What a CNA resume should lead with
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) jobs are in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living, and home health agencies. A hiring manager for these jobs reads the top of your resume first, so put this there: state CNA certification status (or nurse aide training finished or in progress), hands-on patient or resident care, and reliability on shifts.
This is a licensed or certified job, so put a "Certifications and Licenses" section above your work history. If you are still in training, list it with the month you expect to finish.
Write your summary in two or three lines. Say the job you want, what you have done that fits it, and one thing that makes you reliable.
A sample CNA resume. Type your details and watch it fill in.
[Your name]
[City, State] · [your phone] · [your email]
Summary
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) with [number] years of [experience, clinicals or training]. [Your two strongest skills for this job, for example patient care and vital signs.] [One result you are proud of, with a number.]
Certifications and Licenses
- State CNA certification [date earned, or "expected Month Year"]
- Completed state-approved nurse aide training [date earned, or "expected Month Year"]
- BLS (Basic Life Support) [date earned, or "expected Month Year"]
- CPR and First Aid [date earned, or "expected Month Year"]
Experience
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), [Employer name], [City, State]
[Month Year] to [Month Year or Present]
- Helped residents with bathing, dressing, grooming, and toileting [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Took and recorded vital signs [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Helped patients move, turn, and transfer safely [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Fed residents and recorded meals and fluids [add how many, how often, or for whom].
- Reported changes in a patient to the nurse [add how many, how often, or for whom].
[Your previous job title], [Employer name]
- [A duty from this job that also matters as a CNA, with a number.]
Skills
Patient care · Vital signs · Safe transfers and gait belt use · Infection control · Activities of daily living (ADLs) · Charting · Dementia care · Patient privacy (HIPAA) · resident safety · safe transfers
Nothing you type here is sent or saved. The template below is this layout as a Word file and a PDF, with tips for career changers.
Resume template
A CNA resume, laid out and ready to fill in
- The CNA duties, skills and the words hiring systems scan for, already in place.
- Blanks in [brackets] for your own facts, and tips for career changers.
- A Word file to edit and a PDF to send, emailed in minutes.
$4.99, one time
One payment. Nothing recurring. No account needed.
Credentials to list on a CNA resume
List only what you hold or are finishing. Put the state or issuing body and the year.
- State CNA certification
- Completed state-approved nurse aide training
- BLS (Basic Life Support)
- CPR and First Aid
- Certified Medication Aide (CMA)
- Dementia care training
- Home health aide training
- Driver's license
Example CNA resume lines
These are things people in this job really do. Use a line only if you did it, and add a number when you have one: how many patients, loads, orders or rooms, or how often.
- Helped residents with bathing, dressing, grooming, and toileting
- Took and recorded vital signs
- Helped patients move, turn, and transfer safely
- Fed residents and recorded meals and fluids
- Reported changes in a patient to the nurse
- Made beds and kept rooms clean and safe
- Answered call lights
- Charted care in the electronic health record
- Supported residents with dementia
- Completed clinical hours in a nursing home or hospital
Skills and words employers look for in a CNA resume
Many employers search resumes by keyword, and recruiters skim for the same words. Use the ones that are true for you, spelled the way the job posting spells them.
Skills: Patient care, Vital signs, Safe transfers and gait belt use, Infection control, Activities of daily living (ADLs), Charting, Dementia care, Patient privacy (HIPAA), Communication with nurses and families, Teamwork on busy shifts.
Words from CNA job postings: patient care, activities of daily living (ADLs), vital signs, resident safety, infection control, safe transfers, charting, HIPAA, dementia care, person-centered care, long-term care, reporting changes to the nurse.
| Top skills to show | Words employers search for |
|---|---|
| Patient care | patient care |
| Vital signs | activities of daily living (ADLs) |
| Safe transfers and gait belt use | vital signs |
| Infection control | resident safety |
| Activities of daily living (ADLs) | infection control |
| Charting | safe transfers |
| Dementia care | charting |
| Patient privacy (HIPAA) | HIPAA |
| Communication with nurses and families | dementia care |
| Teamwork on busy shifts | person-centered care |
What the job involves: O*NET 31-1131.00, Nursing Assistants (US Department of Labor).
Coming to CNA work from another job
Your past work counts if you say what it shows. Retail and food service show patience with upset people and reliability; caregiving for family shows ADLs and medication reminders; warehouse shows lifting safely and following safety rules.
Never claim a duty you did not do. Say what you did in words this job uses.
If you still need the training, WIOA can pay for it if you qualify: see how WIOA pays for CNA training.
Next steps
- Get the CNA resume template, a Word file and a PDF laid out for this job, $4.99 one time.
- Have your own resume rewritten for one CNA job, using only what is on it, $14.99 one time.
- See CNA jobs near you and get your resume rewritten for each one. The first application each month is free.
- Practice the CNA interview questions out loud before you go in.
- Check your resume first with the free resume grader.