Top 12 Health Specialist Skills to Put on Your Resume

In a crowded healthcare job market, a sharp resume does the quiet heavy lifting. Spotlighting the right health specialist skills signals competence, care, and readiness to handle the messiness of real clinical work. Stack your experience with clear, specific strengths and you’ll stand out fast.

Health Specialist Skills

1. Patient Assessment
2. EMR (Electronic Medical Records)
3. CPR Certified
4. HIPAA Compliance
5. Telehealth Proficiency
6. Phlebotomy
7. EKG Interpretation
8. Health Education
9. Epic Systems
10. Oracle Health (Cerner)
11. Medical Coding (ICD-10)
12. Bilingual Communication

1. Patient Assessment

Patient assessment is the structured gathering of a patient’s history, symptoms, vitals, exam findings, and relevant context to pinpoint risks and needs, then shape a safe, workable plan of care.

Why It's Important

It anchors every clinical decision. Done well, it clarifies priorities, prevents misses, personalizes treatment, and keeps patients safer over time.

How to Improve Patient Assessment Skills

Sharpen accuracy and depth without slowing the visit.

1. Continuous education: Refresh exam techniques, red flags, and differential diagnosis patterns through ongoing courses or in-services.
2. Use tech wisely: Pull trends from EHR data and monitoring devices; reconcile meds relentlessly.
3. Active listening: Let patients talk first. Clarify, reflect, verify. You’ll catch the real concern faster.
4. Build empathy: Understand stressors, beliefs, and barriers. Trust yields better data.
5. Standardized tools: Apply validated scales and checklists for pain, falls, sepsis, depression—consistency reduces errors.
6. Team huddles: Tap nurses, pharmacists, therapists for blind spots you’ll miss solo.
7. Cultural competence: Adapt questions and education to language, culture, and health literacy.
8. Feedback loops: Review cases, audit notes, and reflect after near-misses. Adjust your approach.

How to Display Patient Assessment Skills on Your Resume

2. EMR (Electronic Medical Records)

EMR systems store a patient’s clinical data in digital form for a single organization. They centralize history, labs, imaging, meds, and documentation to support safer, faster care. (EHRs extend this across organizations.)

Why It's Important

Clean, current records reduce delays, duplication, and errors—improving continuity, coordination, and outcomes.

How to Improve EMR (Electronic Medical Records) Skills

1. Interoperability: Prioritize standardized data exchange (e.g., HL7, FHIR support) and proper problem/med lists so information actually moves and makes sense.
2. Security: Enforce strong access controls, MFA, encryption, and routine audits aligned with HIPAA.
3. Training: Short, role-based refreshers—smartphrases, order sets, in-basket triage, templates—save hours weekly.
4. Workflow fit: Customize layouts, favorites, and shortcuts to match how you think and work.
5. Analytics: Use dashboards and reports to track panels, quality measures, and gaps in care.
6. Patient engagement: Offer portal access, messaging, refills, and results with clear, plain-language summaries.
7. Maintenance: Update regularly; retire junk templates; monitor for alert fatigue and tune alerts.

How to Display EMR (Electronic Medical Records) Skills on Your Resume

3. CPR Certified

CPR certification verifies you can recognize arrest, deliver effective compressions and ventilations, and use an AED according to current guidelines.

Why It's Important

Seconds matter. Proper CPR doubles or triples survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and stabilizes patients until definitive care.

How to Improve CPR Certified Skills

1. Follow current guidance: Review annual updates and focused revisions to stay aligned with best practices.
2. Hands-on refreshers: Practice on feedback mannequins for rate, depth, recoil, and minimal pauses.
3. Advance your training: Add BLS renewals, then ACLS or PALS as your setting requires.
4. Scenario simulation: Drill team roles, airway choices, and post-ROSC care to cut hesitation.
5. Debrief: After real codes, debrief quickly and adjust.

How to Display CPR Certified Skills on Your Resume

4. HIPAA Compliance

HIPAA compliance means protecting protected health information (PHI) through privacy, security, and breach notification standards across people, processes, and technology.

Why It's Important

It preserves trust, avoids costly penalties, and most importantly, safeguards patients from harm caused by data misuse.

How to Improve HIPAA Compliance Skills

1. Risk analysis: Identify technical and workflow vulnerabilities; fix the big ones fast.
2. Policies that live: Keep clear, current policies; train new hires and do annual refreshers with real scenarios.
3. Access control: Minimum necessary access, role-based permissions, strong authentication, and timely offboarding.
4. Secure handling: Encrypt data at rest and in transit; lock screens; avoid PHI in unsecured channels.
5. Incident readiness: Have a breach response plan, test it, document thoroughly.
6. Vendor diligence: Business associate agreements, periodic reviews, and clear data-handling expectations.
7. Audit and improve: Monitor logs, spot unusual activity, and close gaps quickly.

How to Display HIPAA Compliance Skills on Your Resume

5. Telehealth Proficiency

Telehealth proficiency blends clinical skill with remote tech: video visits, secure messaging, at-home monitoring, and clear virtual communication.

Why It's Important

It widens access, keeps care moving between visits, and supports patients who can’t easily get to clinic—without sacrificing quality.

How to Improve Telehealth Proficiency Skills

1. Know your platform: Configure audio/video, test peripherals, and streamline your virtual rooming workflow.
2. Virtual bedside manner: Eye contact with the camera, slower pacing, teach-back, and explicit safety-netting.
3. Regulatory awareness: Confirm current licensure rules, payer policies, documentation needs, and privacy requirements in your state and specialty.
4. Clinical protocols: Define which complaints are appropriate for telehealth and when to pivot to in-person or urgent care.
5. Iterate with feedback: Gather patient and staff input; refine scheduling, instructions, and follow-up pathways.

