How to create an original resume for Certified Nursing Assistant

If you’ve finished your nursing assistant training and you’re currently looking for a new challenge or a new position without knowing how to prepare a resume describing your situation, then be sure to check out this article for help.

Last update:
01/01/2024
Format :
Size :
Customizable :
Word (Microsoft)
A4
Yes

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a nursing assistant can earn a median annual wage of approximately $30,850, which is about $14.82 per hour. Likewise, the same department reports that the highest levels of employment in nursing assistants correspond to nursing care facilities and general medical and surgical hospitals.

The federal government projects that the employment of nursing assistants is projected to grow 8 percent from 2019 to 2029.

On the other hand, there are always emerging opportunities in this field attracting countless candidates looking for a position. Therefore, a good certified nursing assistant resume is key to taking this advantage.

The best format for your CNA resume

There are three main types of formats of resumes and these are the most used ones in the professional world in recent years for the job search. They’re listed as follows:

  • Chronological resume: In this one, the priorities are the academic experience or professional achievements, and the job experiences going from the first one to the last one.
  • Functional resume: In this format, motivations, skills, or abilities of the user are brought forward above experience and education.
  • Hybrid resume: With this format, you’ll have the chance of modifying your resume to your liking by emphasizing your most powerful sides (work experience, motivations ...)

When you write a resume for a nursing assistant, the best format would be a hybrid resume. With this one, your academic training and skills will appear in an orderly and most professional way.

Describing your professional profile in a resume

A professional profile will allow you to present yourself to an employer directly and objectively by bringing your abilities suitable for the position forward.

For nursing assistants, the main task is to help patients with activities of daily living and other healthcare needs. For this reason, you can use this data on your resume and adapt this date to your request in the most professional way.

A positive professional resume profile sample:

CORRECT
Nursing assistant specialized in child care. Empathetic and responsible. My work steps forward thanks to my great empathy with children. I finished my nursing assistant training program with one of the 5 best grades in the class and I’m currently looking for a new professional challenge to give my best.

A negative professional resume profile sample:

INCORRECT
I’ve recently finished my nursing assistant training program and I need to look for a job. I’m not very good with elderly people, but I would do anything to have a stable job, I don’t usually cause problems and I have many years of experience in caring for people.


resume certified nursing assistant

What hard skills and soft skills to include in a certified nursing assistant resume?

Some skills have maximum importance for nursing assistants, according to The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).

You should include and emphasize the ones most fitting with your profile to your resume. Check out the examples below:

  • Oral and written communication in patients’ own language
  • Advanced communication skills
  • Basic computer skills
  • Information management skills (ability to search and analyze information from various sources)
  • Time management
  • Physical Strength
  • Empathy
  • Ability to apply knowledge in practice
  • Knowledge of medical terminology
  • Ability to learn
  • Proper hygiene

Additional information to be included into a resume

Remember, when you apply for a nursing assistant job and want to become prominent, there will be some other paramount details.

For instance, having a driving license and owning a vehicle can impress an employer in terms of punctuality.

Note: you should also emphasize your language knowledge in your resume; hospitals have many opportunities for people who speak other languages as there might be foreign patients they need to communicate with.

You should also indicate all your office programs or software knowledge such as excel, PowerPoint, use of templates, Microsoft word, etc. It’s important to adapt to new technologies and show with your resume that you’re ready for it.

Conclusions or recommendations for your certified nursing assistant resume

The nursing assistant profession requires very high dedication, passion, and determination to be part of the healthcare team that keeps our health as good as possible.

You must indicate your motivation and knowledge in your nursing assistant resume, specifying that you were born for this, and you desire to get the job that will make you feel like you have achieved your goals.

Never forget to create a resume in a clear and simple order and a professional one, so that you don’t need to indicate too much information.

It’s necessary to indicate your soft skills and caring skills. By doing so, your recruiter will know that you’re aware of what is required for a nursing assistant job. Follow these steps and you’ll greatly increase your chances of landing a job as a nursing assistant.

Frequently asked questions

What are the certifications to include in a nursing assistant resume?

Your nursing assistant license is the most important thing to include in a nursing assistant resume, it’s essential for this job. They’ll also ask you for your other training and expertise such as first aid, child and adult care, surgical care, etc.

How to write a nursing assistant resume if you are inexperienced?

In the case that you don’t have any experience, you should focus on mentioning your academic achievements, training, motivations, and soft skills in your resume.

You should form a professional goal that helps your company to understand your objectives. You should use a functional format in such a case if you don’t possess previous experience. By doing so, you’ll stress your strengths and close the gap in your experiences, and you should include it in your cover letter as well.


resume certified nursing assistant

Writing your experience in a nursing assistant resume

Focusing on preparing a resume is critical to illustrate your professional trajectory and capabilities to the recruiter.

You must indicate your previous workplaces, your positions and functions in those jobs.

Example of experience in a nursing assistant resume:

Certified nursing assistant. Sunrise Senior Home 08/2012 - 02/2017
  • Operating room assistance.
  • Provide social and emotional support.
  • Administration of adult medication.
  • Help residents with daily hygiene.
  • Assistance in residents’ meals and activities.
Certified nursing assistant. StatMD Hospital. Clinic. 02/2017 - 01/2020
  • Assisting with some medical procedures.
  • Transfer patients to the hospital facilities.
  • Bathing patients.
  • Feeding patients, measuring and recording their food and liquid intake.
  • Checking vital signs such as blood pressure and heart rate.

Being clear and direct are the most important aspects. You have to provide a sentence for each position that you worked in if possible and to indicate relevant dates.

We recommend you indicate companies, clinics, and hospitals you worked at, and highlight different positions where you have worked.


resume certified nursing assistant

Education and training in a certified nursing assistant resume

If you’re looking for a job as a nursing assistant, training is a highly important matter. For this reason, you need to state the appropriate studies and training that you obtained without exaggeration.

CNAs certainly have limited healthcare duties, partly because the educational requirements to become a certified nursing assistant are not as rigorous as other medical professions. Nevertheless, if you have an extra certification or even a bachelor’s degree, you should definitely point it out in your document.

If you have training in similar sectors, such as Red Cross courses, first aid courses, and external training in private schools, you should not hesitate to indicate as well.

Check this sample:

Training and education examples taking place in resume: 2012- Certified Nursing Assistant License Maryland Board of Nursing Baltimore, MD 2014- CPR Certification American Red Cross Baltimore, MD 2016- First Aid Certification American Red Cross Baltimore, MD

Here you should be clear, precise, and simple and show the date when you obtained your first certificate, as well as the center where you got it.

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