Recommendation letter holds great importance when applying for a nursing position in healthcare institutions. Almost every employer looks for a recommendation letter when taking on new nurses.
Nursing letter of recommendation allows employers to verify the capabilities, attributes, and working experience of nurses. If you are looking for a competitive nursing position, you must know what exactly is a recommendation letter for nurses and what should be included in it.
What Is a Recommendation Letter for Nurses?
Recommendation letter for nurses, also known as, RN (Registered Nurse) letter of recommendation refers to written communication between employer and candidate applying for a nursing position.
A letter of recommendation for nurses strengthens the application of a nurse. This is because it is drafted in support of nurse applicants. Simply put, a recommendation letter for nurses improves the chances of the nurse to get the desired nursing position.
In particular, a nursing letter of recommendation includes information regarding qualifications, previous work experiences, competencies, and positive attributes of an applicant nurse. This letter can be drafted by a doctor, nursing teacher, or any supervisor at nursing school.
Usually, a nursing recommendation letter is required by an applicant if he/she wants to apply for a registered nurse position. Besides, it is used when an applicant wants to pursue studies and looks for promotion in the current job.
Who Will Need a Recommendation Letter for Nurses?
Recommendation letters for nurses are required by the hiring manager at hospitals, and private offices who receive various applications for nursing positions. Also, numerous nursing schools, government agencies, new employers need a nursing letter of recommendation.
The main purpose of a nurse reference letter is to assess the ability of an applicant nurse whether he/she can perform nursing tasks diligently to improve patient outcomes.
New employers require a nursing letter of recommendation from nurses to evaluate the competence of applicant nurses for the job position. Therefore, the letter of recommendation must explain the suitability of the incoming nurse for the desired job role.
Many government agencies are responsible for registering, de-registering, and appraising nurses. Therefore, they need a nursing letter of recommendation before taking any course of action regarding nurses.
Moreover, nursing schools highly depend on the nursing letter of recommendation in order to determine the capacities of nurse students when awarding nursing scholarships. Nurse reference letter allows nursing schools’ heads to assess who deserves a scholarship.
What Should Be Included in a Recommendation Letter for Nurses?
Structurally, recommendation letters for nurses must be based on four key parts, including a short introduction, body paragraphs, concise conclusion, and formal sign off.
After a brief salutation in 2 to 3 sentences, the letter of recommendation must state the key purpose behind writing this letter. In addition, the person who is drafting the letter must mention his/her relationship to the applicant.
Moreover, the main body must consist of 1 to 2 paragraphs highlighting the positive attributes of the applicant nurse. In addition, these body paragraphs must spell out the previous nursing experience along with real-life examples which can give your letter extra weight.
When writing a conclusion, the attributes, skills, and competencies of the applicant nurse must be restated. The conclusion must provide strong points explaining why a nurse applicant is perfect for a nursing position.
More importantly, formal sign off is also essential, which includes signature and contact information of the author. This can help the employer if he/she has additional questions to ask about an applicant.
It is highly advised not to use forged language when writing a nursing letter of recommendation. In addition, any information that seems irrelevant to the nursing application must be avoided.
Conclusion
A well-drafted nursing letter of recommendation has significant importance for an applicant nurse. It must be drafted by any professor, head nurse, supervisor, doctor, or administrator who could speak on behalf of the applicant’s character.
If you are a nurse applying for any nursing position, make sure you have thorough information about how to draft a nursing letter of recommendation. Besides, you can also avail of great templates on our website CocoSign.