LVN Resume Examples for Texas and California

Getting your foot in the door as an LVN is hard enough without realizing your resume is missing the specific requirements for Texas or California. It's frustrating to apply for jobs and hear nothing back, especially when you know you'd be great at the job.

Featured image: LVN Resume Examples for Texas and California

🎯Key Takeaways

• Texas vs. California: You must list your license number and issuing board (BVNPT for CA, BON for TX) clearly.
• Skills matter: Highlight specific clinical skills like wound care, phlebotomy, and medication administration.
• Format counts: Use a clean layout that gets past Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).
• Quantify experience: Mention patient load and specific facility types (LTC, Acute, Rehab).

Introduction

Let's be honest - writing a resume is about as fun as a root canal. But when you are applying for Licensed Vocational Nursing positions, the stakes are high. I have reviewed hundreds of resumes for nurses across the country, and the difference between getting an interview and getting ghosted often comes down to a few small details.

Here is the thing: Texas and California have two of the highest demands for LVNs, but they also have very different licensing boards and expectations. If you are using a generic "one-size-fits-all" nursing resume, you are likely shooting yourself in the foot. Whether you are a fresh graduate or a seasoned pro looking for a travel contract, I'm going to walk you through exactly how to build a resume that gets you hired.

Understanding State-Specific Licensing

This is the part where most people mess up immediately. Your license is your gold ticket, and if you bury it at the bottom of your resume, recruiters will miss it. In California, you deal with the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT). In Texas, it's the Board of Nursing (BON).

Why the Board Matters

When a hiring manager in Los Angeles sees "BVNPT License #123456" right at the top under your name, they know you are legit. In Houston, they are looking for that Texas LVN license number. If you are a travel nurse, you need to list your home state license and your compact license clearly. Texas is a compact state; California is not. This means if you hold a Texas license, you can work in other compact states, but you cannot work in California on that license alone. You need to spell this out so there is no confusion.

Where to Put It

Don't make them hunt for it. Put your credentials in the header. It should look like this:

Jane Doe, LVN License: CA BVNPT #123456 | CPR/BLS Certified City, State | Phone Number | Email

If you are applying in Texas, swap that BVNPT number for your TX LVN license number. It sounds simple, but I see this mistake countless times where nurses just write "Active LVN License." Be specific.

Highlighting the Right Clinical Skills

Okay, you have your license listed. Now, what can you actually do? LVNs have a wide scope of practice, but it varies slightly by facility and state. You need to show employers that you can hit the ground running.

Core Competencies vs. Soft Skills

Avoid fluff like "hard worker" or "team player." Hiring managers assume you are those things if you are a nurse. They want to know your clinical competencies. For an LVN resume in 2026, you should be listing things like:

• Wound Vac care and dressing changes
• Trach and G-tube management
• Medication administration and passing
• Glucometer monitoring and blood draws
• Admissions and discharges
• Catheter insertion and care

Tailoring to the Facility

If you are applying to a Long-Term Care (LTC) facility in Texas, emphasize your experience with geriatric patients, dementia care, and long-term rehab. If you are applying to an acute care hospital in California, highlight your ability to handle fast-paced environments, post-surgical care, and accurate documentation. If you need help figuring out which skills to prioritize, our free LVN resume templates that actually work↗ can help you organize them visually.

Structuring Your Work Experience

This is the meat of your resume. This is where you prove you aren't just book-smart, but that you have actually done the work. The biggest mistake I see here is listing job duties instead of achievements.

The "So What?" Test

Don't just write: "Responsible for patient care."

So what? That tells me nothing.

Instead, write: "Provided direct patient care for a caseload of 45 residents in a skilled nursing facility, including daily vitals and medication administration."

See the difference? The second one gives me a number (45 residents) and a scope (skilled nursing facility).

Using Action Verbs

Start every bullet point with a strong action verb. Words like "monitored," "administered," "collaborated," and "documented" are your friends. Here is a real-world example of how to phrase an entry for an LVN role:

• Monitored patient vitals and reported changes to the RN charge nurse immediately, ensuring rapid response to declining health conditions.
• Administered oral and subcutaneous medications to 30+ patients daily with a 0% error rate.
• Collaborated with physical therapists to assist in patient mobility exercises, resulting in improved patient transfer outcomes.

In-Depth Examples: Before and After

Sometimes seeing the difference makes it click. Let's look at a "Before" resume section that is weak, and an "After" version that is ready to be sent to hiring managers in Texas or California.

Before (The "Duties-Only" Approach)

LVN - Sunny Hills Care Center, Austin, TX

• Took care of patients.
• Gave meds.
• Changed dressings.
• Talked to doctors.
• Cleaned rooms.

After (The "Impact-Driven" Approach)

LVN - Sunny Hills Care Center, Austin, TX

• Managed comprehensive care for a caseload of 50 geriatric patients, ensuring all ADLs were met efficiently.
• Accurately administered scheduled and PRN medications via oral, topical, and inhalation routes.
• Performed sterile wound dressing changes and monitored healing progress, reducing infection rates in assigned unit.
• Documented all patient interactions in PointClickCare EHR system, maintaining 100% compliance with state and federal regulations.

