How to Write a Nurse Aide Resume
Writing a strong nurse aide resume starts with structure. Before you add any experience or skills, you need a clear, readable layout that highlights your strengths fast. The steps below walk you through exactly how to build a resume that works in healthcare.
1. Choose the Right Format
Before writing a single word, you need to lock down your resume format. Hiring managers want to find your professional experience, certifications, and skills fast, so the layout has to work for them, not just look good to you. The safest bet is a reverse chronological format, especially if you’ve already worked in a hospital setting or long-term care facility.
If you're just starting out or coming from another field, a functional format lets you push relevant skills like patient care, vital signs, and emotional support up top. Either way, your resume should be one page, with clean spacing and section headers that guide the eye. Stick to a font that looks like you didn’t type this in 2007, think Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica, size 11 or 12.
Use this structure to keep it clean:
- Name and contact info at the top
- A short professional summary
- Certifications and education next
- Work experience (or clinical training if you’re new)
- A skills section tied to nursing aide responsibilities
2. Create a Clean Header
Your resume header needs to say, “This is a professional, not someone who copy-pasted a school project.” It should include your full name, phone number, email, and city/state, no need for full address. Skip the extras like photos or a tagline unless you want your application recycled before it's read.
Make sure your email address sounds like a human who shows up on time. That means no “babygurlxoxo@yahoo.com.” If your current email isn’t cutting it, make a new one with just your name and keep it simple.
Here’s what your header should look like:
3. Write a Focused Summary
Your professional summary sits at the top for a reason. It’s the handshake before the conversation, short, confident, and tailored to what the job needs. This isn’t a life story. It’s 2–3 sentences that tell hiring managers you’ve got the credentials, experience, and mindset to deliver quality patient care.
This is where you can mention your certified nurse aide license, your most recent experience, and your core strengths like direct patient care, basic medical care, or monitoring vital signs. Show them you get the job without overselling it. If you’re new, write a short resume objective focused on what you bring and what kind of role you’re aiming for.
Strong example:
Weak example:Your summary should make someone nod and think, "We need to talk to this person."
4. List Your Certifications
This part is non-negotiable. If your nurse aide resume doesn’t show you’re licensed, you’re not getting called. You worked hard to earn your certified nursing assistant or certified nurse aide license, make sure it’s one of the first things recruiters see.
Create a separate section labeled Certifications, right under your summary or education. List each certification clearly, along with the issuing organization and expiration date. This also covers things like CPR, first aid, and any state-approved CNA program completions.
Here's what it should look like:
No fancy formatting, no walls of text. Just clean proof that you’re ready to work.
5. Add Your Education
No need to oversell your academic background, this section just needs to be accurate, clear, and easy to scan. List your state-approved CNA program first, and don’t bury it under unrelated schooling unless it’s relevant. This isn't the place for high school extracurriculars or “almost finished” nursing degrees you haven’t touched since 2021.
Include the program title, school name, location, and graduation date or expected date. If you’re still enrolled, write “Expected June 2025” so hiring managers know you’re on track. Keep the formatting consistent with the rest of your aide resume.
Example:Nursing Assistant Certificate
Front Range Community College – Westminster, CO
Graduated: August 2023
If you’re light on experience, education and certs will carry your resume, don’t leave this part vague or messy.
6. Detail Your Work Experience
This section separates the contenders from the maybes. Use clear, action-based bullet points to show exactly how you’ve provided nursing care, assisted patients, or supported patient care initiatives. Even if you’ve only done clinicals or volunteer work, you still have solid experience to pull from.
Structure each entry with your job title, location, and dates worked. Then add 3–5 bullets that prove you’ve contributed to direct patient care, tracked blood pressure, or helped with feeding patients, medication administration, or daily living tasks. Show impact, not just duties.
Strong bullets:
If your experience section looks like a grocery list with no verbs, go back and rewrite it. This is where your proven track record of delivering compassionate care needs to shine.
7. Include the Right Skills
This section is where you showcase what you’re actually good at. The goal isn’t to throw in every buzzword you can think of, it’s to reflect the patient care skills and strengths that apply to real CNA work. Think of what you do daily that keeps things running smoothly for patients and your healthcare teams.