How to Display Telehealth Proficiency Skills on Your Resume

6. Phlebotomy

Phlebotomy is venipuncture for diagnostic testing, monitoring, or therapeutic draws—done safely, cleanly, and with steady hands.

Why It's Important

Accurate labs depend on proper technique. Good draws reduce hemolysis, repeat sticks, and patient anxiety.

How to Improve Phlebotomy Skills

1. Repetition: Practice with supervision; use simulators to perfect angles and anchoring.
2. Stay current: Follow updated guidance on order of draw, labeling, and specimen handling.
3. Patient communication: Set expectations, distract when needed, and coach through anxiety or vasovagal tendencies.
4. Equipment checks: Use appropriate needle sizes and tourniquet times; maintain quality supplies.
5. Quality feedback: Track redraws and specimen rejections; review technique after issues.
6. Certification: Maintain credentials and continuing education relevant to your role.

How to Display Phlebotomy Skills on Your Resume

7. EKG Interpretation

EKG interpretation means reading cardiac electrical activity—rate, rhythm, intervals, axis, waveform shapes—to detect ischemia, arrhythmias, conduction blocks, electrolyte shifts, and more.

Why It's Important

It enables fast triage and targeted treatment in high-stakes moments, from chest pain to syncope.

How to Improve EKG Interpretation Skills

1. Master fundamentals: Conduction system, lead placement, intervals, and normal variants first.
2. Systematic method: Use the same checklist every time so nothing slips by.
3. Daily reps: Read tracings routinely—start simple, build complexity, compare with confirmed diagnoses.
4. Simulation and cases: Practice with rhythm strips and 12-leads, then stress-test yourself with mixed unknowns.
5. Learn from experts: Case conferences, cardiology consult pearls, and post-call reviews cement patterns.
6. Stay updated: Keep current with guideline changes and new evidence on interpretation pitfalls.

How to Display EKG Interpretation Skills on Your Resume

8. Health Education

Health education equips people with practical knowledge and skills to prevent disease, manage conditions, and navigate care—tailored to their context.

Why It's Important

Informed patients adhere better, avoid complications, and make choices that fit their lives. That’s real impact.

How to Improve Health Education Skills

1. Active learning: Use scenarios, teach-back, and hands-on demos instead of monologues.
2. Technology aids: Short videos, visuals, and mobile-friendly materials improve recall.
3. Whole-person lens: Address physical, mental, and social needs; connect to community resources.
4. Cultural and language fit: Match materials to literacy levels and languages; avoid jargon.
5. Iterate: Measure understanding and outcomes, then refine content and delivery.

How to Display Health Education Skills on Your Resume

9. Epic Systems

Epic is a widely used EHR platform for documentation, orders, results, revenue cycle, population health, and patient engagement.

Why It's Important

Deep Epic skills speed documentation, tighten care coordination, and surface the right data at the right time.

How to Improve Epic Systems Skills

1. Role-based training: Complete modules and refreshers targeted to your specialty and workflows.
2. Personalization: Build smartphrases, order sets, and templates; fine-tune preference lists.
3. In-basket mastery: Triage, delegate, use quick actions, and cut turnaround times.
4. Reports and dashboards: Track panel gaps, high-risk lists, and quality metrics to drive action.
5. Peer exchange: Join user groups and share tips; small tweaks can save hours each week.

How to Display Epic Systems Skills on Your Resume

10. Oracle Health (Cerner)

Oracle Health (formerly Cerner) provides EHR and related solutions for clinical documentation, orders, patient management, and analytics.

Why It's Important

Proficiency streamlines charting, reduces friction between departments, and supports consistent, data-informed care.

How to Improve Oracle Health (Cerner) Skills

1. Targeted training: Complete role-specific pathways; revisit when upgrades roll out.
2. Workflow customization: Tailor templates, favorites, and shortcuts to your clinic’s rhythm.
3. Integration awareness: Understand how labs, imaging, and ancillary systems exchange data to avoid gaps.
4. User experience feedback: Report friction points; pilot tweaks that reduce clicks and cognitive load.
5. Analytics: Use reporting tools for population management, throughput, and quality improvement.

How to Display Oracle Health (Cerner) Skills on Your Resume

11. Medical Coding (ICD-10)

ICD-10 coding translates diagnoses and inpatient procedures into standardized codes (ICD-10-CM and ICD-10-PCS in the U.S.) for documentation, billing, reporting, and research.

Why It's Important

Accurate coding supports reimbursement, quality measurement, risk adjustment, and clean data for decision-making.

How to Improve Medical Coding (ICD-10) Skills

1. Ongoing education: Review annual code set updates and official guidelines; study tricky chapters.
2. Practice cases: Code real scenarios; compare against expert answers; audit your work.
3. Use tools: Reference up-to-date codebooks and coding software with rules assistance.
4. Query discipline: Clarify documentation with concise, compliant provider queries.
5. Stay compliant: Align with payer policies, NCD/LCD requirements, and facility standards.

How to Display Medical Coding (ICD-10) Skills on Your Resume

12. Bilingual Communication

Bilingual communication means understanding and conveying clinical information accurately in two languages while honoring cultural context and patient preferences.

Why It's Important

Clear language reduces errors, boosts adherence, and simply makes care feel respectful and human.

How to Improve Bilingual Communication Skills

1. Build proficiency: Strengthen fluency and medical vocabulary relevant to your patient population.
2. Cultural competence: Learn norms, beliefs, and health practices that shape decisions and trust.
3. Use interpreters wisely: When needed, work with trained medical interpreters and document their involvement.
4. Plain language: Short sentences, concrete terms, and teach-back—then bilingual written summaries.
5. Self-audit: Seek feedback on clarity and accuracy; refine phrasing that causes confusion.

How to Display Bilingual Communication Skills on Your Resume