Certified Nursing Assistant Resume Templates and Examples for 2024

Nursing Assistant Resume Templates and Examples (Downloadable)

• Entry level
• Midlevel
• Senior level

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PDF

DOCX

Google Docs

PDF

DOCX

Google Docs

Your nursing assistant resume should demonstrate to potential employers that you can provide compassionate care, whether in a health care facility or a patient’s home. From helping with meals to administering medication, it should convey your versatility and ability to collaborate with nurses and other medical professionals. We’ll help you write a resume that shows you can provide the appropriate level of care and be an advocate for your patients.

Key takeaways:

• Highlight any specializations: In the profile section, mention specialized training and certifications you’ve received or extensive experience working in a specific unit.
• Quantify your work history: Use numbers to describe past achievements for things such as a reduction in patient falls, the number of beds you managed, or increases in patient satisfaction.
• Include keywords: Specific nursing assistant keywords mentioned in the job description should be used throughout your resume to optimize it for applicant tracking systems (ATS).

How To Write a Nursing Assistant Resume Example

A great nursing assistant resume will include everything potential employers need to know about your professional background in health care. As you choose a resume template, ensure the layout includes the following sections:

• Contact information
• Profile
• Key skills
• Professional experience
• Education and certifications

1. Share your contact information

Hiring managers should be able to reach you without much effort. Make it easy for them by including your contact information at the top of your resume. List your name, phone number, email address, and location — providing your home address is optional. In addition, if you have a LinkedIn profile, include the link as well.

2. Write a dynamic profile summarizing your qualifications

Acting as a quick introduction, the resume profile should grab the reader’s attention. Include your job title, years in the field, and top specializations or career highlights. You can list experience in a specific department, such as pediatrics, geriatrics, or surgery. This gives hiring managers a good sense of your abilities.

If you have a track record of excellent patient feedback or an impressive venipuncture success rate, mention that here. Or, perhaps you’ve consistently exceeded expectations and were recognized by the charge nurse. These highlights do more than tell who you are — they show how you’ve excelled in past nursing assistant positions.

3. Add a compelling section featuring your nursing assistant experience

The bulk of your resume will often be the job history section. This is where you get to share details about what you’ve achieved as a nursing assistant. Include job titles, employer names and locations, and dates of employment. Then, list three to five results-driven bullets that summarize your contributions to the health care organization or client.

Beyond providing care, you’re often responsible for educating patients and their family members on post-discharge instructions and disease management. So, let hiring managers know you’re a strong communicator. Additionally, working well with nurses and other staff is just as important as your bedside manner. Describe times you’ve worked on a team or achieved a collective goal.

Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience

It’s easy to copy a job description word-for-word, but it’s not effective or insightful for hiring managers, and ATS tools may filter your resume out if you do this. Instead, do your best to quantify the work you’ve done by using numbers.

Although your achievements may not be as easy to quantify as someone in sales, you can shift your focus to things such as the number of patients you’ve managed or how many blood draws you’ve done. Focus on how much, how many, and how often when thinking about how to quantify your experience.

Here’s a quick example:

Resume writer’s tip: Tailor your resume for each application

Although your experience and skills will likely overlap when applying for nursing assistant positions, it’s always a good idea to tailor your resume for every job. If you know what hiring managers are looking for and what the job requires, you can easily make slight changes to customize your resume.

Starting with the job ad, match up your own nursing assistant skills and qualifications with those mentioned. The goal is to include specific keywords within your resume to align with the employer’s needs. For example, if you see the phrase, “ability to work under pressure,” and you’ve managed high-stress patient situations, incorporate those words into your document and demonstrate your ability with examples.

What if you don’t have experience?

Nursing assistant jobs are typically geared toward people at the entry level, but if you’re seeking your first role, you may be wondering what to include on your resume. Employers want to know you have the competencies and temperament to succeed at the job, so think about some past experiences that might be relevant.

For instance, if you’ve held any public-facing service jobs, this can help to show you have experience dealing with diverse populations. You can also include internships, volunteer work, or even academic projects that helped you develop skills related to nursing assistance.

4. Add nursing assistant education and certifications

Nursing assistant jobs may require the completion of a state-approved program or special certification. Your highest level of education should be listed first, along with the school name, location, and dates of attendance. Degrees come first in reverse chronological order, then certifications can be listed underneath degrees.

If you’re a CNA, provide details about your certification and the program you attended. Remember to include additional credentials you’ve earned. Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Life Support (ALS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), and phlebotomy training are often required of nursing assistants. Listing them on your resume demonstrates to potential employers that you’re qualified and ready to get to work.

5. List key skills and proficiencies for nursing assistants

Your key skills list will often cover basic nursing assistant abilities universal to most patient-facing jobs. Use the job description to decide which of those technical and interpersonal skills to include. Also, add specializations if you have experience working with a specific demographic or in a particular area of health care, such as hospice or urgent care. Check out the list below to get a good idea of what you could include:

Resume writer’s tip: Use specific action verbs

Another way to help your resume stand out is to use strong action verbs throughout the professional experience section. Not only does this make your work history more interesting to read, but it can help give context to your key skills. Here are some powerful action verbs you can use on your nursing assistant resume:

How To Pick the Best Nursing Assistant Resume Template

A clean and professional resume template is the best choice for a nursing assistant. Artistic elements or bright colors can distract from your career accomplishments, which are most important to a hiring manager. Your ability to care for patients and assist medical providers should be the focus. Templates with plenty of white space, bullet points, and bolded sections will organize your work history in a way that’s easy for readers to navigate.

Nursing Assistant Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

Frequently Asked Questions: Nursing Assistant Resume Examples and Advice

How do you align your resume with a nursing assistant job description?

Over the next decade, the aging population will continue to drive the need for medical professionals. Employment within the field is expected to see a 4% increase, and although there will be opportunities, you’ll need a well-crafted resume to land the most desirable jobs.

From skills to experience level, demonstrate that you’re qualified and aligned with job requirements. For example, say the employer needs someone skilled in palliative care. In that case, you would detail times when you’ve specifically provided end-of-life care and emotional support for terminally ill patients.

What is the best nursing assistant resume format?

A combination format is a great choice for a nursing assistant resume. This resume style opens with a quick profile and a comprehensive skills list. Hiring managers will immediately capture what you can do and any specializations you may have. Then, the other half of your resume is devoted to a chronological work history, education, and details about your nursing assistant training.

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Andrew Stoner

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.