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CNA Resume Examples
Use these CNA samples as a guideline, or visit our extensive library of customizable good resume templates.
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CNA Resume Example (Text Version)
[Your Name]
[City, State ZIP Code]
[Email Address]
[Phone Number LinkedIn]
Resume Summary
[Insert your summary here. This should be a brief statement highlighting your core qualifications and career goals.]
Summary of Qualifications
- [Insert qualification #1]
- [Insert qualification #2]
- [Insert qualification #3]
- [Insert qualification #4]
[Type of] Skills
- [Add relevant accomplishment or responsibility related to Skill 1]
- [Add relevant accomplishment or responsibility related to Skill 1]
- [Add relevant accomplishment or responsibility related to Skill 1]
- [Add relevant accomplishment or responsibility related to Skill 1]
[Type of] Skills
- [Add relevant accomplishment or responsibility related to Skill 2]
- [Add relevant accomplishment or responsibility related to Skill 2]
- [Add relevant accomplishment or responsibility related to Skill 2]
- [Add relevant accomplishment or responsibility related to Skill 2]
Education
[Degree Earned]
[High School Name, Location]
[Graduation Date or Estimated Graduation Date]
- [OPTIONAL: Add relevant coursework or academic achievements]
- [OPTIONAL: Add any honors or awards received]
Work History
[Job Title #1 | Club or Employer Name #1]
[Location, Year]
[Job Title #2 | Club or Employer Name #2]
[Location, Year]
How to Write a CNA Resume
Your CNA resume format is as important as how you write your resume. This sample resume demonstrates the best resume layout: 1-inch margins, bullet points and clear resume headings for each of the following sections.
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Professional header and contact info:
Add your name, contact information and a professional email address.
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Compelling summary statement:
A brief resume summary or objective highlighting two or three nursing skills or accomplishments.
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Highlight your skills:
Create a dedicated section to showcase hard and soft skills specific to nursing, like patient care or bedside manner.
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Emphasize your work history:
List your work experience in reverse chronological order. Include job titles, company names, dates of employment and key responsibilities and achievements for each role in a bullet list.
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Supporting education section:
Detail your educational background, mentioning any relevant degrees, diplomas or certifications obtained.
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Additional sections:
You can add resume sections for licenses, certifications, industry memberships or unions, awards, volunteer experience or spoken languages.
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How to Write a CNA Resume Summary
With online job boards making it easier to mass-apply to multiple jobs, hiring managers can spend as little as six seconds on your resume. A resume summary sits at the top of your document to pitch the top three accomplishments within those six seconds.
With the correct information, a hiring manager might pause and spend more time on your resume. Follow these writing tips to make the most of this resume section and showcase your compassionate nature, patient care experience and relevant certifications.
1. Be short and direct
Write no more than four sentences. Keep your descriptions short and focused on core details. Avoid anything that doesn’t directly address the job needs.
2. Focus on the job needs
Scan the CNA job description for resume keywords like repeated responsibilities or mandatory qualifications. Also, look for requested skills or qualifications with special font treatment, such as underlined, bolded or highlighted phrases.
3. Highlight relevant skills or certifications
Identify similar experience to the resume keywords you found and feature them prominently in your resume.
Strong and weak CNA summary
Compassionate and dedicated CNA with over five years of experience providing exceptional patient care in hospital and long-term care settings. Proficient in assisting with daily living activities, monitoring vital signs and maintaining patient records. Certified in CPR and First Aid, strongly committed to enhancing patient comfort and well-being.
How this example of a CNA resume works:
This CNA job seeker wisely mentions nursing-relevant information, such as assisting with daily living activities, monitoring vital signs and working in hospital and long-term care facilities.
They briefly mention valuable certifications like CPR and First Aid and empathetic skills like commitment to patient comfort.
I am a CNA with some experience in healthcare. I have worked with patients before and can do tasks like taking vital signs and helping with daily activities. I am looking for a job where I can use my skills and grow in my career.
How this example of a CNA resume fails:
This vague summary briefly mentions their healthcare and patient experience but fails to share how many years of experience they have. This lack of information forces a hiring manager to scroll down and mentally calculate this information.
The phrase “some experience” also conveys a lack of confidence. You can improve this section by using resume power words and adding specific skills.
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How to Add Your CNA Work History
If you write a chronological resume or combination resume, your work history will feature the bulk of your qualifications. This detailed section highlights your steady employment history, accomplishments, notable patient care and specialized tasks related to care specialties.
Add this information to retain a hiring manager’s interest successfully:
1. Use a chronological timeline
Start with your most recent job and work backward. Add your job title, employer, location, dates of employment and a breakdown of your notable responsibilities.
2. Highlight critical responsibilities
Focus on notable duties like CNA charting, vital sign monitoring, patient care and maintaining hygienic recovery spaces.
