Nurse CV for Uganda: format, registration and sample lines

Nursing and midwifery jobs in Uganda are advertised by the Health Service Commission and district service commissions for public facilities, by private and faith-based hospitals, and by NGOs running health projects. Shortlisting usually starts with two checks: are you qualified at the level the post needs, and are you registered and licensed to practise? Make both answers obvious at the top of your CV.

The structure that works

1. 1Name and contact details, including the district you are based in.
2. 2Professional profile: your cadre (for example Registered Nurse, Enrolled Midwife), years of experience and main clinical areas.
3. 3Registration: Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council registration number and whether your practising licence is current.
4. 4Education: your nursing or midwifery qualification and training institution.
5. 5Clinical experience: newest first, naming the facility, its level (for example HC IV or regional referral hospital) and the ward or unit.
6. 6Short courses and certifications.
7. 7Referees: a nursing officer, in-charge or doctor who supervised you.

Name the ward, the facility level and the volume

A panel wants to picture where you have worked. Say which ward or unit, what level of facility, and roughly how busy it was. Then add what you improved or were trusted with.

Keywords health adverts often use

Use the advert’s exact words where they describe what you have really done. Common terms include:

• Patient assessment, nursing care plans, drug administration
• Antenatal care, deliveries, postnatal care, family planning
• Immunisation (EPI), integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI)
• HIV testing and counselling, ART, PMTCT
• Infection prevention and control (IPC)
• HMIS and DHIS2 reporting, registers and data quality
• Health education, community outreach

Short courses that are worth listing

List recognised trainings with the year, especially ones the advert mentions: for example emergency obstetric care, basic life support, IPC, or HIV-related trainings. Leave out one-day talks unless they are directly relevant.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the registration number off, or listing an expired licence as current.
• Writing “Responsible for patient care” under every job.
• Not saying which ward or unit you worked in.
• Attaching certificates to the CV itself instead of sending them as separate copies when asked.