Top 12 ER Nurse Skills to Put on Your Resume
In the fast-paced and demanding environment of the emergency room, having the right set of skills is crucial for success as an ER nurse. By highlighting the top 12 skills on your resume, you can demonstrate your readiness to thrive under pressure and provide exceptional care to patients in critical situations.
ER Nurse Skills
- Triage
- ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support)
- PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)
- TNCC (Trauma Nursing Core Course)
- EKG Interpretation
- IV Insertion
- Epic (Electronic Health Records)
- Cerner (Healthcare Information Technology)
- Wound Care
- Ventilator Management
- Phlebotomy
- BLS (Basic Life Support)
1. Triage
Triage is the process ER nurses use to assess and prioritize patients based on the severity of their conditions, ensuring that those who need the most critical care are treated first.
Why It's Important
Triage prioritizes care so patients in immediate danger get rapid attention. It directs scarce resources where they matter most and improves outcomes when minutes count.
How to Improve Triage Skills
Improving triage in an Emergency Room means sharper assessment, faster flow, and consistent decisions.
Training and refreshers: Ongoing education focused on rapid assessment, red flags, and pattern recognition. Leverage Emergency Severity Index (ESI) and pediatric-specific tools.
Standardize protocols: Use a validated 5-level triage system (e.g., ESI) with clear inclusion/exclusion cues and frequent calibration across staff.
Smart tech: Document in the EHR at the point of assessment; prebuilt triage templates and decision support sharpen consistency and speed.
Team communication: Tight handoffs using structured tools like SBAR and closed-loop confirmation.
Audit and feedback: Regular case reviews of over/under-triage with real examples; brief huddles to share lessons.
Patient messaging: Clear signage and quick explanations that triage is severity-based, not first-come.
Focus on accuracy first, speed second, empathy always.
How to Display Triage Skills on Your Resume
2. ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support)
ACLS blends algorithms, medications, airway management, and team leadership to treat cardiac arrest, stroke, myocardial infarction, and other life‑threatening cardiovascular emergencies. ER nurses use it to recognize, act, and lead under pressure.
Why It's Important
ACLS gives you the framework to make the right move at the right second—defibrillate fast, push the right drug, direct the room—so survival odds rise.
How to Improve ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) Skills
Review current guidelines: Revisit algorithms, drug doses, and post‑ROSC care regularly.
Run simulations: High-frequency mock codes to hardwire roles, timing, and communication.
Deliberate practice: Short, focused reps on rhythm recognition, defib/pacing setup, and airway sequencing.
Team dynamics: Practice closed-loop communication and role clarity; rotate the team leader role.
Debrief ruthlessly: After every code, capture what helped, what hurt, and what to change.
Keep a pocket brain: Personal quick-reference cards or smart phrases for meds, shocks, and reversible causes.
How to Display ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) Skills on Your Resume
3. PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support)
PALS certifies skills to rapidly assess, resuscitate, and stabilize infants and children in crisis—tiny airways, weight-based dosing, and age-specific normals demand precision.
Why It's Important
Pediatric emergencies are high-stakes and low-frequency. PALS keeps you fluent in recognition and intervention so the smallest patients get timely, appropriate care.
How to Improve PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) Skills
Update regularly: Revisit pediatric assessment triangle, shock types, and respiratory algorithms.
Simulation: Practice scenarios for bronchiolitis, status asthmaticus, seizures, sepsis, and trauma.
Tools and dosing: Keep Broselow or equivalent weight-based aids handy; drill epi/sedation/RSI dosing.
Peer case reviews: Short, focused debriefs after pediatric cases to sharpen pattern recognition.
Family-centered communication: Clear, calm updates reduce distress and improve cooperation.
How to Display PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) Skills on Your Resume
4. TNCC (Trauma Nursing Core Course)
TNCC equips nurses to identify life threats fast, perform a structured trauma assessment, and coordinate interventions that stabilize the crashing trauma patient.
Why It's Important
Trauma is chaos distilled. TNCC provides a shared language and sequence so the team moves as one and time to critical interventions shrinks.
How to Improve TNCC (Trauma Nursing Core Course) Skills
Rehearse primary/secondary survey: ABCDE cadence, then head-to-toe with diagnostics woven in.
