Directors of nursing decide within the first ten seconds whether to keep reading by checking the header for registry status, BLS, and patient-load context; if those three signals are not visible, the resume gets set aside.
Why this resume works
You finished your state-approved program in the last 18 months and need the resume to read as ready for a 1:8 or 1:10 assignment. The Entry Level tab leads with registry status, clinical hours, and the populations you rotated through.
You have two-plus years on the floor and have likely trained newer aides or floated between units. The Experienced tab proves acuity, charting fluency in PointClickCare or Epic, and reliability signals like attendance and lift-team work.
Certified Nursing Assistant with 7 years across long-term care, memory care, and acute rehabilitation. Strong in dementia care, post-op mobility, and team-based safety practices. Preceptor for new CNAs and active CPR instructor.
A state registry lookup confirms you are a CNA in good standing. It does not show the setting you worked in or the patients you carried.
Put that on line one. Name the population, the acuity, and the charting system you used.
A line like ‘CNA, 28-bed memory care unit, 1:9 ratio, PointClickCare’ tells a director of nursing more than three bullets of generic ADL language.
Most strong CNA bullets carry a number. Patient ratio, bed count, shift length, and lift assists are the metrics directors of nursing scan for first.
Write the patient load you carried, not the unit’s total census. ‘Cared for 9 to 11 residents per shift on a skilled nursing unit’ beats ‘provided compassionate care.’
Add vitals frequency, turn schedules, and intake/output tracking where they apply. Bullets without a number tend to read as duties rather than work.
Break your bullets into four buckets so a charge nurse can scan them fast. ADLs and mobility come first: bathing, toileting, transfers, gait belts, Hoyer lifts.
Then clinical monitoring: vitals, blood glucose checks, intake and output, skin checks, fall precautions. Then documentation in PointClickCare, MatrixCare, or Epic.
Last, communication: handoff to RNs, family updates, and behavior logs on the memory care side. This grouping mirrors how unit managers think about your day.
Your active CNA status, BLS or CPR, and any state-specific add-ons belong in the header block, not buried at the bottom.
List the state and ‘in good standing’ rather than your registry number. Add the issuing body and expiration month for BLS.
If you carry dementia care training, phlebotomy, or restorative aide certification, list those next. Directors of nursing match these against the unit’s staffing gaps before reading your job history. If you also take personal care shifts, see our personal care assistant resume examples for ways to present your credentials.
End the resume with your CNA program, clinical hour count, and the facilities you rotated through. For newer CNAs, this section carries weight.
Name the school, the program length, and the practicum site. Add any continuing education completed in the last 12 months: dementia care, infection control, or wound care basics.
If you have a high school diploma or GED only, list it on one line. Do not pad this section with coursework unrelated to bedside care.
ATS filters catch more certified nursing assistant resumes than ever in 2026. The skills below come from our user-built CNA resumes. Charting system names and patient-care procedures clear the first cut, and reliability language decides whether the resume advances.
Directors of nursing weight hard skills like PointClickCare fluency and Hoyer lift training first, then read soft skills as evidence backing your bullets. Match these against the posting and use the soft skills as proof points inside your work history.
| Soft Skills | % of resumes with this skill |
|---|---|
| Compassion | 77% |
| Communication | 51% |
| Attention to detail | 45% |
| Patience | 35% |
| Teamwork | 26% |
And here are the top hard skills showing up most often.
| Hard Skills | % of resumes with this skill |
|---|---|
| Vital signs monitoring | 77% |
| Activities of daily living | 56% |
| Patient transfers and mobility | 49% |
| Infection control | 37% |
| Electronic health records | 28% |
Based on data from thousands of certified nursing assistants’ resumes built on ResumeTemplates.com, May 2026.
The items below are what separates a certified nursing assistant resume that clears credentialing from one that gets put back in the pile.
Most states require a set number of in-service hours per year to keep CNA registry status active. Listing recent CE on your resume signals you stay current without being asked.
Track your CE in a dated list at the bottom of the resume. Name the topic, the provider, and the hour count. Infection control, dementia care, and wound recognition are the topics that read strongest for floor work.
Check your state board for the current annual clock-hour requirement. Hours completed beyond the minimum are worth listing when you are competing for acute care or specialty unit roles.
