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.
Using a resume template will streamline the writing process and ensure a professional appearance. Your CNA resume should include the following:
Provide potential employers with your most recent contact information so they can reach out to schedule an interview. List your full name, phone number, email address, location, and a link to your digital professional profile.
Your Name
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation Zip Code
LinkedIn
If you only had one paragraph to tell hiring managers what you have to 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. Be intentional with the information you include by considering what the health care organization is looking for.
Bilingual (English and Spanish) CNA with over seven years of patient-centered care experience. Recognized for observational skills and compassionate approach. Extensive background in post-acute facilities collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. Excels in specialized care for residents recovering from surgical procedures.
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 | Soft Skills |
---|---|
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) | Active listening |
Dementia care | Attentive |
Documentation | Compassion |
Fall prevention | Conflict resolution |
Infection control | Cultural sensitivity |
Medication administration | Emotional support |
Mobility assistance | Patient advocacy |
Specimen collection | Patient and family relations |
Vital sign monitoring | Team collaboration |
Wound care | Time management |
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 contributions. Use action verbs to start each bullet point in your professional experience section. This will help you avoid redundant first-person language like, “I was responsible for…”
Utilize some of the action verbs below to enhance your CNA resume:
Action Verbs | |
---|---|
Administered | Advised |
Assisted | Collaborated |
Documented | Educated |
Engaged | Executed |
Facilitated | Implemented |
Maintained | Monitored |
Provided | Responded |
Supported |
Your professional experience section is like the highlight reel of your caregiving journey. Include your last two to three positions and outline what you accomplished in each role. From helping with ADLs to speaking up on behalf of your patients, describe your key responsibilities. Also, add any notable achievements that show the value you can bring to potential employers.
Certified Nursing Assistant, IntelyCare, Norfolk, VA
June 2016 – present
Certified Nursing Assistant, ShiftMed, Woodbridge, VA
October 2014 – March 2016
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 shows hiring managers the real, tangible proof of your skills. Discuss things like the number of patients cared for, medication administration accuracy, or reductions in accidents.
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.
Study each unique job description and identify keywords, skills, and qualifications you match up with. Then, incorporate those specific terms and phrases throughout your resume. This shows hiring managers you made an effort to get to know their health care organization and what they’re looking for in a CNA.
The ability to lead goes beyond people management skills. Effective leadership in health care, even at the CNA level, has a positive impact in the workplace. CNAs who lead by example, train others, communicate well, and prioritize diversity and inclusion will show they enhance the quality of care.
In a profession where nearly 1.3 million CNAs are actively employed, highlighting your leadership capabilities becomes a distinguishing factor. In your professional experience section, describe times when you took initiative in a situation or went the extra mile to improve a protocol. You can also include specific leadership qualities in your key skills section.
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.
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.
Prove to hiring managers that you meet minimum education and certification requirements by listing your highest level of education followed by your CNA credentials. If you have additional CPR, Basic Life Support (BLS), or Qualified Medication Aide (QMA) designations, be sure to mention those as well. Provide the names of degrees, schools, and awarding organizations, as well as dates of completion.
Education
Nursing Assistant Certificate, June 2014
Ballad Health Certified Nursing Assistant Program, Abingdon, VA
Certifications
Ryan Perez
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
City, State Abbreviation zip code
LinkedIn
Bilingual (English and Spanish) CNA with over seven years of patient-centered care experience. Recognized for observational skills and compassionate approach. Extensive background in post-acute facilities collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. Excels in specialized care for residents recovering from surgical procedures.
Certified Nursing Assistant, IntelyCare, Norfolk, VA
June 2016 – present
Certified Nursing Assistant, ShiftMed, Woodbridge, VA
October 2014 – March 2016
Nursing Assistant Certificate, June 2014
Ballad Health Certified Nursing Assistant Program, Abingdon, VA
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