4 Best Nursing Assistant Resume Examples and Templates for 2025
20 Best Certified Nursing Assistant Resume Examples and Templates for 2025
By Andrew Stoner
, Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach
Andrew Stoner
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Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach
Last Updated:
September 23, 2025
Your certified nursing assistant (CNA) resume should prove to hiring managers that you can provide compassionate care to patients and be their advocate. It must show they can count on you to collaborate with other health care professionals and support patients with their day-to-day needs. This guide will provide you with strategies to create an effective resume featuring the best of your CNA career.
Key takeaways:
- Highlight any specializations: Your resume’s first paragraph should quickly mention any skills or areas of expertise in things such as home health, rehabilitation, or long-term care (LTC) facilities. Describe what makes you stand out.
- Quantify achievements: Using numbers helps hiring managers envision your impact in past CNA positions. Instead of only listing job duties, use percentages and other metrics to describe accomplishments like satisfaction scores and efficiency improvements.
- Include keywords for ATS: Incorporate keywords and phrases from the job description throughout your resume in a natural way. This helps your document perform well within Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and stand out from other well-qualified CNAs.
Most Popular Certified Nursing Assistant Resumes
CNA Resume (No Experience) Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Taylor’s resume shows how someone without direct CNA experience can highlight volunteer work and transferable skills to stand out. By including relevant experience in a senior care center, Taylor demonstrates commitment to health care and compassion.
🔹 Key Tip: You can still build a powerful resume without paid experience. Learn how in our guide: How To Write a Resume With No Experience
CNA Resume (With Experience) Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Alex highlights key CNA responsibilities with real numbers, showing the volume of patients supported and the impact on patient safety.
🔹 Key Tip: Use numbers to make your contributions clear. Learn how to showcase impact here: How To List Work Experience on a Resume
Acute Care CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Jordan’s resume is focused and tailored for acute care. Specialized experience, like post-op recovery and EMR documentation, gives it an edge for hospital roles.
CNA Instructor Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Morgan’s resume reflects a successful transition from bedside care to instruction, showing teaching outcomes and leadership.
🔹 Key Tip: Use your resume to show progression. Learn how to highlight growth here: Resume Job Description Examples
CNA Supervisor Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Casey’s resume is ideal for supervisory roles, showcasing leadership, mentorship, and operational improvements.
🔹 Key Tip: Highlight your ability to lead and improve care. Learn more here: Leadership Skills for Resume With Examples
Hospice CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Jamie’s resume is tailored to hospice care, emphasizing medical and emotional responsibilities. Their ability to work with patients and families during difficult times is a standout feature.
🔹 Key Tip: Highlight compassion and communication when applying for hospice roles. Read more here: Resume Personal Statement Examples
Lead CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Cameron’s resume effectively transitions from hands-on CNA work to team leadership, with measurable results like improved retention and patient satisfaction.
🔹 Key Tip: Moving into leadership? Use resume action words that show initiative. Check out: Resume Action Words
Home Health CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Drew’s resume emphasizes self-sufficiency and trust—two essentials in home health roles. It is well-balanced, including both technical and soft skills.
🔹 Key Tip: Soft skills are critical when working alone with patients. Read more on what employers look for here: Skills To Put on a Resume
Skilled Nursing Facility CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Riley’s resume focuses on specialized facility experience and clearly outlines contributions to patient outcomes. The metrics (like ulcer reduction) help show impact.
🔹 Key Tip: Quantify your successes wherever possible. Learn how here: How To Make a Resume
Pediatric CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Pat’s resume highlights pediatric-specific care and family support experience, which is key in hospital roles. Including PALS certification shows added specialization.
🔹 Key Tip: Tailor your resume for specialized roles like pediatrics. Learn how to improve yours here: How To Write a Resume Summary
Hospital CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Alex’s resume shows strong adaptability in hospital units and highlights measurable improvements, such as reduced falls. The structure emphasizes clinical growth over time.
🔹 Key Tip: Hospital CNAs benefit from showcasing their ability to thrive under pressure. Learn more about formatting for clarity here: Best Resume Formats
Geriatric CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Morgan’s resume is strong for roles in elder care because it emphasizes cognitive disorder support and individual care plans — key skills in memory units.
Float Pool CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Taylor’s resume highlights various adaptable skills across departments, making it perfect for float or per diem roles. It also clearly quantifies flexibility.
🔹 Key Tip: Float CNAs should emphasize adaptability and learning speed. Learn how to communicate these traits here: How To Write a Resume With No Experience
Mental Health CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Jordan’s resume effectively addresses the specialized demands of mental health CNA work. It emphasizes emotional intelligence, reporting, and therapeutic support.
🔹 Key Tip: When applying for behavioral roles, highlight emotional regulation and trust-building skills. Read more: Leadership Skills for Resume With Examples
School CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Casey’s resume focuses on the rare but critical CNA niche of education. It showcases both daily medical care and communication with school staff and parents.
🔹 Key Tip: For unique CNA roles, clarify setting-specific duties. Learn how to explain niche responsibilities here: Resume Job Description.