The "After" version isn't just longer; it's specific. It mentions the EHR system (PointClickCare), the specific routes of medication, and the compliance rate. This tells a recruiter you know what you are doing.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

I have seen these mistakes cost people interviews over and over again. Don't let them happen to you.

1. Typos in License Numbers: This is the worst one. If you transpose a number in your license ID, it looks like you are falsifying information. Triple-check it.
2. Including High School Info: You are a licensed professional. If you have your LVN diploma or college degree, nobody cares where you went to high school. Leave it off.
3. Using a Photo: In the US, you generally should not include a photo on your resume due to anti-discrimination laws. Keep it professional and text-based.
4. Being Too Generic: Using phrases like "passionate about helping people" is filler. Show, don't tell. Use your bullet points to prove your passion through your actions.
5. Ignoring the ATS: Many hospitals use automated systems to filter resumes. If your resume is full of graphics, tables, and weird columns, the ATS can't read it. Stick to a standard, clean format. If you are worried about formatting, check out our guide on how to format a nursing student resume pdf↗ for tips on keeping it readable.
6. Forgetting Continuing Education: If you have taken extra courses—like IV therapy certification which is huge in California—list it! It sets you apart from other candidates.
7. Vague Dates: If you have gaps in employment, address them briefly in your cover letter, but on your resume, just list the years (e.g., "2020 - 2023"). Don't try to hide dates; it looks suspicious.

Expert Tips for Standing Out

I spoke with a recruiter friend of mine who hires for a major hospital system in Dallas, and she told me exactly what catches her eye.

"I look for stability and specific skills," she said. "If I see someone who has jumped jobs every six months, I'm hesitant. But if they have stayed at a facility for two years and specifically mention experience with trachs or vents, I call them immediately."

The Power of Keywords

Job descriptions are full of clues. If the job posting asks for experience with "Alzheimer's care," make sure that exact phrase appears in your skills or experience section. This helps with both the human reader and the automated bots scanning your resume.

Certifications are King

In California, having your IV Therapy and Blood Withdrawal certification can sometimes be a requirement, not just a nice-to-have. In Texas, ACLS (Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support) is highly valued if you want to work in telemetry or rehab. Put these in a dedicated "Certifications" section near the top of your resume.

What a High-Quality LVN Resume Looks Like

Imagine looking at a resume that just feels right. It's printed on clean white paper (or viewed as a crisp PDF). The font is Arial or Calibri, size 11 or 12. The margins are standard one-inch.

The Header: Name big and bold, contact info underneath, license info prominent.

The Professional Summary: A short 3-4 sentence paragraph. "Compassionate LVN with 5+ years of experience in long-term care and rehabilitation. Skilled in wound care, medication administration, and patient education. Licensed in California with IV Therapy certification. Seeking to leverage clinical expertise to provide high-quality care at [Facility Name]."

The Skills Section: A clean list of 10-12 bullet points. Wound care, EHR documentation, patient safety, vital signs, etc.

The Experience Section: Reverse chronological order. Your current or most recent job first. Each job has 4-6 bullet points starting with action verbs and including numbers.

If you want to see how this looks in practice, you can check out this nurse resume guide↗ for more structural inspiration that applies to LVNs too.

Actionable Next Steps

You have the advice, now it's time to put in the work. Don't just read this and close the tab. Here is exactly what you need to do today:

1. Verify your License Info: Go to the BVNPT or Texas BON website right now and confirm your license number and expiration date. Update your header immediately.
2. Audit your Bullet Points: Look at your last three jobs. Do you have numbers in there? Patient ratios? Specific medications? If not, rewrite them.
3. Check for Keywords: Find a job posting you actually want. Copy and paste the key skills they list into your resume if you honestly have them.
4. Format for ATS: Remove any columns, graphics, or text boxes. Save it as a simple Word doc or PDF.
5. Use Technology to Help: Building a resume that hits all these points from scratch is tedious. You can use a free tool to ensure you aren't missing anything. I recommend using Zumeo's free AI resume builder to automate the formatting and check for keywords. It takes the headache out of layout so you can focus on your experience.

Conclusion

Writing a great LVN resume isn't about using fancy words or marketing fluff. It's about clearly communicating that you are a safe, competent, and licensed professional who can do the job. Whether you are aiming for a position in a busy Houston hospital or a quiet clinic in San Diego, the principles are the same: be specific, be accurate, and highlight your impact.

You have the skills and the experience. Now you just need the paper to prove it. Go update that resume and get that interview you deserve.

❓FAQ

Q:Do I really need a separate resume for Texas and California?

Yes, mostly for the header details. You want to highlight the specific license number for the state you are applying in. Also, emphasize the skills that are in demand in that specific region—for example, IV therapy is often a bigger deal in CA.

Q:How long should my LVN resume be?

Stick to one page if you have less than 10 years of experience. Recruiters scan resumes quickly, so you want your best information on the first page. If you have extensive experience, two pages are acceptable, but never go beyond that.

Q:Should I include my clinical rotations from school?

If you are a new grad with no work history, yes. List your clinical rotations like work experience to show you have been in a healthcare setting. If you have been working for a year or more, remove the rotations to make room for your paid experience.

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