Most CNA postings filter on the charting system the facility uses. Naming the system by brand tells the parser and the director of nursing you can start documenting on day one.
Directors of nursing read your resume itself as a HIPAA test. Names, room numbers, and facility-identifiable detail in your bullets are a red flag.
Describe patients by population and acuity, never by identifier. ‘Cared for a 1:9 memory care assignment’ is safe. ‘Cared for Mrs.
K in room 214’ is not, even as a hypothetical.
List annual HIPAA training as a one-line item under continuing education. Do not paste screenshots, photos, or scans of facility documents into a portfolio.
An active state CNA registry status and BLS keep you eligible. The certifications below are what move a CNA resume from the qualified-but-typical stack into a director of nursing’s shortlist. List each with the issuing body and expiration month.
Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP): Signals you can work memory care units without retraining, which is a constant staffing pressure point in long-term care.
Restorative Nursing Assistant (RNA): Tells skilled nursing facilities you can run range-of-motion and ambulation programs that drive their MDS reimbursement.
Phlebotomy Technician (CPT): Adds a billable skill in acute and clinic settings where CNAs cross-trained on draws move into expanded patient-care roles.
Certified Medication Aide (CMA or QMA): State-specific credential that lets you pass medications in long-term care; pay bumps follow in most states that recognize the role.
Beyond the base CNA, a handful of allied health credentials widen the roles you qualify for and the pay bands you can target. Pick ones that match the setting you want next.
Certified nursing assistant is one of the larger occupations in BLS, which means the median pulls in a long tail of entry-tier and float-pool variants across nursing homes, hospitals, and home health.
The spread between the 10th and 90th percentile is narrower than for licensed roles, so specialty add-ons and setting do most of the lifting. To position above the median, lead the resume with acuity, charting system, and the credential stack beyond the base CNA.
| # | State | Avg. Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $48,390 |
| 2 | Washington | $48,260 |
| 3 | New York | $47,390 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $46,860 |
| 5 | California | $46,420 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $46,050 |
| 7 | Alaska | $45,840 |
| 8 | Maine | $45,640 |
| 9 | Minnesota | $45,580 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $45,410 |
| # | State | Workers | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 102,380 | $46,420 |
| 2 | Florida | 91,280 | $36,850 |
| 3 | Texas | 87,050 | $36,390 |
| 4 | New York | 85,310 | $47,390 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 65,410 | $41,110 |
Resume Templates offers HR approved resume templates to help you create a professional resume in minutes. Choose from several template options and even pre-populate a resume from your profile.
Lead each role with the setting, bed count, and patient ratio. A line like '28-bed skilled nursing unit, 1:9 ratio' anchors the rest of your bullets.
Then list ADLs, vitals frequency, charting system, and specialty work. Memory care, post-op recovery, and hospice all read differently to a director of nursing.
Numbers carry more weight than adjectives. Skip 'compassionate' and write the patient load instead.
List the state, the credential, and 'in good standing' in the header block. Format it as 'Certified Nursing Assistant, [State] Nurse Aide Registry, in good standing.'
Do not include your registry number. Facilities verify that themselves through the state registry, and posting the number creates needless exposure.
Add the issuing body and expiration month for BLS or CPR on the next line.
Group responsibilities into four buckets: ADLs and mobility, clinical monitoring, documentation, and communication with the care team.
Each bucket carries two or three bullets with a number attached. Patient ratio, vitals frequency per shift, and transfers per day are the metrics charge nurses recognize.
Skip generic 'assisted residents' phrasing. Name the lift equipment, the charting system, and the unit type.
Address the gap in a one-line note under your education section. 'CNA registry maintained in good standing; BLS renewed [month, year]' covers most situations.
If you took a refresher course or did clinical hours to reactivate, list those. A short volunteer stint at a long-term care facility also works.
Directors of nursing care more about current credentials and ratio readiness than continuous employment.
For a certified nursing assistant, an ATS-friendly template is the safest pick, because it puts your certifications and experience where a hiring manager scans first. A basic template is a solid alternative. Whichever you choose, keep the formatting clean and easy to parse: clear section headings, a standard font, and no graphics a parser can choke on.
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.
