Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Resume Templates and Examples in 2023

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CNA Resume Templates and Examples (Downloadable)

Example #1 Entry-level

Example #2 Mid-career

Example #3 Senior-level

How to Write a CNA Resume

Your resume has one purpose: to get you interviews for the CNA job you want. You can ensure your resume serves that purpose if you focus on your most relevant skills and display them as clearly as possible. The section-specific tips below will help you give your resume the focus and clarity it needs to move your CNA job search forward.

1. Write a dynamic profile summarizing your qualifications

A strong Profile section draws the hiring manager’s attention, first and foremost, to your unique strengths. Use this section of your resume to briefly describe your overall experience and record of success. Also, consider using it to mention your communication style or other soft skills. For instance, the role of a CNA is often collaborative, working closely with RNs, LPNs, hospitalists, and other healthcare professionals. If this describes your CNA experience, consider developing collaboration as a key theme in your Profile.

(Note, it’s usually easier to write your Profile after you’ve built the other sections of your resume.)

Entry-Level Profile Example


Patient-focused CNA with 3+ years of experience. Recognized for strong empathy, diligence, and efficiency in helping patients carry out various ADLs. Naturally curious and committed to gaining and applying new healthcare expertise.

Senior-Level Profile Example


Lead CNA with 10+ years of experience delivering patient-centered care in high-volume surgical and intensive care units. Equally effective in a leadership or hands-on role. Recognized for treating patients with dignity and compassion while providing emotional support to family members. Adapt readily to new work challenges and conditions.

2. Add a results-driven professional experience section

It is important to note that each of the duties of a CNA contributes to the recovery of your patients, and the long-term success of your healthcare facility. Speak to that broader impact in your job descriptions. You’ll strengthen your resume and give the hiring manager a more accurate account of your work’s depth and influence.

When describing your work results, try to quantify them in terms of a specific number, ranking, or percentage. For instance, did you earn a high satisfaction rating from patients? Or assist a certain number of patients per day or week? Or rank high on your team for efficient or accurate health documentation?

Even if you can’t recall examples or data to quantify a work area, that doesn’t mean you have to word it as a basic duty. You can always state the general, intended result or value of the responsibility in question. Try simply adding the phrase “in order to” at the end of the duty statement, then jotting down whatever general purposes or outcomes you think of (and then delete “in order” from your final resume for brevity).

Entry-Level Professional Experience Example


— Achieved patient satisfaction ratings of 90%-95%
— Praised for diligent compliance with Covid-19 safety and infection prevention protocols

Mid-Career Professional Experience Example


— Assist therapeutic exercises during rehab to improve patients’ range of motion following major orthopedic surgeries
— Identified opportunities to enhance clinical operations and supported efforts to reduce patient wait times by 15%

3. Include relevant education and certifications

Your degree and certification are the basis for your CNA work experience and deserve a prominent spot on your resume. List each credential in a separate section right below your Experience section, and apply similar formatting. For instance, if in your Experience section you’ve italicized employer names, also italicize the school names appearing in your Education section.

Below, you’ll find templates and examples to help you format your education and certification details:

Education


Template:

[Degree or Program Name], [School Name], [City, ST] | [Year – optional]

Example:

Nurse Aide Training Program, Lackawanna College, Scranton, PA | 2017

Certification


Template:

[Certification Name], [Awarding Organization] | [Year – optional]

Example:

Registered Nurse Aide, Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry

4. List relevant key skills and proficiencies

You can give your resume a big boost by adding keywords. That’s because most hospitals and other healthcare employers now use an applicant tracking system (ATS), which scans each submitted resume for keywords relevant to the job opening at hand. When the ATS finds a resume with many relevant keywords, it flags the document for the hiring manager.

