How to Write a Nursing Letter of Recommendation

What Is a Nursing Letter of Recommendation?

As the name suggests, a nursing letter of recommendation is a piece of correspondence that provides a professional recommendation for a nurse applying for a job or a student applying for a nursing school program. In most cases, a hiring manager requests a nursing letter of recommendation sample as a part of the hiring process before an interview as a part of the application package. School teachers, college professors, coworkers, supervisors, and employers usually write recommendation letters upon request.

What Is the Purpose of a Nursing Letter of Recommendation?

The main goal of including a letter of recommendation for healthcare workers in a job application package is to get ahead of the competition. After all, a glowing recommendation from an authority figure will solidify resume and CV claims and earn extra points with a hiring manager. With this goal in mind, providing a person who writes a recommendation letter with a list of job or program requirements is always a good idea. If the letter is customized, it will draw more attention and help the candidate get ahead of the curve.

Difference Between a Recommendation & Reference Letter in Nursing

Reference letters demonstrate universal approval and describe personal and professional qualities and skills in general terms. Nurses can add them to any scholarship, job, or grant application. In contrast, an RN or nurse practitioner letter of recommendation is tailored to a specific position, role, or program. It addresses the skills, qualifications, and requirements of a particular organization. As a result, nurses need to get separate recommendation letters every time.

Key Components & Recommendation Letter Template for Nurses

The basic template letter of recommendation includes a handful of standard elements, including the header, greeting, and sign-off. The body of the letter is more flexible and usually follows the traditional three-part structure that includes an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Sample Letter of Recommendation for Nurses

The standard template looks like this:

• Header
• [Name]
• [Date]
• Greeting
• [Dear Title Name]
• Opening paragraph
• Skills and qualifications + examples
• Recommendation + reason
• Sign-off
• [Best regards/Sincerely]
• [Signature]
• [Role]
• [Contacts]

How to Write a Nursing Recommendation Letter

It doesn’t take long to write a recommendation letter for nurse practitioner or a potential nursing student. If you take a few minutes to look over the target position or program and think about the best characteristics of the nurse, you’ll complete the four writing steps in no time:

1. Get to the point in the first passage. Introduce yourself and the person on whose behalf you’re writing the letter. Explain your professional relationship and why you think they are the perfect candidate for the position, program, or role.
2. Highlight skills and qualifications. Consider the program or role requirements and describe how the nurse meets them. You don’t have to cover every need; focus on the candidate’s most prominent qualities. Three or four should be enough.
3. Illustrate achievements with examples. Provide one vivid example of the nurse demonstrating the skills in a professional setting. Include enough details to make the description believable. 
4. Conclude with a sincere recommendation. Bring the letter back to the desired position or program and explain why you think this person is the best candidate compared to other prospects.

Examples of Nurse Recommendation Letter

In theory, writing a reference letter seems easy, but the moment you start writing, your inspiration dries out. To help kickstart the writing process, find a suitable example letter of recommendation below.

Letter of Recommendation for Nurse Practitioner Example

Letter of Recommendation for Nursing School Example

Letter of Recommendation for Nursing Job Example

CNA Recommendation Letter Example

Letter of Recommendation for a Nurse Coworker Example

Common Mistakes in a Nurse Recommendation Letter

While not every nurse recommendation letter sample above is flawless, they all avoid critical errors that can make your reference letter useless:

• Vague language. Generalization is tempting when you have only a couple of pages to express your feelings, but you need to be precise with your wording and provide specific evidence supporting each claim. Otherwise, your reference letter will be no different from dozens of others.
• Hard skills only. Communication, teamwork, time management, and other soft skills are equally crucial for a nurse. So remember to include some of them with corresponding examples to balance your letter.
• Extremely wordy. Less is more when it comes to recommendation letters. Considering the limited word count, cut out excessive adjectives and adverbs, and stick to hard facts. Your letter may look bland, but it will be more impactful than ten pages of fancy words.

Conclusion

If you couldn’t find the perfect sample letter of recommendation among the options above, but you want to make it good, let our professional nursing writers do it for you. Every expert on our payroll is a certified nurse with years of hands-on experience and outstanding writing prowess. Share your recommendation letter requirements in the order form, and we’ll deliver a perfect piece within a few days (or in under 24 hours if you’re in a rush).