Split your list into technical and soft skills to make it easy to scan. Technical skills cover things like documented vital signs, medication administration, and working with electronic health records. Soft skills can include things like communication skills, emotional support, and patient advocacy.
Some top skills to include:
Don’t just copy-paste these. Match your own resume to the job description and reflect what’s real for you.
8. Use Keywords and Make It ATS-Friendly
Before your resume ever hits a hiring manager’s inbox, it usually has to pass an applicant tracking system (ATS). That means the wording you choose really matters. These systems scan your resume for exact terms like certified nurse aide, basic medical care, or nursing assistant, so skipping them could cost you the interview.
Use the language from the actual job post. If it says “assist patients with mobility,” you better say “assist patients with mobility” somewhere in your professional experience or skills section. Sprinkle these terms naturally throughout your resume so it sounds human, not like a broken keyword machine.
Key phrases to work in when relevant:
9. Add Extras That Strengthen Your Application
This section isn’t required, but it’s the cherry on top if done right. Include supplemental informations that actually support your ability to provide outstanding patient care, not random trivia about your side hustle or your dog’s Instagram. These can help paint the picture of a well-rounded, ready-to-go healthcare professional.
Examples of worthwhile extras:- Fluent in Spanish (great for patient outcomes and communication)
- Completed community service in elder care homes
- Trained in handling dementia care or end-of-life care
- Strong physical fitness for lifting and assisting patients
If you’ve worked in different healthcare disciplines, make that known here. Just keep it job-focused.
10. Proofread and Save It Right
All this work means nothing if your resume has typos, weird spacing, or is saved as something like “My own resume.docx.” Attention to detail is part of high-quality care, your resume should reflect that. Proofread it once, then again with fresh eyes or a second person if possible.
Keep your formatting consistent. Make sure bullets line up, spacing isn’t chaotic, and you’re using the same date format throughout. Then save it as a PDF unless the employer says otherwise, and use a professional file name like:
Jordan_Vance_CNA_Resume.pdf
This one step tells potential employers you're serious, organized, and ready to be part of their nursing staff.
Nurse Aide Resume Example: Jordan Vance
Below is a complete, job-ready certified nurse aide resume you can use for inspiration or even borrow from directly. It follows all steps from the guide and reflects keywords employers (and applicant tracking systems) are scanning for; like vital signs, basic patient care, and patient safety. The tone is professional, the structure is clear, and it’s built to stand out in a stack.
Jordan Vance
jordan.vance@gmail.com | (555) 123-4567 | Denver, CO
Professional Summary
Compassionate certified nursing assistant with 2+ years of experience in long-term and post-acute care environments. Skilled in assisting with daily living tasks, monitoring and documenting vital signs, and delivering quality patient care with empathy and precision. Dedicated to improving patient outcomes and supporting overall patient safety through strong communication and dependable care.
Certifications
- Certified Nurse Aide (CNA), Colorado Board of Nursing – Expires May 2026
- Basic Life Support (BLS), American Heart Association – Expires March 2025
- CPR and First Aid Certified
Education
Nursing Assistant Certificate
Front Range Community College – Westminster, CO
Graduated: August 2023
Professional Experience
Certified Nurse Aide
Mountain View Health & Rehab – Arvada, CO
September 2023 – Present
- Provide basic patient care for up to 15 residents per shift, including personal hygiene, mobility, and nutrition
- Accurately document blood pressure, temperature, and pulse in electronic health records
- Support nursing staff by assisting with repositioning, feeding patients, and reporting changes in condition
CNA Intern (Clinical Rotation)
Pine Grove Assisted Living – Boulder, CO
May 2023 – August 2023
- Delivered hands-on care during 120-hour clinical, including transporting patients and observing medication administration
- Collaborated with healthcare teams to maintain clean, safe patient environments and follow all safety protocols
- Practiced patient advocacy by addressing comfort needs and providing consistent emotional support
Skills
- Vital signs monitoring
- Feeding and mobility assistance
- Basic medical care
- Patient care documentation
- Compassionate care delivery
- Familiarity with medical terminology
- Strong communication skills and teamwork
- Fluent in Spanish
Conclusion
A well-structured nurse aide resume should clearly show your certifications, skills, and hands-on experience. Keep it focused, easy to read, and aligned with the job requirements. Make sure every section supports your goal of working in patient care.