Bilingual CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Jamie’s resume is ideal for CNA roles serving diverse populations. It highlights communication, empathy, and cultural competence — critical in today’s health care workforce.
🔹 Key Tip: If you speak another language, highlight it as a core strength. Learn how to list standout skills here: Skills To Put on Resume
Veterans’ Home CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Cameron’s resume is tailored to care for veterans, a niche that requires trauma sensitivity and respect for military service.
🔹 Key Tip: Specialized settings like veterans’ care should be highlighted. Learn how to build a strong foundation here: How To Make a Resume
Maternity CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Drew’s resume offers a great example of how to break into the specialized area of maternity care, emphasizing new mother support and OB/GYN clinical duties.
🔹 Key Tip: Use your summary to show your unique clinical focus. Learn how to craft a strong one here: How To Write a Resume Summary
Clinic CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Riley’s resume reflects the multitasking required in clinic settings and shows skill in patient care and administrative coordination.
🔹 Key Tip: If you’re applying to outpatient facilities, highlight organizational skills. Explore more resume sections here: What To Put on a Resume
Adolescent CNA Resume Example
Why This Resume Is a Great Example
Pat’s resume spotlights behavioral health experience with teens, a unique and high-demand niche. It’s clear, empathetic, and results-focused.
🔹 Key Tip: When working with youth, highlight communication and behavioral support skills. Learn how to organize your resume sections effectively here: Resume Outline Examples
Certified Nursing Assistant Text-Only Resume Examples and Templates
How To Write a Certified Nursing Assistant Resume Example
To demonstrate that you’re the right CNA for the job, your resume must emphasize the most compelling highlights of your career. Start by ensuring your template includes the following sections:
- Contact information
- Profile
- Key skills
- Professional experience
- Education and certifications
1. Share your contact information
Provide potential employers with your most recent contact information so they can reach out to schedule an interview. At the top of your resume, include your full name, phone number, email address, and location. You can also insert a link to your LinkedIn profile page if you have one.
Example
Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation Zip Code
LinkedIn
2. Write a brief summary of your certified nursing assistant qualifications
If you only had one paragraph to tell hiring managers what you offer, what would you say? This is how you need to think about your resume profile. It should summarize your relevant CNA experience, skills, and qualifications in a few sentences. Also, mention any extensive experience you have in a specialty or department, especially if it’s relevant to the new job.
Consider what makes you unique as a CNA. Maybe you’re great at calming anxious patients, or have a knack for working with children. Highlight your personal strengths and remember to be intentional with the information you include. Understand what the health care organization is looking for to have the biggest impact.
Senior-Level Profile Example
CNA team leader with over a decade of progressive experience in medical-surgical and senior living facilities. Focused on decreasing staff turnover through intentional mentorship. Known for managing complex patient care needs and providing end-of-life support with integrity.
Entry-Level Profile Example
Patient-focused CNA equipped with nearly two years of hands-on support in routine and high-risk births. Leverages phlebotomy certification to collect and process blood samples with care and dignity. Passionate about advocating for the needs of new mothers and their babies to ensure safety and well-being.
3. Create a powerful list of your certified nursing assistant experience
Your professional experience section is like the highlight reel of your CNA career. Include your last two to three positions and outline what you accomplished in each role. From helping with activities of daily living (ADLs) to speaking up on behalf of your patients, describe key responsibilities in a way that shows the scope and scale of your work.
You’ve cultivated a wide range of technical skills within your training and experience. However, the way in which you care for patients is just as important. Emotional intelligence, empathy, resilience, and relational support are equally vital to your work. So, describe moments when you used these skills to educate patients and de-escalate tense situations.
Senior-Level Professional Experience Example
Certified Nursing Assistant Supervisor, Legacy Senior Living, Milwaukee, WI
June 2021 – present
- Supervise a team of 15 CNAs, maintaining an average patient satisfaction rating of 97%
- Ensure all team members meet annual continuing education requirements and remain up-to-date on all certifications
- Collaborate with human resources to reduce staff turnover by 20% through a redesign of the CNA onboarding and mentorship program
- Organize and lead over 25 staff training sessions each quarter on compliance, safety, and resident care best practices
Entry-Level Professional Experience Example
Certified Nursing Assistant, Valley Hospital, Tawas City, MI
July 2022 – present
- Support an average of 300 deliveries each year on the labor and delivery floor
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary providers during complicated births to ensure proper monitoring and care for over 50 high-risk patients
- Reduce wait times for delivery rooms by 30% with a new room preparation initiative
- Restock supplies for all 25 rooms in the unit to maintain adequate inventory levels during every shift
Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience
To quantify your CNA experience, use numbers when you can to add depth and tangible evidence to your job descriptions. This strategy allows you to go beyond simply telling what you did and demonstrate the real, tangible proof of your CNA skills. Provide metrics that show how many patients you cared for and how much you improved patient satisfaction scores.
Do
- “Oversaw daily care for up to 15 post-surgery patients per shift with a focus on ADLs”
Don’t
- “Helped patients every day with basic needs”
Resume writer’s tip: Tailor your resume for each application
Study every job description you apply for and identify keywords, skills, and qualifications you match up with. Then, incorporate those specific terms and phrases throughout your resume. This lets hiring managers know that you made an effort to understand their health care organization and what they’re looking for in a CNA.
