New Grad Nurse Cover Letter Example

I finished my final clinical rotation on a 34-bed medical-surgical unit carrying a four-to-five patient assignment alongside my preceptor by my last week, after 720 total clinical hours across medical-surgical, telemetry, obstetrics and the emergency department. I'm applying for the new graduate residency at [Hospital name] because I want that same range of exposure built into my first year, not a single unit for twelve months straight.

During my medical-surgical rotation I helped my unit close a documentation gap: I flagged that skin assessments were being charted late on night shift, and after I raised it at huddle, the unit's within-two-hour charting compliance rose from 71% to 89% over six weeks. I graduated with a 3.7 GPA while working 16 hours a week as a CNA on a telemetry floor.

I hold my RN license, BLS and a CNA certification I kept current through nursing school, and I chart comfortably in Epic from two years of clinical placements that used it. I ask for feedback the same shift I make a mistake rather than waiting for a scheduled check-in, and my preceptors have said that directly shortens how long it takes them to trust my judgment.

I'd welcome the chance to talk through your residency's rotation schedule and mentorship structure, and I can interview at whatever pace fits your cohort timeline for [Hospital name]. Thank you for considering a new graduate this early in my search.