To advance your career within the medical industry, you need a great certified nursing assistant (CNA) resume that illustrates your genuine passion for patient care. Rather than detailing mundane job responsibilities, the key is to focus on describing your most impressive clinical achievements. In this guide, we’ll provide expert advice to help you craft an exceptional resume that conveys the value you can bring to patients and health care organizations.
When creating a CNA resume, opt for a clean, professional layout that allows the hiring manager to easily navigate your health care qualifications. A well-structured template should include the right amount of white space, allowing your sections to breathe without arbitrarily increasing the length of your resume.
Your opening summary is often the first thing the hiring manager reads during the applicant screening process, so it’s important to make every word count. Create an engaging overview of your background within the nursing field, emphasizing your unique areas of clinical expertise. For example, you might draw attention to your experience delivering compassionate care to patients in oncology units.
An accomplished CNA with eight years of experience delivering exceptional patient care in hospital and nursing home settings. Adept at collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to drive positive patient outcomes and enhance clinical operations.
I’m an enthusiastic and hardworking nursing assistant who enjoys helping others. I’m an expert at finding solutions and completing clinical tasks in a timely manner. I’m excited about the opportunity to advance my career as a CNA at your esteemed hospital.
Your professional experience section is a key component of your CNA resume, displaying the most impressive aspects of your work history within the medical field. When crafting your bullet points, incorporate hard data to demonstrate how your efforts positively impacted clinical operations. For instance, drawing attention to a high nurse-patient ratio provides additional context for the hiring manager, making a high patient satisfaction score all the more impressive.
Certified Nursing Assistant, Mercy Hospital, New York, NY | April 2018 – present
Certified Nursing Assistant | Mercy Hospital | New York, NY | April 2018 – present
Unlike an RN, CNAs aren’t required to hold a college degree. Completing a CNA program in your state is normally sufficient for most job applications. That said, obtaining an associate degree in nursing or additional clinical certifications can help better prepare you for the position and help facilitate your long-term career advancement.
Education:
Relevant Certifications:
Most health care organizations rely on ATS to identify qualified candidates for job openings during the hiring process. To pass the initial screening phase, integrate keywords from the posting into your resume. As a CNA, you need a combination of clinical knowledge and strong interpersonal skills to excel, so be sure to feature both when building out your skill section.
| Acute care | Medication administration |
| ADLs | Mobility assistance |
| Clinical operations | Multi-disciplinary collaboration |
| Communication | Patient care |
| Electronic health records (EHR) | Patient education |
| Geriatric care | Patient-centered care |
| HIPAA regulations | Pediatric care |
| Infection prevention | Vital signs monitoring |
Resume.org offers free, HR-approved resume templates to help you create a professional resume in minutes.
Build Your ResumeChoosing the right template for your CNA resume is critical. Opt for a simple, clean design that highlights your qualifications without overwhelming the reader with unnecessary visuals. Prioritize templates that allow you to clearly display your skills, certifications, and experience, ensuring that hiring managers can quickly see your qualifications. Avoid overly creative or complex layouts that may distract from your experience or make it difficult for ATS to process your resume.
John Bergsen
[email protected] | (123) 456-7890 | City, ST | LinkedIn | Portfolio
A CNA with six years of experience providing patient care in both hospital and long-term care settings. A proven track record of identifying opportunities to enhance clinical efficiency and improve the delivery of patient-centered care.
Certified Nursing Assistant, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD | May 2020 – present
Baltimore General Hospital, Baltimore, MD | June 2018 – May 2020
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), State of Maryland | June 2018
Associate of Science (A.S.) Nursing
Baltimore College, Baltimore, MD | June 2018
Why this certified nursing assistant resume example is strong:
In this example, the candidate uses clinical data to their advantage, effectively demonstrating how their contributions had a positive impact on patient care delivery. They also display their experience training new CNAs, effectively illustrating their leadership attributes.
Incorporating action verbs is a great way to help the hiring manager visualize your contributions. Using proactive language allows you to own your achievements. For instance, notice the difference between these two bullet points:
Although the changes in word choice are subtle, the second bullet point is far more impactful because it highlights the collaborative aspect of their role. Below, we’ve compiled a list of action verbs you can use when building your professional experience section:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Administered | Implemented |
| Assessed | Improved |
| Collaborated | Managed |
| Communicated | Monitored |
| Conducted | Oversaw |
| Coordinated | Performed |
| Educated | Provided |
| Enhanced | Supervised |
| Identified | Treated |
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing assistant occupations are expected to grow by 4% between 2023 and 2033. While CNA roles are expected to continue growing at an average rate, you’ll still face strong competition when pursuing positions at the most prestigious hospitals. To maximize your odds of landing the interview, properly tailor your resume to the job description.
For example, if a hospital is seeking a CNA with a strong background in delivering care to geriatric patients, you might emphasize how you consistently found ways to preserve patient dignity while assisting with ADLs.
Reverse chronological is the ideal format for CNAs. This approach places your professional experience towards the top of your document, allowing the hiring manager to quickly see your most notable clinical achievements. A combination format should only be considered for entry-level candidates who need to prioritize skills, education, and certifications to compensate for a lack of work history.
Career Coach
Irina Pichura, founder of Resumeology, is a renowned career coach with over 10 years of recruiting experience at Fortune 500 companies like Goldman Sachs and ADP, as well as startups such as Investopedia. With a degree in Psychology from Fordham University in New York City, Irina offers a unique perspective on what it takes to stand out in a competitive job market.
Resume.org offers free, HR approved resume templates to help you create a professional resume in minutes. Choose from several template options and even pre-populate a resume from your profile.