For example, suppose a job mentions a need for a CNA who can “provide specialized care for Alzheimer’s patients,” and you have this experience. In that case, you would work similar phrasing into your resume and mention specific times you’ve handled patients with dementia. Also, focus on key skills you have that align with those listed in the job description.
What if you don’t have experience?
As a certified medical professional, you’ve undergone a fair amount of training to even be considered eligible for CNA positions. This alone has given you the experience to highlight on your resume. Class projects, volunteer time, and hands-on coursework are all valuable.
In your education section, list a few relevant courses or mention any recognition you received during school. If your CNA program required a clinical rotation, detail the skills and unique experiences gained within that real health care setting.
4. Add certified nursing assistant education and certifications
Prove to hiring managers that you meet minimum academic and certification requirements by listing your highest level of education followed by your CNA credentials. Provide all the corresponding details as well, such as school name, location, and date of graduation.
There are many certifications you can go on to earn as a CNA which help set you apart from other applicants. If you have a Basic Life Support (BLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), or Qualified Medication Aide (QMA) designation, mention that as well.
Education
Template:
[Degree Name]
[School Name], [City, State Abbreviation] | [Graduation Year]
Example:
Nursing Assistant Training Program
Ballad Health Certified Nursing Assistant Program, Abingdon, VA | June 2014
Certifications
Template:
[Certification Name], [Awarding Organization], [Completion Year]
Example:
Certified Nurse Aide, Virginia Board of Nursing, 2014
5. List key certified nursing assistant skills and proficiencies
As a CNA, you have many skills that help you care for the personal, medical, and emotional well-being of others. In your key skills section, list a mixture of hard and soft qualities to highlight your technical and interpersonal patient care expertise. This gives hiring managers a sense of your skill level and relevant qualifications.
| Hard Skills | |
|---|---|
| ADLs | Dementia care |
| Documentation | Fall prevention |
| Infection control | Medication administration |
| Mobility assistance | Specimen collection |
| Vital sign monitoring | Wound care |
| Soft Skills | |
|---|---|
| Active listening | Conflict resolution |
| Cultural sensitivity | Emotional support |
| Nursing team collaboration | Patient advocacy |
| Patient and family relations | |
Resume writer’s tip: Use strong action verbs
Action verbs cut through the clutter and help to illustrate your past work experience. When hiring managers scan your resume, these words jump off the page and instantly communicate your nursing contributions. Use action verbs to start each bullet point in your professional experience section. Utilize some of the verbs below to enhance your CNA resume:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Administered | Advised |
| Assisted | Collaborated |
| Documented | Educated |
| Engaged | Executed |
| Facilitated | Implemented |
| Maintained | Monitored |
| Provided | Responded |
| Supported | |
How To Pick the Best Certified Nursing Assistant Resume Template
A straightforward, professional template is the best choice for a CNA resume. Hiring managers are most interested in your skills and past experiences. So, select a design that’s simple and easy to skim through. It should reflect the professionalism and serious nature of the health care industry, without any distracting graphics or over-the-top colors.
Frequently Asked Questions: Certified Nursing Assistant Resume Examples and Advice
How do you align your resume with a certified nursing assistant job description?
Although employment for CNAs is projected to grow at an average rate, you'll need a strong resume to compete for the best positions. Aligning your CNA resume with the needs of each employer will be key to landing an interview. Instead of sending out one generic resume to every opening, you customize it every time you apply for a role.
Imagine you're applying for a CNA job in a hospital, but your background is in LTC. As you study the job description, identify how your skills translate. For example, if the hospital mentions "acute patient care," highlight times you managed complex health conditions and provided immediate care interventions within the context of your LTC experience.
How do I create a Certified Nursing Assistant resume example that reflects my unique experience?
Creating a Certified Nursing Assistant resume example that stands out involves focusing on your unique contributions. Whether you've worked in leadership, handled large budgets, or managed complex projects, showcase your experience with measurable results. Include your proficiency in relevant tools and technologies, and make sure your resume reflects your career trajectory in a clear and concise manner.
What is the best certified nursing assistant resume format?
If you're a seasoned CNA, the reverse chronological format will serve you well. This resume style focuses on a robust professional experience section with many years of stable employment. Your extensive background is your strength.
Alternatively, the combination format is best for entry-level CNAs. With an emphasis on key skills and education, this resume draws attention to your new abilities. Hiring managers capture all they need to know immediately without the distraction of a work history lacking paid medical experience.
Expert advice:
Include a cover letter with your resume
Once you’ve listed all of your qualifications and experiences in a resume, writing up a cover letter can help bring your bullet points to life. Explain how your hands-on experiences in patient care make you the best candidate for the job. It’s your chance to convey your passion for helping others and communicate the “why” behind your career as a CNA.
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Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach
Andrew Stoner is an executive career coach and resume writer with 17 years of experience as a hiring manager and operations leader at two Fortune 500 Financial Services companies, and as the career services director at two major university business schools.
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