Add a keyword-rich Skills or Expertise section to make your resume ATS-friendly. In most cases, you should add this section right below your Profile summary, as in the resume examples on this page. Here are some common keywords for CNA resumes:

Key Skills and Proficiencies
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) Assistive Devices
Basic Life Support (BLS) Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Clinical Operations Cross-Functional Collaboration
Disease & Infection Prevention Electronic Health Records (EHR)
First Aid Healthcare Safety Protocols
HIPAA Patient & Family Relations
Patient Advocacy Patient Assessment
Patient Mobilization Patient-Centered Care
Phlebotomy Physical Examinations
Physician Support Vital Signs Monitoring

How to Pick the Best CNA Resume Template

For CNAs, a straightforward resume template is usually best. Choose a template that lets the hiring manager quickly and easily take in relevant information about you and your background. Your resume template should highlight your career details only and not call undue attention to itself with elaborate visual elements.

CNA Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples

Years of Experience
  • Entry-level Entry-level
  • Mid-career Mid-career
  • Senior-level Senior-level

Sandra Mason

(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | San Diego, CA 12345 | LinkedIn

Profile

Patient-focused CNA with 3+ years of experience. Recognized for strong empathy, diligence, and efficiency in helping patients carry out various ADLs. Naturally curious and committed to gaining and applying new healthcare expertise.

Key Skills

— Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
— Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
— Disease & Infection Prevention
— First Aid
— Patient & Family Relations
— Patient Transportation
— Vital Signs Monitoring

Professional Experience

CNA, UC San Diego Health, San Diego, CA | September 2021 to Present

  • Deliver compassionate care to patients with acute conditions and injuries
  • Ensure optimal patient comfort during bed rest and transport
  • Help nursing staff provide wound care and change dressings as needed to improve circulation and reduce risk of infection
  • Monitor patients’ pulse, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation level

Highlights:

  • Achieved patient satisfaction ratings of 90%-95%
  • Praised for diligent compliance with Covid-19 safety and infection prevention protocols

CNA, Maple Grove Nursing Home, San Diego, CA | March 2020 to September 2021

  • Assisted patients with ADLs (such as eating, bathing, and toileting) in this long-term care facility with 130 beds
  • Monitored patients’ condition and symptoms and reported changes to RN as needed
  • Supported medical procedures by providing equipment and positioning patients
  • Ensured safe transfer of patients between beds and wheelchairs

Education

Nursing Assistant Training Program, San Diego Medical College, San Diego, CA | 2020

Certification

CNA, California Department of Health

Amy Lovett

(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | Scranton, PA 12345 | LinkedIn

Profile

CNA with 6+ years of experience delivering quality healthcare services to diverse patients. Ready collaborator who builds positive relationships with RNs, LPNs, hospitalists, and other members of the healthcare team. Bilingual: Fluent in English and Spanish.

Key Skills

  • Disease Prevention
  • Patient Mobility
  • Team Collaboration
  • Patient-Centered Care
  • Vital Signs Monitoring

Professional Experience

CNA, Community Medical Center, Scranton, PA | March 2020 to Present

  • Deliver care to surgical patients in this 300-bed community hospital
  • Reduce risk of infection by ensuring compliance with health and safety protocols
  • Assist therapeutic exercises during rehab to improve patients’ range of motion following major orthopedic surgeries
  • Provide mouth care to patients on life support, monitor vital signs, and alert RNs and physicians of changes in patient condition

Highlight:

  • Identified opportunities to enhance clinical operations and supported efforts to reduce patient wait times by 15%

CNA, Geisinger Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre, PA | January 2017 to February 2020

  • Assisted oncology and orthopedic patients with various ADLs while offering emotional support
  • Retrieved and organized supplies to help nurses dress wounds caused by radiation treatment
  • Supported physicians during bone-marrow biopsies by safely repositioning patients and setting up medical equipment

Education

Nurse Aide Training Program, Lackawanna College, Scranton, PA | 2017

Certification

Registered Nurse Aide, Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry 

Language 

Fluency in Spanish

Ashley Brooks

(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | Atlanta, GA 12345 | LinkedIn

Profile

Lead CNA with 10+ years of experience delivering patient-centered care in high-volume surgical and intensive care units. Equally effective in a leadership or hands-on role. Recognized for treating patients with dignity and compassion while providing emotional support to family members. Adapt readily to new work challenges and conditions.