Simulation and moulage: Practice bleeding control, chest injuries, spinal motion restriction, and shock resuscitation.
Continuing education: Stay current on hemorrhage control, TXA use, pelvic binders, and permissive hypotension where appropriate.
Mentorship: Work alongside seasoned trauma nurses; debrief tough cases.
Quality reviews: Track door-to-CT, massive transfusion activation, and time to antibiotics for open fractures.
How to Display TNCC (Trauma Nursing Core Course) Skills on Your Resume
5. EKG Interpretation
EKG interpretation means reading a heart’s electrical story—rate, rhythm, intervals, ischemia, injury, electrolytes—and translating it into action without delay.
Why It's Important
Early recognition of STEMI, wide-complex tachycardia, high-grade block, or hyperkalemia saves lives. The EKG is often the first alarm bell.
How to Improve EKG Interpretation Skills
Solid fundamentals: Know conduction anatomy, lead placements, and what each segment represents.
Systematic approach: Rate, rhythm, axis, intervals, morphology, ischemic changes—every time.
Pattern banks: Drill classic patterns (Brugada, Wellens, posterior MI, pericarditis, WPW).
Daily reps: Read multiple tracings per shift; short quizzes keep skills sharp.
Sim tools: Use EKG simulators and case libraries; time yourself.
Stay current: Review updates on ACS pathways and arrhythmia management.
Resources:
- Life in the Fast Lane – Comprehensive EKG library, from basics to advanced
- EKG Academy – Lessons and self-tests
- SkillStat – Interactive ECG simulator
- American Heart Association – Guidelines and education
- Khan Academy – Heart anatomy and physiology refreshers
Repetition breeds speed; structure breeds accuracy.
How to Display EKG Interpretation Skills on Your Resume
6. IV Insertion
IV insertion places a catheter into a vein to deliver fluids, medications, blood products, or to draw labs. Bread-and-butter ER work, done fast and clean.
Why It's Important
Reliable access makes everything else possible—resuscitation, analgesia, antibiotics, imaging contrast. When seconds matter, you need a first-pass success.
How to Improve IV Insertion Skills
Know the anatomy: Map common sites and variations; assess size, depth, valves, and flow.
Meticulous prep: Proper tourniquet use, skin antisepsis, and securement reduce failure and infection.
Right device, right vein: Match gauge/length to therapy; consider ultrasound guidance for difficult access.
Technique reps: Low-angle approach, watch for flash, advance smoothly; practice on task trainers.
Evidence and standards: Follow Infusion Nurses Society guidance and injection safety best practices.
Reflect and refine: Log attempts, review misses, seek peer tips; small tweaks pay off.
Stay current: New catheters, securement devices, and disinfectants can lift success rates.
How to Display IV Insertion Skills on Your Resume
7. Epic (Electronic Health Records)
Epic is a comprehensive electronic health record used for charting, orders, meds, and team visibility. For ER nurses, it’s the backbone of throughput and coordination.
Why It's Important
Clean, timely documentation and real-time data sharing reduce delays, prevent errors, and keep teams aligned around the patient’s story.
How to Improve Epic (Electronic Health Records) Skills
Keyboard shortcuts: Learn and use them; seconds saved add up over a shift.
Personalize: Tune patient lists, default filters, and chart views to match your workflow.
SmartTools: Build SmartPhrases and SmartLists for common notes and discharge instructions.
Training and updates: Attend tip sessions; new features often trim clicks.
Peer exchange: Share build tips with super users; borrow what works.
How to Display Epic (Electronic Health Records) Skills on Your Resume
8. Cerner (Healthcare Information Technology)
Cerner—now part of Oracle Health—provides EHR tools that support documentation, orders, results, and communication across the ED.
Why It's Important
Faster access to histories, labs, imaging, and order sets tightens decision cycles and reduces handoff friction.
How to Improve Cerner (Healthcare Information Technology) Skills
Customize the workspace: Surface high-frequency actions; reduce clicks and screen swaps.
Streamline documentation: Use templates, voice capture, and predefined phrases for common presentations.
