For new graduating nursing students, the experience of job application can be challenging before becoming a professional nurse, especially when the medical field is at stake in people’s lives and health. Regarding the process of job application, many nursing students might decide to enter the field because of job security, but a significant number find it difficult to secure employment. The good news is that nurses are currently in high demand and are projected to continue being so in the future as well.
Although there seem to be a lot of uncontrollable factors in finding a job as a nurse, there are ways that can increase the possibility of being hired. Cover letters for nursing students are required documents to provide for the hiring manager. Therefore, writing a good student nurse cover letter may increase your chance of being seen among the pool of applicants since a nursing student cover letter demonstrates your prior experience and personality to the hiring manager.
It is absolutely normal to feel anxious and overwhelmed at this stage. This guide includes tips and new graduate nurse cover letter examples that will help you write your nursing student cover letter and land you a job opportunity.
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Before diving into the details on how to write a nursing student cover letter, some references might help with giving you an idea of what a proper cover letter for a nursing student should look like. Below is a nursing student cover letter example that shows the overall structure and details that need to be included in a new graduate nurse cover letter.
Ann Chen
123-456-7890
[email protected]
https://www.linkedin.com/in/annchen
September 3rd, 2022
Mark Chuang
Senior Manager
XXX Clinic
123 Street, CA 90008
Dear Mr. Chuang,
I am a senior studying nursing and will soon graduate from Johns Hopkins University. I am writing this letter to express my interest in applying for the nursing role at XXX Clinic. I believe my patience and passion in this field will make me the best candidate for this position.
Since my years in high school, I know I am highly interested in studying psychology and understanding the mindset of human beings. I also find myself having the patience and consulting abilities to listen to others and help them solve their problems regarding mental issues. I have long been passionate about assisting others in their mental health and hope to extend this work in your clinic.
During the summer of my junior year, I had the opportunity to intern at ABC Clinic as a mental health psychiatric assistant, managing patients’ documents and spending time with them while they were waiting. I have actual fieldwork experience in dealing with people’s mental health issues and have been told by patients that some of my words helped them a lot through hard times. Therefore, I believe such an experience has made me more familiar with an actual work setting as a mental health nurse.
I believe my prior experience and my love for this job make me the best fit for this job. Thank you for your time and consideration. Attached below is my resume. Please let me know if there are any questions or concerns regarding my profile. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Sincerely,
Ann Chen
When writing your nursing student cover letter, there are several elements that you need to keep in mind. Including these things in your student nurse cover letter can help form an organized structure and make points clear:
On the top of your nursing student cover letter, there should be information about the sender, which is you, and the basic information of the recipient, which is your hiring manager. For your information, there should be your full name, phone number, email address, and lastly, the link to your portfolio or LinkedIn profile. When filling out the information about your hiring manager in the cover letter for nursing students, put in his or her full name, job address, company name, and the company’s address.
For new graduate nurse cover letters sent through email, it is good to have a clear subject line that states what your purpose is, such as “Ann Chen Cover Letter for Nursing Position” so that the hiring manager can immediately know what the email is about out of all the emails they have to check every day.
Before you start your graduate nurse cover letter, greet your hiring manager. Start off with a professional greeting such as Dear Mr. or Ms. Chen if you know their name. If none of the information is known, you can also use “Dear hiring manager”.
📚Further reading: Should You Use “To Whom It May Concern” for Cover Letter Salutations?
The body paragraphs of your nursing student cover letter are the most important part that highlights your skills and elaborates your personality. Normally, the body paragraphs of your nursing student cover letter can be separated into 2-3 parts:
The opening paragraph of the student nurse cover letter is the part where you mention your intention in applying for this particular job position and briefly introduce your background.
The major part of your nursing student cover letter is for you to explain why you are interested in the field of nursing and later on bring up relative experiences that you have worked on before and further highlight some of the important accomplishments that can help bring out your skills.
The closing is the last paragraph of your nursing student cover letter. In the closing paragraph of the student nurse cover letter, briefly summarize how you’re a great fit for the position, and lastly, thank the hiring manager for their time and that you are looking forward to talking to them more about your thoughts.
When you have finished your cover letter for a nursing student, remember to sign off formally along with your full name, such as “Sincerely, Ann Chen” or “Respectfully, Ann Chen.”
If you are sending your nursing student cover letter in an email format, remember to include your contact information at the end such as your phone number and the hours to contact you so that the hiring manager knows when to best communicate with you for further notice or interviews.
Although in a nursing student cover letter the mentioning of working experience is considered essential, don’t worry if you don’t have any experience and are trying to write a nursing student cover letter for an internship. There are some tips for writing a nursing student cover letter with no experience.
Since you currently don’t have much about your working experience to write, the part where you can elaborate on in your nursing student cover letter is your education. Highlight your educational background in both the opening and body paragraphs. Talk about the classes you’ve taken and what projects you have done that relate to your interest in the nursing industry.
To highlight your skills in your nursing student cover letter, separate them into another section and underscore your transferable skills so that each skill is listed one by one and it is clear for the hiring manager to see.
Before writing your nursing student cover letter, research the job description of the position you are applying for because you have to have enough understanding of the role in order to target the areas you want to further explain in your student nurse cover letter.
You might not have enough prior job experience to talk about in your student nurse cover letter, but in the paragraph about your interest in this industry, specifically demonstrate that you have a high passion for what you do and that you are ready in facing what the work field might bring. By doing this, you are showing the hiring manager that you have a clear understanding of what you are doing and that you are loving what you do.
To show the hiring manager that you understand the job enough, besides the research you did for the job description, tell the hiring manager how and why the specific position attracts you and how your personality fits in. Your nursing student cover letter should show the hiring manager that you not only have enough knowledge of the position but that the values of the job also fit in with your perspective.
📚Further reading: Letter of Interest vs. Cover Letter: Differences and How to Write
After reading the guidelines about how to write a nursing student cover letter, writing a cover letter for a nursing student can still be challenging when starting from scratch. Feel free to follow the nursing student cover letter template below as a reference in writing your own nursing student cover letter as you apply for a job.
[Full Name]
[Phone Number]
[Email]
[Website, LinkedIn]
[Date]
[Hiring Manager’s Name]
[Hiring Manager’s Job Title]
[Company Name]
[Company Address]
Dear [Hiring Manager Name],
I am excited to apply for the nursing position at [Clinic or Hospital name]. I studied in [field of expertise] at [School name] and have worked in [list of projects and responsibilities] in which I gained skills and experience in [list skills and past experience]. I believe I would be a great match for this position.
I have been working in the field of nursing since college. I find myself [describe your personality that makes you fit with the role you are applying for], and I am particularly interested in [describe what qualities of nursing work you are interested in]. I am passionate about [list of responsibilities you are passionate about as a nurse].
During my time at [Previous workplace name ], I once [discuss major accomplishments or list of things you were passionate about]. I am confident that my [list skills] can help contribute to the [aspects that you want to work on in the place you are applying to], making me the perfect candidate for the role at [Clinic or Hospital name].
Thank you for your time and consideration. Please feel free to contact me at [contact information] if there are any concerns or questions regarding me or my experiences. I look forward to hearing back from you.
Sincerely,
[Name]
📚Further reading: Cover Letter Tips that Will Help You Land the Job Interview
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--- Originally written by Ann Chen ---
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