3. Prioritize relevant achievements
Add patient commendations, accomplishments or recognitions received in your role.
4. Use bullet points
Write your CNA job description for resumes using an easy-to-skim layout, such as numbered or bulleted lists.
Strong and weak CNA work history
Green Valley Nursing Home
Springfield, IL | June 2021 – present
- Provide compassionate care to 30+ residents, assisting with daily living activities such as bathing, dressing and feeding.
- Monitor and record vital signs via CNA charting, ensuring timely communication with nursing staff for any significant changes.
- Assist in the development and implementation of personalized care plans.
- Train and mentor incoming CNAs, improving onboarding processes and patient care standards.
- Received the “Employee of the Month” award three times for outstanding patient care and dedication.
How this CNA resume example works:
This job seeker narrows in on DNA-related tasks, patient care and patient advocacy by highlighting their focus on personalized care plans, generalized nursing and practical staff training to ensure consistent and excellent patient care.
Adding multiple Employee of the Month awards proves management recognized their contributions.
Green Valley Nursing Home
Springfield, IL | June 2021 – present
- Work with patients.
- Give medications.
- Keep records.
How this CNA resume example fails:
Although this CNA shares their experience with medication distribution and patient engagement, they don’t share any relevant information a hiring manager can use to compare their experience to the job’s needs.
Is this candidate familiar with paper or electronic CNA charting? Are they familiar with everyday multi-medication interactions? What first aid or medical triage experience do they hold? Answering these questions can improve this example.
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How to Write a CNA Education Section
Your education section will highlight the relevant schooling, certifications, and specialized training you have completed to care for patients successfully. Consider adding the following relevant CNA qualifications.
1List your most recent education first
Start with your most recent or highest level of education and work backward.
2Include essential details
For each entry, list the institution’s name, location, degree or certification earned, and dates attended or completed.
3Highlight relevant coursework or training
If applicable, mention specific courses or training programs relevant to the CNA role.
4Add certifications
Highlight any relevant certifications, such as CPR, First Aid or CNA certification.
Example of a CNA education resume section:
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Certification
Springfield Community College, Springfield, IL
Completed: May 2018
- Completed a 120-hour CNA training program, including 40 hours of clinical practice.
- Coursework included patient care, anatomy and physiology, infection control, and nutrition.
Additional Certifications:
- CPR and First Aid Certification – American Red Cross, Completed: March 2019
- Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification – American Heart Association, Completed: February 2020
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15 Skills for Your CNA Resume
Although you should feature transferable resume skills throughout your document, a skills section is a strategic place to add six to eight soft skills, hard skills or technical skills that haven’t been mentioned elsewhere in your resume.
Here’s a sample list of skills to add to your resume, but remember to prioritize the qualifications requested in the open job description.
CNA soft skills
CNA hard skills
Patient care
Vital signs monitoring
Personal hygiene assistance
Mobility support
Infection control
CNA technical skills
Electronic Health Records (EHR) management
Basic medical terminology
CPR and First Aid
Medical equipment operation
Charting and documentation
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20 CNA Action Verbs
With only one page to impress hiring managers, using unique, active language can help keep hiring managers engaged with your document. These action verbs dynamically convey your responsibilities and achievements, allowing you to create a vivid picture of your capabilities.
Consider this curated list of 20 action verbs to improve your CNA resume.
Administer
Assist
Care
Chart
Clean
Collaborate
Communicate
Document
Educate
Escort
Maintain
Monitor
Observe
Perform
Record
Report
Respond
Sterilize
Support
Transport
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Additional Resume Sections
Consider adding the following sections to your CNA resume based on your specific circumstances and to enhance your qualifications:
Use a Cover Letter to Express Yourself
A resume is a concise overview of your skills and experience — a cover letter expands on this foundation. Add a cover letter to share one or two examples of how you excelled in similar roles or how your skills match a company’s needs. Use this sample as a guide, or visit our helpful resources to boost your application.
CNA Resume FAQ
Should I include references on my CNA resume?
Modern resumes no longer feature a reference section because hiring managers can easily ask for supplemental information throughout the interview process. Create a separate document for your references and dedicate your resume to highlighting your qualifications.
How do I make my CNA resume ATS-friendly?
You can ensure your resume passes standard application tracking systems (ATS) by using an optimized ATS resume template with standard fonts, minimal graphics, clear section headings and bullet points to improve easy readability.
What’s the average salary for a CNA?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for certified nursing assistants ranges from $30,260 to $48,000 annually.
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Last edited by: Gabriela Barcenas, CONTENT STRATEGIST - November 12, 2024
Gabriela Barcenas
CONTENT STRATEGISTGabriela is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and career adviser. With 10 years of digital media experience and five years of resume writing expertise, her publication history includes fashion, education, travel, social justice, equitable design and career advice.