Communication tools: Employ secure messaging and alerts for time-sensitive updates.
Decision support: Enable evidence-based alerts for sepsis, anticoag risk, and med interactions.
Targeted training: Short, role-specific refreshers keep efficiency high.
How to Display Cerner (Healthcare Information Technology) Skills on Your Resume
9. Wound Care
Wound care means assessing, cleaning, anesthetizing when needed, and dressing wounds to promote healing, prevent infection, and control pain—tailored to the wound and the person.
Why It's Important
Good technique lowers infection risk, speeds closure, trims complications, and leaves better scars. Patients feel the difference.
How to Improve Wound Care Skills
Evidence first: Follow guidance from wound-care professional societies and stay current on dressing science.
Sharp assessment: Type, size, depth, contamination, perfusion, and tetanus status—document precisely.
Aseptic technique: Meticulous hand hygiene, irrigation, and sterile handling when indicated.
Right dressing, right timing: Match moisture balance and exudate needs; reassess and adjust.
Pain control: Local anesthetics, buffered solutions, distraction, and analgesics when appropriate.
Patient education: Clear aftercare, infection warning signs, and when to return.
How to Display Wound Care Skills on Your Resume
10. Ventilator Management
Ventilator management involves setting up, adjusting, and monitoring mechanical ventilation to support oxygenation and ventilation while minimizing injury.
Why It's Important
Appropriate settings, synchrony, and sedation make the difference between stabilization and spiraling complications.
How to Improve Ventilator Management Skills
Know the modes: AC/VC, AC/PC, SIMV, PSV, CPAP—when and why to choose each.
Lung-protective strategies: Target low tidal volumes (~6 mL/kg predicted body weight), plateau pressure awareness, appropriate PEEP.
Oxygenation and ventilation: Titrate FiO2 and PEEP; adjust rate and tidal volume for CO2 goals.
Synchrony: Recognize asynchrony (double-triggering, breath stacking) and act—settings, sedation, or RT/physician escalation.
Sedation management: Use validated scales (e.g., RASS), daily SAT/SBT coordination, and light sedation when feasible.
Interdisciplinary rhythm: Tight nurse–RT–physician communication and shared plans.
How to Display Ventilator Management Skills on Your Resume
11. Phlebotomy
Phlebotomy is drawing blood via venipuncture for diagnostics, transfusions, or treatment—clean sticks, correct tubes, correct labels, no delays.
Why It's Important
Accurate, timely labs drive decisions. Smooth technique reduces redraws, hemolysis, and needle-stick risk.
How to Improve Phlebotomy Skills
Practice with purpose: Simulation first, then supervised reps; build confidence and consistency.
Current standards: Follow infection control and isolation precautions rigorously.
Calm the moment: Clear, empathetic communication reduces patient anxiety and movement.
Vein selection: Anatomy knowledge plus palpation skills; consider ultrasound for difficult access.
Quality equipment: Choose appropriate needles, butterfly sets, and collection tubes.
Safety first: Adhere to sharps and PPE protocols; never recap.
Feedback loop: Peer review and patient feedback highlight small improvements.
Professional resources: The National Phlebotomy Association and Infusion Nurses Society provide helpful guidance.
How to Display Phlebotomy Skills on Your Resume
12. BLS (Basic Life Support)
BLS is the foundation: high-quality CPR, AED use, and basic airway maneuvers to keep oxygen flowing until advanced care takes over.
Why It's Important
When a heart stops, technique is destiny. Depth, rate, recoil, minimal pauses—done right, survival climbs.
How to Improve BLS (Basic Life Support) Skills
Master the basics: Compressions 100–120/min, depth 2–2.4 inches in adults, full recoil, rotate compressors every 2 minutes, minimize interruptions.
Hands-on practice: Frequent manikin sessions with real-time feedback on depth and rate.
Simulation: Team scenarios for in-hospital arrests, airway adjuncts, and AED choreography.
Debrief: Review data and timing post-event; tweak processes relentlessly.
Stay updated: Follow current guideline changes and incorporate them into protocols.
Team flow: Preassign roles; use closed-loop communication from the first call.
How to Display BLS (Basic Life Support) Skills on Your Resume
