As a nursing student on a learning journey towards qualifying as a Registered Nurse, a cover letter might be used when you are looking for a placement at a new hospital or maybe nursing home.
There are plenty of nursing students out there who are taking the exact same classes, so your cover letter needs to bring out your human qualities. The hospital staff know what you will be learning about, and it is worth touching on some of your academic successes, but what really matters is your attitude and motivations.
This nursing cover letter example and writing guide considers the following:
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Nursing students need to be effective and clear in their communication as people’s lives are at stake, so it is critical that their cover letter communicates their messages with a minimum of fuss. Opting for the accepted nursing cover letter format will be fine to do the job. Do not be tempted to stray from this structure:
This guide has been written with a special emphasis on nursing students, but for more general advice, our comprehensive cover letter example gives some excellent extra advice. Take your time to think things through before you start tapping away in those keys. As soon as you write those first few sentences, they will be harder to change later.
The nursing student cover letter example may spark some inspiration:
Dear Dr. Higginsworth,
After my nursing internship at Longridge Memorial comes to an end, I am excited to apply for the nursing student position on your Paediatrics ward.
My 3-month internship taught me much about the practical aspects of assisting the medical personnel on a busy ward, but my studies are now at a point where I am starting to specialise in caring for children. I believe my track record of prompt care in my current unit coupled with my affinity for Paediatrics and personal experience caring for children with disabilities would make me an asset to your team.
I have excelled in every aspect of my nursing studies and look forward to gaining more experience in medical administration and basic nursing care. I have more than 10 recommendations from practitioners and physicians that I have worked with and I always seek to understand the difference that I can make to those around me. I am there for my colleagues as much as my patients – after all, we are all working towards one goal.
I have been in contact with a number of your colleagues on the ward during my internship and I was put forward for the position by Dr. Ellie Gallagher. She thinks that I would fit in well with the team and I look forward to exploring these possibilities during a potential interview.
Sincerely,
Jose Melano
When writing your nursing student cover letter don't forget to have a look at some of our related medical cover letter samples as well:
The header of the cover letter should contain all the basics of an application, but in a similar way to when the patient details are missing on one of their records, things can get lost or mislaid very easily.
Include your full name, email, phone number and social media accounts (if you wish). The HR team will look you up on social media anyway to check that you are not posting anything too controversial (don’t) so you might as well make their job easier.
The second role of the header is to offer some attractive formatting that will stand out from other applicants. Don’t go overboard with color or design, since medicine is a fairly formal field – simply offer enough to catch their attention.
Goal of the cover letter header: The header of the cover letter should be simple and functional – don’t opt for a bold color just to make it look flashy.
According to Zippia, there are currently 352,399 openings for nursing students in the U.S. With a current growth rate of 12%, that is a lot of opportunity to help people get better.
The formality of communication in a hospital setting is essential for a professional atmosphere – you would rarely call a doctor by their first name without the title “doctor” in front and a nursing student cover letter greeting is much the same.
Find out to whom the letter should be addressed and do your best to find out their title. This might require a swift call to the surgery or hospital ward, or the information might be on the hospital website. It is highly recommended that you address the cover letter to a real person rather than lazily including the “to whom it may concern” greeting. In a job where every single bit of humanity matters, this is not a good start.
Goal of letter greeting: Make sure that you double check the greeting and don’t start the cover letter off on a sour note.
Dear Dr. Higginsworth,
The introduction of the cover letter is where you make it clear that you have exactly what it takes to flourish in the specific healthcare environment that you are applying to. Each kind of hospital ward will have different challenges for nurses, so make sure that it is carefully targeted.
One standard cover letter for every role will not do, and your introductory first few lines will show the hiring manager that you are writing specifically for them. Mention the name of the hospital that you are applying to as this is a simple way of getting their attention, but show that you know the scale of the wards in terms of patients and types of medical procedure.
The more specific that your nursing student cover letter can be in terms of highlighting your knowledge of what is to come, the better your chances of securing that interview. Sure, your knowledge may be mainly theoretical, but at least you have done your homework.
Goal of the cover letter intro: Nursing student roles generally receive a lot of applicants, so unless your introduction can be specific and impressive, the rest of your nursing student cover letter may not be read.
After my nursing internship at Longridge Memorial comes to an end, I am excited to apply for the nursing student position on your Paediatrics ward.
The middle part of the nursing student cover letter needs to cover what you are excited about in the specific role and how you see yourself contributing. The hospital in question will not expect it to be a one-way street in terms of benefits, so you must be clear in outlining how you intend to contribute.
Do you have any unusual skills that may come in useful? Maybe you speak an extra language or have previous experience of caring for a relative? Being familiar and comfortable with technology is an important consideration, so anything that you have done in the past in a similar vein is useful.
Unless you are a first-year student, it is likely that you will have had some medical experience previously. Include this, no matter how basic. Your future employer will not expect you to have tonnes of experience, but they will want you to demonstrate a passion for the role. Any volunteering that you have done would be great to include.
Telling the context behind any of your stories will help the hiring manager to understand the sorts of nursing environments that you have worked in and giving any specifics in terms of the types of wards you have experienced will also add an element of credibility. The more you can make yourself sound like a nurse-in-waiting, the better.
A cover letter is a great place to share some of the back story behind your application and allow an emotional connection to be created. Anything that you share in your cover letter will be explored in more detail during an interview, so show the hiring manager that you have a deeper reason for wanting to be there.
Lastly, do not forget to share your educational achievements in the middle part of the nursing cover letter. You are a student, after all, and the hospital staff will want to know that you are doing your best in your studies. If you are not achieving in your academics, you will be unlikely to do well in the pressurized hospital environment.
Goal of the body of your cover letter: Cover off all the key parts of your application in the cover letter middle part. This is the place to sell yourself with a human touch and a note of passion for helping others get better.
My 3-month internship taught me much about the practical aspects of assisting the medical personnel on a busy ward, but my studies are now at a point where I am starting to specialise in caring for children. I believe my track record of prompt care in my current unit coupled with my affinity for Paediatrics and personal experience caring for children with disabilities would make me an asset to your team.
I have excelled in every aspect of my nursing studies and look forward to gaining more experience in medical administration and basic nursing care. I have more than 10 recommendations from practitioners and physicians that I have worked with and I always seek to understand the difference that I can make to those around me. I am there for my colleagues as much as my patients – after all, we are all working towards one goal.
The close of a nursing student cover letter should bring the clarity of the best medical diagnosis. If you have come up with some compelling arguments in your cover letter, there is nothing wrong with saying that you are looking forward to the opportunity of meeting for an interview. This call-to-action comes at the end of any sales correspondence and a job search cover letter is no different. You want to work there, so show that you are keen.
Goal of the ending: Not every nursing student will end on a hopeful note and say that they are looking forward to meeting, so show your confidence. This is an important quality.
You’ve written a great nursing student cover letter – now what?
Before you rush to send it off, make sure to spend some time creating an attractive layout that will catch the hiring manager’s attention and make you stand out as a serious candidate. A professional cover letter template can help you do this quickly.
I have been in contact with a number of your colleagues on the ward during my internship and I was put forward for the position by Dr. Ellie Gallagher. She thinks that I would fit in well with the team and I look forward to exploring these possibilities during a potential interview.
Sincerely,
Jose Melano