address the letter “To whom it may concern.”

Template:

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is [your name], and I am writing this letter of recommendation on behalf of Evelyn Sims, whom I have had the pleasure of working with for the last four years. As a clinical nurse manager at University Hospital, I have supervised and mentored Evelyn during her time as a nurse practitioner in our cardiology unit.

Over the last four years, I have watched Evelyn grow as a clinician, developing essential teamwork, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. Her passion, work ethic, and ability to unite her team toward common goals make her an ideal NP for any organization.

2. Describe the Candidate’s Strengths, Skills, and Qualifications

Tips: In the next section of your nurse practitioner letter of recommendation, take the opportunity to highlight any notable skills and qualifications that a hiring manager would be looking for in prospective employees.

Remember that the hiring manager already has a copy of the nurse practitioner’s resume and cover letter. You’ll want to showcase strengths that the candidate might not have previously shared. For nurse practitioners, this can be done by writing a short anecdote about a time when a candidate’s skills helped them preserve patient safety or minimize harm.

Template:

As a new graduate nurse practitioner, Evelyn demonstrated strong critical thinking skills learned during her eight years as a bedside ICU nurse. She was excited to learn new skills like removing pleural chest tubes, inserting central line catheters, and performing cardioversions at the bedside and was always willing to ask for help when she wasn’t confident in performing a particular procedure.

Now, having worked in our unit for four years as an NP, she still shows curiosity and passion toward improving her professional practice. She has since become a certified medical interpreter to help our patients receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their cultural background or primary language. Evelyn takes every opportunity to mentor nurse practitioner students and new graduates, showing patience, compassion, and attentiveness to all who come to learn on our unit.

3. List Personality Attributes and Behavior Traits

Tips: Next, you’ll want to identify the attributes and behavior traits that make the employee a good fit for the role they’re applying for. Whether you’re writing a reference for a highly experienced clinician or a new graduate nurse practitioner, it can be tough to know which attributes and behavior traits are important enough to be listed in a nursing letter of recommendation. Examples of traits to list could include:

• Strong drive to lead and mentor other members of the multidisciplinary team
• Honesty and integrity toward patients and other members of staff
• An aptitude for critical thinking and problem solving under pressure
• Enthusiasm for patient safety and quality improvement
• Cultural competence

Template:

Evelyn’s team members appreciate her collaborative and creative approach to clinical care and describe her as honest, tenacious, and passionate about improving the lives of those she serves. Last year, she was honored with a Daisy Award for her research on minimizing postoperative pain in orthopedic patients. This year, she has been nominated as one of University Hospital’s Providers of the Year award for reducing the incidence of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) from 5.6/1000 catheter days to 2.1/1000 catheter days.

4. Conclude With a Final Commendation

Tips: Here, you’ll want to end with a strong commendation near the end of your letter of recommendation. For nurse practitioners, you should use this section to reiterate your confidence in their ability to complete the duties required of the position.

Template:

For these reasons, I believe Evelyn would make an incredible addition to your nursing team. Her strong clinical skills and tenacity for improving patient care make her the perfect candidate for your organization. It is with great honor that I recommend her for the cardiac nurse practitioner position.

5. Provide Your Personal Contact Details for Further Questions

Tips: After reading your letter of recommendation, nurse practitioner hiring managers may want to reach out with clarifying questions. Before you wrap up, you’ll want to list contact details — usually a phone number, email, and mailing address — where you can be reached.

Template:

Feel free to reach out with any additional questions. I would be happy to further discuss Evelyn’s skill and abilities. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

[Your name and credentials]

[Place of employment]

[Email address]

[Phone number]

Find More Ways to Improve Your Care Delivery

Now that you know how to write a strong nurse practitioner letter of recommendation, you’re in a great position to match clinicians with organizations looking to hire. Need more recruitment tips? Our team of clinical and legal experts has crafted hundreds of additional healthcare resources and guides, available whenever you need them.