Key Skills

  • Basic Life Support (BLS)
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Disease Prevention
  • Healthcare Safety Protocols
  • Patient-Centered Care
  • Team Leadership

Professional Experience

Lead CNA, Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA | March 2018 to Present

  • Assist surgical ICU patients with ADLs such as bathing, eating, mouth care, and foot care
  • Carefully sanitize surfaces and handle hazardous materials to ensure compliance with disease prevention regulations
  • Coordinated with RN to supervise and train 15+ CNAs on standard procedures, Covid-19 safety protocols, and patient-centered care standards

CNA, Select Specialty Hospital, Atlanta, GA | January 2013 to February 2018

  • Provided compassionate care to patients undergoing hemodialysis and other treatments for chronic renal failure
  • Measured and recorded patients’ vital signs in EMR system
  • Monitored patients on restricted fluid intake for edema and signs of fluid retention

Education

Nurse Aide Certificate, Atlanta Technical College, Atlanta, GA | 2013

Certification

Registered Nurse Aide, Georgia Nurse Aide Registry

Frequently Asked Questions: CNA Resume Examples and Advice

What are common action verbs for CNA resumes?+

The CNA role typically focuses on monitoring and helping patients while working closely with members of the healthcare team. You can capture these, and your other work areas on your resume by referring to the verbs list below. Consider using any of these as the first word of your bullet points in your resume’s Experience section:

Action Verbs
Administer Analyze
Collaborate Communicate
Conduct Coordinate
Create Deliver
Develop Engage
Enhance Evaluate
Generate Identify
Implement Improve
Lead Manage
Monitor Oversee
Partner Perform
Provide Record
Resolve Support

NOTE: The above verbs are all in the present tense. Use the present tense to describe your current job duties. But use the past tense (e.g., “Generated,” “Improved”) to describe any completed projects or achievements in your current job. Also, use the past tense to describe both duties and achievements in all your previous jobs.

How do you align your resume with a job posting?+

The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that jobs for nursing assistants and orderlies will increase by about five percent between 2021 and 2031. This growth rate is roughly the same as the average for all U.S. vocations.
 
ou can get more interviews in this growing field if you tailor your resume for each job application you send. For example, if the healthcare facility is seeking a CNA with a strong collaborative streak, you may want to highlight that aspect of your experience more prominently in your Profile and Experience sections. Or say the facility has many ESL patients. You may want to highlight your foreign language skills both in your Profile and as a separate section farther down the document.
 
With adjustments like these, you can make your resume much more relevant to each opportunity in your job search.

What is the best CNA resume format?+

In nearly all cases, you should opt for a Combination or Hybrid resume because they are the easiest for hiring managers to learn about your relevant skills and experience — it’s also easiest for you to modify based on your job goals.
 
With the Combination format, you highlight your most relevant skills and experience in your Experience or Work History section and an intro section. (This combination of work history and intro content is where the format gets its name.) Your resume intro may take the form of a Profile summary, Key Skills section, and/or Career Highlights section. By carefully choosing the details for these sections, you can (a) position yourself for your target job and (b) give hiring managers a clear, quick view of what you offer them.

Expert Advice: Include a cover letter with your resume

Craft a strong cover letter to increase your chances of landing an interview. The key to optimizing your cover letter is to customize it based on each employer you apply to. Read our Certified Nursing Assistant cover letter guide to learn how. See our Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) and Nursing cover letter guides for other related examples.

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Jacob Meade

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, ACRW)

Jacob Meade is a resume writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience. His writing method centers on understanding and then expressing each person’s unique work history and strengths toward their career goal. Jacob has enjoyed working with jobseekers of all ages and career levels, finding that a clear and focused resume can help people from any walk of life. He is an Academy Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) with the Resume Writing Academy, and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches.