6 examples · Updated October 2026
Certified Nursing Assistant Resume Examples and CNA Templates
A strong certified nursing assistant resume proves three things fast: your certification is active on the state nurse aide registry, you can safely carry a full assignment, and nurses can count on you. Lead with the CNA credential and BLS, then quantify residents per shift, falls prevented and attendance.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) resume at a glance
- Best format
- Reverse-chronological, one column, CNA and BLS near the top
- Length
- 1 page; 2 pages only for 10+ year leads
- Top skills
- Activities of daily living, Vital signs and charting, Safe patient transfers, Infection control and PPE
- Key credentials
- Active CNA on state registry, BLS Provider (AHA), Optional: CPCT/A (NHA)
- Median pay
- $42,260 a year ($20.32 an hour)Nursing Assistants, BLS 2025 wage data via O*NET
- Job outlook
- Average (3% to 4%)196,200 openings a year, 2025-2035 projection
6 certified nursing assistant (cna) resume examples for 2026
Below are 6 certified nursing assistant resume examples, from a CNA with no experience to a lead CNA, with copy-ready summaries, skills, bullets and a free template for each. The same advice fits a certified nurses aide resume, an Ohio STNA resume or an LNA resume. Each one is shown at true A4 size and comes with a free single-column Word version. Open any example to read it in full.
Swipe to see all 6 examples →
Gabriela Reyes, CNA
Certified Nurse Aide (CNA)
Houston, TX · gabriela.reyes@email.com · (555) 013-5521 · linkedin.com/in/gabrielareyes
Summary
Newly certified nurse aide on the Texas Nurse Aide Registry with a clinical practicum in a 120-bed skilled nursing facility and 3 years of fast-paced customer service. Trained in ADLs, vital signs, gait-belt transfers and point-of-care charting. Bilingual in English and Spanish and available for days, evenings or weekends in long-term care or rehab.
Core Competencies
Activities of daily living (ADLs) · Manual and electronic vital signs · Gait belt and pivot transfers · Repositioning and skin checks · Feeding assistance and tray setup · Intake and output recording · Infection control and PPE · Resident rights and privacy · Reporting changes to the nurse · Bilingual: English and Spanish
Professional Experience
Student Nurse Aide, Clinical Practicum, Cypress Hollow Health and Rehabilitation, Houston, TX Aug 2026-Sep 2026
- Completed 40 supervised clinical hours on a 30-bed long-term care hall, building up to a 5-resident assignment by the final week.
- Gave bathing, dressing, oral care and incontinence care with privacy and dignity, following each resident’s care plan under the RN instructor.
- Passed every skills checkoff on the first attempt, including gait-belt transfers, 2-hour repositioning and measuring urinary output.
Cashier and Customer Service Associate (Part-Time), Sunbelt Family Grocery, Houston, TX 2023-Present
- Serve 150+ customers per shift at the register and service desk, keeping cash drawer variances under $2 every month.
- Help older shoppers and customers with disabilities with carryout and motorized carts, building the patience and safe lifting used at the bedside.
- Keep a 26-hour weekly schedule with zero missed shifts, including through evening nurse aide training.
Volunteer, Adult Day Program, Heights Haven Adult Day Center, Houston, TX 2022-2024
- Led chair exercise, music and memory games for groups of 15-20 older adults, including members living with dementia.
- Translated daily schedules and family notices into Spanish for 12 Spanish-speaking members and their caregivers.
Education
Certified Nurse Aide Program, Houston Community College, 2026
High School Diploma, Houston, TX, 2023
Licenses & Certifications
Certified Nurse Aide (CNA), Texas Nurse Aide Registry, active since Oct 2026 · BLS Provider (American Heart Association)
Why this example works
- Treats the 40-hour clinical like a job, with hall size, resident load and skills checkoffs, so a new CNA still shows real patient care.
- Turns retail and volunteer work into CNA strengths: attendance, safe lifting, patience with older adults and Spanish for families.
- Puts registry status in the summary and certifications, answering the first screening question before a recruiter asks it.
Destiny Carter, CNA
Certified Nursing Assistant
Atlanta, GA · destiny.carter@email.com · (555) 019-2264 · linkedin.com/in/destinycarter
Profile
Certified Nursing Assistant with 6 years in skilled nursing and hospital care, now on a 40-bed long-term care and short-stay rehab unit. Provides ADLs, vital signs and safe mobility for 10 to 12 residents per shift and charts in PointClickCare. Works days or evenings plus every other weekend and is known for a calm bedside manner.
Professional Experience
Certified Nursing Assistant, Halvane Skilled Nursing, Atlanta, GA 2022-Present
- Give morning care, lift transfers, incontinence care and 2-hour turning to high-risk residents, closing all PointClickCare tasks before report.
- Helped reduce resident falls on the unit 18% in a year through the fall-prevention protocol: hourly rounds, scheduled toileting and footwear checks.
- Use redirection and steady bedtime routines with residents who have dementia, cutting evening behavior episodes from 12 to 7 a month.
Nursing Assistant, Corvane General Hospital, Atlanta, GA 2020-2022
- Supported nurses on a busy medical-surgical floor with vitals, hygiene, intake and output, and turning for 8-10 patients per shift.
- Maintained perfect attendance for 2 years and earned 3 written patient-family compliments for compassionate, unhurried care.
- Worked 20+ extra shifts during 2020-2021 COVID-19 surges, caring for isolation patients with strict PPE donning and doffing.
Dietary Aide (Part-Time), Ashbury Crest Senior Living, Decatur, GA 2018-2020
- Served meals to 60 assisted living residents, checking every tray against diet orders for pureed, minced, diabetic and low-sodium meals.
- Reported residents who were eating less or coughing at meals to the nurse, prompting swallow and weight follow-up.
Education
CNA Certificate, Atlanta Technical College, 2020
High School Diploma, 2019
Licenses & Certifications
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Georgia Nurse Aide Registry, active since Jun 2020 · BLS Provider, including CPR (American Heart Association) · First Aid (American Red Cross)
Core Skills
Activities of daily living (ADLs) · Vital signs, intake and output · Mechanical lift and sit-to-stand transfers · Fall prevention and hourly rounding · Turning and pressure injury prevention · Dementia care and redirection · Infection control and PPE · Catheter and incontinence care · PointClickCare POC charting · Resident and family communication
Why this example works
- Leads with resident load and a falls result, so a director of nursing sees safe, efficient care in the first lines.
- A measurable dementia-care result and her role training new aides show that nurses can delegate to her with confidence.
- Traces a steady path from dietary aide to hospital nursing assistant to CNA, proving years of dependable, resident-facing work.
Why this example works
- Leads with acute-care skills (ECG, phlebotomy, glucose) that separate a hospital PCT from a long-term care CNA.
- A stroke-alert escalation proves judgment within CNA scope: observe, report to the RN and act fast, backed by a unit safety-champion role.
- Shows growth from rehab CNA to float pool to PCT II with an ADN in progress, a profile hospitals with tuition programs value.
Applying through an online portal? Use the Word download: it is the same resume in a single-column, ATS-safe layout. Keep this two-column design for emailing and networking.
Bernadette Joseph, CNA
Certified Nursing Assistant, Home Health and Hospice
Fort Lauderdale, FL · bernadette.joseph@email.com · (555) 011-4086 · linkedin.com/in/bernadettejoseph
Skills & Tools
Summary
Hospice and home health CNA with 10 years of patient care, 5 of them making solo home visits for a 22-patient caseload. Gives personal and comfort care to patients with end-stage heart and lung disease, dementia and cancer. Fluent in Haitian Creole, French and English.
Professional Experience
Hospice and Home Health Aide (CNA), Coral Breeze Hospice and Home Health, Fort Lauderdale, FL 2021-Present
- Make 5-6 home visits daily across the caseload, providing bathing, oral care, skin care, linen changes and safe transfers.
- Report new pain, skin breakdown or breathing changes to the case manager RN during the visit, supporting faster symptom relief.
- Document every visit in Homecare Homebase with EVV check-in, keeping 99% of visit notes complete within 24 hours for 3 years.
Certified Nursing Assistant, Brennock Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Pompano Beach, FL 2017-2021
- Cared for 10-12 long-term residents per shift on a 44-bed hall, providing ADLs, vital signs and 2-hour turning schedules.
- Joined the facility comfort-care team, giving mouth care, repositioning and bedside presence to 30+ residents in their final days.
- Requested by name for Haitian Creole-speaking residents, easing daily communication about pain, meals and personal care preferences.
Personal Care Aide, Mangrove Lane Companion Care, Miami, FL 2016-2017
- Provided companionship, housekeeping, meals and medication reminders for 4 older adults in their homes.
- Reported a client’s new confusion and fever to her family and agency supervisor the same day, leading to prompt UTI treatment.
Education
Nursing Assistant Certificate, Atlantic Technical College, 2017
Licenses & Certifications
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Florida Board of Nursing, active since May 2017 · Home health aide competency evaluation, 2021 · BLS Provider (American Heart Association) · Valid Florida driver’s license and insured vehicle
Why this example works
- Proves she can work alone: daily visit volume, same-visit reporting to the RN and documentation finished on time.
- Names hospice and comfort-care experience plainly, which is what hospice hiring managers screen for first.
- Lists a valid driver’s license and insured vehicle with her credentials, answering the first compliance question every home health agency asks.
Rachel Fischer, CNA, CMA
Certified Medication Aide
Wichita, KS · rachel.fischer@email.com · (555) 016-3392 · linkedin.com/in/rachelfischer
Profile
Certified Medication Aide and CNA with 7 years in long-term care, the last 3 passing medications to 26-30 residents per shift in a 90-bed skilled nursing facility. Gives oral, topical, eye and ear medications via PointClickCare eMAR under nurse supervision, with zero reportable errors.
Professional Experience
Certified Medication Aide (CMA), Prairie Hearth Nursing and Rehab, Wichita, KS 2023-Present
- Run morning and noon med passes on 2 halls, finishing 98% within the 1-hour window and reporting refused doses to the nurse.
- Check apical pulse and blood pressure before cardiac medications, reporting readings outside ordered parameters to the nurse before dosing.
- Caught a duplicate antibiotic entry during a med pass and held it pending nurse review, preventing a possible double dose.
Certified Nurse Aide (CNA), Prairie Hearth Nursing and Rehab, Wichita, KS 2021-2023
- Cared for 10-12 residents per shift on a 30-bed long-term care hall, providing ADLs, vital signs, weekly weights and repositioning.
- Ran walking and range-of-motion programs for 8 residents as the hall’s part-time restorative aide.
- Chosen by the director of nursing for sponsored medication aide training based on attendance and charting accuracy.
Certified Nurse Aide, Memory Care, Kestrel Point Memory Care, Wichita, KS 2019-2021
- Supported 16 residents living with dementia on a secured unit, providing bathing, dressing, toileting and cueing at meals.
- Used life-story notes and calm redirection to ease sundowning, cutting evening resident-to-resident incidents from 6 to 2 a month.
Education
Certified Medication Aide Course (2023) and Certified Nurse Aide Course (2019), WSU Tech
Licenses & Certifications
Certified Medication Aide (CMA), Kansas Nurse Aide Registry, active since Apr 2023 · Certified Nurse Aide (CNA), Kansas Nurse Aide Registry, active since Jun 2019 · BLS (American Heart Association)
Core Skills
Oral, topical, eye and ear med pass · PointClickCare eMAR · Pre-medication vital signs · Medication rights · Crushing and thickened liquids · Held-dose reporting · Cart and storage checks · ADLs
Why this example works
- States the exact med-pass scope (routes, resident count, nurse supervision), so a reviewer never wonders if she works beyond her credential.
- Safety bullets show judgment: out-of-range vital signs reported before dosing and a caught duplicate order, each escalated to the nurse.
- Keeps CNA care and restorative work visible, because facilities hiring a CMA still need someone who can cover the floor.
Lorraine Whitfield, STNA
Lead State Tested Nurse Aide (STNA) and Restorative Aide
Cincinnati, OH · lorraine.whitfield@email.com · (555) 017-8853 · linkedin.com/in/lorrainewhitfield
Executive Profile
Lead STNA and restorative aide with 15 years in long-term care, memory care and hospital settings, the last 5 as lead aide on a skilled nursing and rehab campus. Works hand in hand with charge nurses and the restorative nurse, and brings Certified Dementia Practitioner training to residents with memory loss. Available for day shift and rotating weekends.
Core Competencies
Hall aide leadership and assignments · Restorative nursing programs (ROM, ambulation, splints) · Call-off coverage support (OnShift) · New aide orientation and peer mentoring · Fall and pressure injury prevention · Dementia care and behavior redirection · Safe patient handling and lift training · Restorative dining and weight-loss prevention · PointClickCare POC and restorative charting · State survey readiness · Comfort and end-of-life care · Resident and family communication
Professional Experience
Lead STNA and Restorative Aide, Larkspur Hill Health and Rehabilitation, Cincinnati, OH 2021-Present
- Lead 6-9 STNAs per shift on 2 rehab and long-term care halls of a 120-bed campus, setting assignments with the charge nurse by acuity and lift needs.
- Run daily walking, range-of-motion and splint schedules for 24 residents, following restorative plans set by the restorative nurse and physical therapy.
- Cut falls with injury on both halls from 9 to 4 a year by starting shift safety huddles and scheduled toileting rounds with the unit manager.
- Support the staffing coordinator on call-offs with a text-alert shift pickup list, helping cut agency aide shifts on the halls 40% in 18 months.
- Pair every new aide on the halls with a trained peer mentor for 3 weeks, helping lower first-90-day aide turnover from 45% to 22%.
Restorative Nursing Assistant (RNA), Larkspur Hill Health and Rehabilitation, Cincinnati, OH 2017-2021
- Delivered ambulation and range-of-motion programs to 15-18 residents a day, with 60% maintaining or improving walking distance each quarter.
- Applied hand and knee splints on schedules set by occupational and physical therapy, checking and documenting skin under every device.
- Ran a restorative dining group for 12 residents at risk of weight loss, raising average meal intake from 50% to 75%.
- Documented restorative minutes in PointClickCare to support accurate MDS coding, with no restorative findings in 2 annual state surveys.
- Taught 30+ floor STNAs to carry over walking and transfer programs on weekends, when restorative staff were off.
STNA, Memory Care Unit, Paddock Glen Memory Care, Cincinnati, OH 2013-2017
- Cared for 10-12 residents with moderate to late-stage dementia on a 24-bed secured unit, including bathing, toileting and hand-feeding.
- Introduced a 4 p.m. music-and-snack routine with the activities team, reducing evening exit-seeking episodes from 9 to 3 a quarter.
- Guided families through move-in week on routines and visit timing, easing transitions for 40+ new residents.
- Won the facility Dependability Award twice for covering holidays and 2 extra shifts a month.
Patient Care Assistant (STNA), Ostrell Regional Hospital, Cincinnati, OH 2011-2013
- Supported RNs on a 32-bed orthopedic and medical-surgical unit with vitals, intake and output, hygiene and turning for 8-10 patients.
- Walked post-joint-replacement patients with walkers per physical therapy orders, supporting the unit’s day-of-surgery mobility goal.
- Received 4 patient-nominated recognition cards in 2 years for respectful, unhurried care.
Home Care Aide (Part-Time), Quillmont Home Care, Cincinnati, OH 2009-2011
- Provided bathing, meal preparation and companionship for 5 older adult clients, which led to enrolling in STNA training.
- Logged care notes and medication reminders for each visit and flagged a client’s repeated falls to her family and supervisor.
Education
State Tested Nurse Aide Program, Great Oaks Career Campuses, 2011
Restorative Nursing Assistant course, facility-based, 2017
Licenses & Certifications
State Tested Nurse Aide (STNA), Ohio Nurse Aide Registry, active since Jul 2011 · Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners, 2024 · BLS Provider (American Heart Association)
Technical
PointClickCare (POC, restorative, reports) · OnShift scheduling · Hoyer, sit-to-stand and ceiling lifts · Microsoft Excel and Outlook
Training and Mentoring
- Co-teaches monthly lift and transfer refreshers with the staff development nurse
- Helps run the annual skills fair for 80+ aides on lifts, hand hygiene and bed safety
- Mentored 3 STNAs into restorative aide roles and 2 into LPN programs, 2019-2025
Committees and Recognition
- Falls and Safety Committee, STNA representative, 2019-Present
- QAPI pressure injury project team, 2023-2024
- Resident Council liaison for dining and call-light concerns, 2022-Present
- Employee of the Year, Larkspur Hill Health and Rehabilitation, 2020
Why this example works
- Opens the current role with team size, halls and restorative caseload, with assignments set alongside the charge nurse, the scope a director of nursing checks first.
- Every leadership bullet carries a metric administrators track: falls with injury, agency shifts, 90-day turnover and survey results.
- Shows the STNA to restorative aide to lead path on one campus, plus a CDP, proving promotability without a nursing license.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) resume summary examples
Copy the summary that matches your level, then swap in your own numbers, systems and specialties.
Newly certified nursing assistant who completed a state-approved nurse aide program, including supervised clinical hours in a skilled nursing facility. Skilled in ADLs, vital signs, safe transfers and infection control, with 2 years of retail experience that built patience and reliability. Seeking a first CNA role on day or evening shift in long-term care.
Certified nursing assistant with 5 years in long-term care, caring for 11-13 residents per shift on a 48-bed hall. Consistent with 2-hour turning, toileting plans and skin checks, with no facility-acquired pressure injuries among assigned residents in 2025. Trusted with new-hire shadowing and family questions on evening shift.
Hospital CNA and patient care technician with 4 years on medical-surgical and orthopedic units. Performs vital signs, point-of-care glucose, phlebotomy and 12-lead ECGs for 9-11 patients per shift and charts in Epic. Known for early escalation of changes in condition and a fall-free assignment record.
Home health CNA with 6 years of in-home care for older adults and hospice patients, making 5 visits a day across 3 counties. Provides bathing, transfers, comfort care and caregiver support, documents visits with EVV, and reports changes to the RN case manager the same day.
Certified medication aide and CNA with 4 years in assisted living and skilled nursing, passing medications to 30+ residents per shift under nurse supervision. Accurate with eMAR documentation, pre-administration vital signs and held-dose reporting, and able to switch to a full CNA assignment when the floor is short.
Lead CNA with 12 years in skilled nursing, leading 6-8 aides per shift on 2 halls and setting daily assignments with the charge nurse by acuity. Runs new-aide orientation, restorative walking programs and post-fall huddles with nursing, helping cut falls with injury on both halls. Dependable, calm under pressure and trusted by families.
Pre-nursing student and certified nursing assistant working 24 hours a week in a rehab facility while completing prerequisites. Handles ADLs, vital signs and transfers for 10 residents per shift, charts in PointClickCare, and is preparing for nursing school with a 3.8 science GPA.
Want one written around your own experience? Try the free resume summary generator.
Best skills for a certified nursing assistant (cna) resume
List the skills the job posting names, in the same wording, and prove the important ones in your experience bullets.
Hard skills
- Activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting)
- Vital signs, height and weight
- Intake and output measurement
- Safe transfers: gait belt, Hoyer and sit-to-stand lifts
- Turning, repositioning and skin checks
- Fall prevention and hourly rounding
- Feeding assistance and aspiration precautions
- Catheter, perineal and incontinence care
- Range of motion and restorative ambulation
- Infection control, hand hygiene and PPE
- Dementia care and redirection
- Point-of-care documentation
- Post-mortem care
- Point-of-care glucose, ECG and phlebotomy (hospital roles)
Soft skills
- Observing and reporting changes promptly
- Patience with residents living with dementia
- Clear handoffs to nurses and the next shift
- Time management across a full assignment
- Respect for privacy, dignity and resident rights
- Calm communication with families
- Teamwork with nurses, therapists and partner aides
- Reliability and attendance
Tools and software
- PointClickCare (POC and eMAR)
- MatrixCare
- Epic (including Rover)
- MEDITECH Expanse
- Homecare Homebase (home health)
- Electronic visit verification (EVV) apps
- Hoyer and sit-to-stand mechanical lifts
- Electronic vital-sign monitors and pulse oximeters
- Bed exit alarms (hospital roles)
- Bladder scanner (hospital roles)
Certifications
- CNA certification on your state nurse aide registry (training program plus state competency exam)
- BLS Provider (American Heart Association) or CPR/AED (American Red Cross)
- Certified Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A), National Healthcareer Association
- Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT), National Healthcareer Association
- Certified EKG Technician (CET), National Healthcareer Association
- Certified Medication Aide or Medication Technician (state credential where allowed)
- Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), NCCDP
- Home health aide training and competency evaluation
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) resume bullet point examples
Strong bullets pair an action verb with a specific task and a measurable result. Adapt these to your own numbers.
Resident care and ADLs
- Completed full morning care for 9 residents on a post-stroke rehab hall, using one-sided dressing techniques, and had everyone ready for 9 a.m. therapy.
- Assisted 14 residents in a supervised dining room, following aspiration precautions and logging meal intake for 5 residents on weight monitoring.
- Provided bedside care for 4 bariatric residents using 2-person repositioning and a bariatric lift, with zero skin tears in 12 months.
Safety, infection control and quality
- Cut average call-light response time on a 32-bed hall from 9 to 4 minutes by splitting zones with partner aides and rounding hourly.
- Followed enhanced barrier precautions for residents with wounds and indwelling devices, scoring 100% on quarterly PPE audits.
- Found early heel redness on 3 residents during evening skin checks and reported it, so offloading boots were in place before skin broke down.
Observation, reporting and documentation
- Reported a resident’s sudden drop in fluid intake and dark urine to the nurse, leading to early treatment without a hospital transfer.
- Weighed a resident with heart failure at the same time each morning and reported a 5 lb gain in 3 days, prompting same-day provider review.
- Gave structured handoffs on 12 residents every shift, helping cut missed repositioning and toileting tasks found in audits by half.
Training, teamwork and reliability
- Demonstrated safe transfers and resident-centered bathing to 9 nursing students during their long-term care clinical rotation.
- Took a dedicated cohort assignment during a facility flu outbreak, keeping ill residents and supplies on 1 hall; no cases spread to the other 3 halls.
- Partnered with the activities team to run a weekly hand-massage and reminiscence hour for 10 residents receiving hospice care.
Hospital, home health and hospice
- Applied telemetry leads and changed monitor batteries for 10-12 patients per shift, cutting leads-off alarms reported by the monitor tech.
- Covered a rural 2-county territory, driving 900+ miles a month with no missed visits and no vehicle incidents in 3 years.
- Supported families of 15+ hospice patients at the time of death, providing post-mortem care alongside the hospice nurse after the pronouncement visit.
Action verbs for a certified nursing assistant (cna) resume
Start each bullet with a precise verb instead of “responsible for”.
- Assisted
- Bathed
- Repositioned
- Transferred
- Ambulated
- Fed
- Measured
- Recorded
- Charted
- Observed
- Reported
- Escalated
- Monitored
- Comforted
- Prevented
- Reduced
- Trained
- Oriented
- Mentored
- Coordinated
- Covered
- Communicated
- Documented
- Advocated
- Encouraged
- Restored
- Maintained
- Supported
Find more by category with the free action verb finder.
Best resume format for a certified nursing assistant (cna)
Use a reverse-chronological CNA resume on 1 page, with certification and BLS near the top and experience showing residents per shift and results. New CNAs list clinical training like a job. Only lead CNAs with 10+ years need 2 pages. Single-column layouts parse best in applicant tracking systems.
| Your situation | Format | Length | Lead with |
|---|---|---|---|
| New CNA, no experience | Reverse-chronological with the clinical practicum listed first | 1 page | Registry status, clinical hours, transferable jobs |
| Long-term care CNA (1-8 years) | Reverse-chronological | 1 page | Residents per shift, falls and skin results, attendance |
| Hospital CNA or PCT | Reverse-chronological | 1 page | Unit type, ECG, phlebotomy, glucose, EHR |
| Home health or hospice CNA | Reverse-chronological | 1 page | Caseload, visits per day, EVV, driver’s license |
| Certified medication aide | Reverse-chronological | 1 page | Med-pass volume, routes, nurse supervision, accuracy |
| Lead CNA or restorative aide (10+ years) | Reverse-chronological | 2 pages | Team size, restorative caseload, staffing, training |
Every example above follows these rules. Browse more layouts in our free resume templates.
How to write a certified nursing assistant resume that gets interviews
A CNA resume is screened for one thing first: an active certification. Put your CNA credential, state registry and BLS where a director of nursing sees them in seconds, then prove hands-on care and reliability, the two things charge nurses and facility hiring managers look for.
Show care and dependability with numbers. Beyond listing ADLs and vital signs, quantify residents or patients per shift, falls prevented, skin results and attendance. Naming your charting system, such as PointClickCare or Epic, helps you pass the applicant tracking system and tells a busy unit you can start quickly.
Keep it to one page unless you are a lead CNA with 10+ years. A concise resume that leads with certification, lists core skills and backs them with reliability and resident outcomes reads as trustworthy and ready to work. Every CNA resume sample on this page follows that order.
Sample resume for a CNA with no previous experience
A CNA resume with no experience should treat your clinical training like a job: name the facility, the hours, the residents you cared for and the skills you passed. Put your registry status or exam date near the top so a facility can schedule you.
Paid work outside healthcare still counts. Retail, food service, childcare and volunteer roles prove attendance, patience, safe lifting and calm communication, which is what a charge nurse worries about with a new aide. Family caregiving can go in a short line if it involved bathing, transfers or medication reminders.
If you passed the exam but are not listed yet, write ‘Passed state nurse aide competency exam (October 2026); registry listing pending’. If the test is booked, write ‘State competency exam scheduled, November 2026’. Then name the setting and shifts you want in your summary.
Nursing assistant skills to put on a resume
List the nursing assistant skills the job posting names, then prove the important ones in your bullets. Facilities look for ADLs, vital signs, safe transfers, fall and skin prevention, infection control, dementia care and accurate point-of-care charting.
- Resident care: bathing, dressing, toileting, feeding assistance, repositioning
- Measurement: vital signs, weights, intake and output
- Safety: gait belt, mechanical lifts, fall precautions, low beds, hospital bed exit alarms
- Infection prevention: hand hygiene, PPE, isolation and enhanced barrier precautions
- Hospital add-ons: point-of-care glucose, 12-lead ECG, phlebotomy, telemetry leads
- Documentation: PointClickCare, MatrixCare, Epic or the system the posting names
Certified nurses aide resume titles: CNA, STNA, LNA and more
Use the exact title your state registry uses, then mirror the posting. Federal rules say nurse aide, and most states use certified nurse aide or certified nursing assistant (CNA), while Ohio uses State Tested Nurse Aide (STNA) and New Hampshire and Vermont use Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA).
Hiring systems treat these as different keywords. Write your credential once in full with its abbreviation, such as ‘State Tested Nurse Aide (STNA)’, and add ‘CNA’ or ‘nursing assistant’ to your summary if the posting uses that wording. A certified nurses aide resume follows the CNA resume structure.
CNA resume keywords to include for ATS
Applicant tracking systems match exact words from the posting, so repeat its title, setting and charting system wherever they are true for you. Spell out each credential once with its abbreviation.
- Titles: Certified Nursing Assistant, CNA, Certified Nurse Aide, Nursing Assistant, Patient Care Technician
- Settings: long-term care, skilled nursing, rehab, memory care, hospital, home health, hospice
- Care: ADLs, vital signs, intake and output, transfers, repositioning, feeding, incontinence care
- Safety: fall prevention, pressure injury prevention, infection control, PPE
- Systems: PointClickCare, MatrixCare, Epic, MEDITECH, EVV
Certified nursing assistant resume: what to include vs. what to avoid
| ✓ Include | ✗ Avoid |
|---|---|
| Active CNA certification: state registry, status and month and year earned, with the certification number optional | Duty lists copied from the job description with no numbers |
| BLS or CPR plus any added credentials (CPCT/A, CMA, CDP) with the issuing body | An expired or lapsed certification listed as active |
| Residents or patients per shift and the type of unit (long-term care, rehab, memory care, hospital) | Resident names, room numbers or any protected health information |
| Safety results: falls, pressure injuries, call-light times, infection-control audits | Tasks outside CNA scope, such as assessing patients or giving medications without a medication aide credential |
| Charting system and equipment: PointClickCare, Epic, Hoyer and sit-to-stand lifts | Unexplained gaps, especially ones that could affect registry status |
| Reliability proof: attendance, extra shifts covered, tenure | Photos, date of birth, Social Security number or copies of your certificate |
| Clinical training hours and facility for new CNAs | Adjectives like caring or hardworking with no proof behind them |
| Languages you use with residents and families | Multi-column templates, tables and text boxes that ATS parsers misread |
How to write a certified nursing assistant resume
- Lead with your certification. Put your CNA title after your name and list the certification, state registry and active status near the top, with BLS. If you hold certifications in more than one state, list each one so recruiters can confirm eligibility.
- Write a 3-sentence summary. Name your setting, years of experience and residents per shift, two skills from the posting and one result. New CNAs swap years of experience for clinical hours and the shifts they can work.
- List experience by setting. Under each employer, name the unit or setting (long-term care hall, rehab, memory care, telemetry, home health) and your typical assignment, so the reader can picture your workload.
- Quantify care and safety. Use numbers for residents per shift, falls, skin results, call-light response, extra shifts covered and aides you trained. Before-and-after figures are the most convincing, such as falls cut from 6 to 2 a quarter.
- Stay inside CNA scope. Describe what you observed, reported and did, not what the nurse decided. Write ‘reported new confusion to the RN’, not ‘assessed the patient’, and list medication tasks only if you hold a medication aide credential.
- Mirror the posting’s keywords. Repeat the posting’s title (CNA, nurse aide, STNA, PCT), setting and charting system where true. Add hospital skills like ECG or phlebotomy only if you are trained and competency-checked.
- Check format and ATS fit. Keep it to 1 page in a single-column, reverse-chronological layout with standard headings. Save it as PDF or DOCX as the portal asks, and run it through an ATS checker before you apply.
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) salary and job outlook
National figures for nursing assistants. Use them to benchmark offers, not as a promise for any single job.
Employment is projected to grow average (3% to 4%) from 2025 to 2035, with about 196,200 openings each year.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2025 wage data and 2025-2035 employment projections, via O*NET OnLine, Nursing Assistants (31-1131.00). Pay varies by state, employer and experience.
Cover letter tip for a certified nursing assistant (cna)
Name the facility, unit and shift you want in the first line, then share one result that fits it, such as residents per shift or a falls reduction. Confirm your registry status, BLS and weekend or night availability, and close by offering to shadow a shift with the charge nurse.
Start from our cover letter templates or draft one in seconds with the cover letter generator.
By uploading my resume, I agree to the
