PICU Nurse Resume Example & Guide (2026)
Pediatric ICU recruiters screen for range: a PICU nurse might take a ventilated bronchiolitis infant, a DKA teenager, and a post-op neuro patient in the same week. Your resume needs to show that span — the ages and diagnoses you've managed, the devices you've run (ventilators, high-flow, CRRT where applicable), and pediatric-specific vigilance like weight-based dosing and early deterioration recognition. PALS is the floor; CCRN with the pediatric exam is the credential that moves applications.
The example below uses the plain-text, standard-heading structure hospital applicant tracking systems parse cleanly. Swap in your own unit's bed count, patient mix, and ratios, and keep every listed competency at the level you could defend in a panel interview.
Picu nurse resume example
Rendered with the same engine that builds your PDF — fictional nurse, real structure.
Andre Boateng, BSN, RN, CCRN, CPN
Professional Summary
Pediatric critical care nurse with 5 years of experience in a 24-bed medical-surgical PICU serving infants through adolescents. CCRN (Pediatric) and CPN certified with competencies in ventilator management, vasoactive titration, and DKA protocols; rapid response committee member and preceptor for pediatric critical care residents.
Licenses & Certifications
- RN License, NC (Compact / multistate) — Exp. 10/2031
- CCRN (AACN Certification Corporation) — Exp. 05/2032
- CPN (PNCB) — Exp. 12/2031
- PALS (American Heart Association) — Exp. 07/2031
- BLS (American Heart Association) — Exp. 07/2031
Clinical Experience
- Manage 1:1–2 assignments across ventilated respiratory failure, DKA on insulin infusions, post-operative neurosurgical, and trauma patients from 2 months to 17 years of age.
- Titrate vasoactive and sedation infusions with weight-based double-checks, maintaining zero dosing-related safety events across 5 years of practice.
- Serve on the hospital rapid response committee; reviewed 60+ pediatric rapid responses annually and co-revised PEWS escalation criteria that cut unplanned PICU transfers by 18%.
- Precept pediatric critical care residents through a 14-week orientation, with 5 of 6 preceptees taking independent vented assignments on schedule.
- Cared for 4 pediatric patients per shift across respiratory, GI, and post-surgical populations, including bronchiolitis patients on high-flow nasal cannula up to unit maximums.
- Initiated 10+ PEWS-driven escalations annually, with early recognition credited in two cases that avoided intubation after PICU transfer.
- Earned CPN certification within 18 months and led unit adoption of a standardized pediatric IV medication double-check process.
Education
Skills
Clinical: Pediatric ventilator management, High-flow nasal cannula, Vasoactive & sedation titration, Weight-based dosing verification, DKA & insulin infusion protocols, PEWS scoring & escalation, Central & arterial line care, Family-centered care, Rapid response, Precepting
Technical: Epic, Cerner / Oracle Health, BD Alaris pumps, Philips monitoring, Broselow system
Additional
- Organization: American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), member since 2023
- Award: Preceptor of the Year, Longleaf Children's Medical Center, 2025
PICU skills & keywords ATS scans for
Applicant tracking systems match on exact terms. Use the ones you genuinely have — in your skills section and inside your bullets.
- Pediatric critical care
- CCRN (Pediatric)
- PALS
- Pediatric ventilator management
- Weight-based dosing
- High-flow nasal cannula
- DKA management
- Vasoactive titration
- Family-centered care
- Rapid response
- Epic
How to write a PICU Nurse resume
- 01
Show your patient span: age range (infants to teens), diagnosis mix (respiratory failure, DKA, post-op, trauma, neuro), and typical ratio — PICU managers hire for versatility.
- 02
Name pediatric-specific safety work: weight-based dosing double-checks, Broselow familiarity, PEWS scoring and escalations — it's what distinguishes PICU from adult ICU experience.
- 03
List CCRN with the pediatric exam explicitly ('CCRN — Pediatric') so recruiters and ATS scans don't assume the adult credential.
- 04
Quantify deterioration catches: rapid responses initiated, unplanned transfers you prevented, code events you supported — early recognition is the core PICU competency.
- 05
Include family-centered care evidence — care conferences, sibling support, end-of-life care participation — because PICU interviews score it alongside clinical skill.
FAQ
What certifications matter most for a PICU resume?
PALS is required and must show a current expiration. CCRN with the pediatric exam is the specialty's strongest credential — list it as 'CCRN (Pediatric)' so it isn't mistaken for the adult version. BLS stays listed, ACLS helps in mixed or cardiac units, and CPN signals pediatric depth for nurses coming from acute care peds.
How do I move into the PICU from adult ICU or peds floor nursing?
From adult ICU, lead with device depth — ventilators, drips, CRRT — and add PALS plus any pediatric float shifts before applying. From a pediatric floor, lead with acuity evidence: PEWS escalations, high-flow patients, rapid responses you initiated, and your sickest assignments. Both paths benefit from a target-role line naming pediatric critical care.
Should I list specific patient populations on a PICU resume?
Yes — PICUs vary widely, so name what you've actually managed: status asthmaticus, bronchiolitis on high-flow or vent support, DKA on insulin infusions, post-surgical and trauma patients, oncology, or cardiac. A recruiter matching you to a cardiac-heavy or trauma-designated PICU makes the call based on that list.
How is PICU experience presented differently from NICU?
NICU resumes center on gestational age, unit level, and neonatal therapies. PICU resumes center on breadth — ages from infancy through adolescence, a wide diagnosis mix, and both medical and surgical acuity. If you've worked both, keep them as separate roles with their own metrics rather than blending them into one 'pediatric critical care' block.