What to include in your nursing personal statement

How to write a great nursing personal statement

Whether you’re applying for a university course, a Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship (RNDA) or a new role as a Nursing Associate, a well-written nursing personal statement can help your application stand out from the crowd. Here’s what to include in your personal statement to boost your chances of getting to the next stage in your nursing career.

What is a nursing personal statement?

A personal statement is a step in the application process that helps you sell yourself to the recruiter. It sits somewhere between a CV and a cover letter and is the place to highlight your suitability and show your enthusiasm for a new role. A good personal statement is one that summarises your skills and experience while making them relevant to the role you are applying for. But it’s also the place where you can let some of your personality come through, helping you to stand out to a recruiter. You can discover more about the nursing application process in our blog and   

What to include in your nursing personal statement?

1.Reveal a personal anecdote 

As well as highlighting your suitability for a nursing role, a personal statement is the chance for you to show a bit of your personality to the hiring team. Give examples of personal stories that motivated you to pursue a career in nursing. If you’ve got first-hand experience of the nursing profession or another relevant occupation, include it here. 

2.Highlight your qualifications

To become a Registered Nurse, you need certain academic qualifications, such as GCSE English and maths, and A-Levels that usually include a science. Even if you’ve been working as a nurse for some time, it’s important to include all your qualifications. That also includes any nursing degrees or apprenticeships that you have undertaken. You might be aiming for a role as a Nursing Associate, for which you will need GCSEs in maths and English or Functional Skills Level 2 in maths and English. Some employers will also ask for a level 3 qualification. You’ll also need to show that you can study for a foundation degree level and complete the Nursing Associate Apprenticeship programme.

3.Sell your soft skills

Think about the transferable skills that you possess that apply to a career in nursing. For example, being highly organised; an ability to be collaborative and work as part of a team; empathy, compassion and an enjoyment of working with people. Try to give examples of times when you’ve demonstrated these soft skills and explain how they relate to a career in nursing.

4.Experience counts

If you’ve had work experience in an area that’s directly related to the nursing profession then include it here. If you are a Healthcare Assistant, for example, then there’s an obvious link to nursing, and you can read more about how to transition from being a Healthcare Assistant to a nurse in our blog. But even if you haven’t got healthcare experience, there’s likely to be something that you have done that has helped you to develop skills that would be useful to nursing. For example, working in retail will have given you transferable skills such as teamwork and dealing with people. You could also sign up for useful courses such as a St John’s First Aid course or similar.

5.Be passionate 

Enthusiasm is infectious, so let your passion for a career in nursing shine through in your nursing personal statement. While hiring teams will have certain boxes to tick (such as your qualifications), showing how committed, dedicated and passionate you are about a career in nursing might just give you the edge over other candidates. For inspiration about why you want to work in healthcare, take a look at our blog and let that passion come through. 

6.Show awareness of healthcare issues 

Any recruiter will be impressed if you can demonstrate knowledge and a broader understanding of the nursing industry. It highlights your commitment to your chosen career path and a willingness to engage with the nursing profession. Research topical healthcare trends and think about your response to current healthcare affairs. In your nursing personal statement, explain how all of this has influenced your decision to work in nursing. 

Need more help to write your nursing personal statement?

At Safehands Recruitment, we have a team of specialist advisers who can guide you through the process of writing a great nursing personal statement. Get in touch to speak to one of our team and together, we’ll make sure your nursing application stands out from the crowd.