Get Career-Ready with These CNA Resume Tips (and Examples)

The number of nursing assistants in the U.S. is projected to increase 4% from 2023 to 2033.¹ If you’re ready to pursue a job in this healthcare position and you have your certification — making you a Certified Nursing Assistant or CNA — the next step is to create your CNA resume. If you’re not sure what that resume would look like, Ultimate Medical Academy (UMA) is here to help.

Here we share what information to include, along with providing a couple of CNA resume examples. If you just completed nursing assistant training and don’t have any experience, one example is a beginner CNA resume to help get you started. To begin, let’s go over the information you might want to include in this professional document.

Learn more about this healthcare role: What is a Nursing Assistant?

Key Elements of a CNA Resume

The goal of a resume is to tell a potential employer that you’re qualified for the open position and a good fit for that role. To convey this message, Indeed suggests that it contains seven elements:²

1. Professional header
2. Professional summary
3. Your education information
4. Relevant work experience
5. Related skills
6. Certifications
7. Additional accomplishments

Let’s look at each one and discuss how you can apply it to your CNA resume.

Professional header

The header is where you put your full name and contact information (phone number, email, city, and state). Since you have your certification, adding the CNA designation after your name can help this stand out.

CNA resume summary

This section is meant to provide a brief overview of your work experience and key skills related to the role. If you have no experience, title it “objective” instead of “summary” and share how the open job fits into your career plan.

Nursing assistant training or education

Nursing assistants generally must complete a state-approved education program to work in this role.³ When supplying information about your nursing assistant program on your CNA resume, provide the name of the diploma or degree, the institution you received it from, and the year you finished. If you graduated with honors, share that too.

Relevant work experience

If you have experience in a CNA role, tell the prospective employer. Include the employer’s name, job location, and dates you were employed (or if you’re still there). For each relevant job, add a few bullet points to explain your main job duties and accomplishments.

If you have no previous experience as a nursing assistant but completed an externship as part of your training program, share this information to show you have hands-on experience in this position. Also, list previous jobs that helped prepare you for the nursing assistant role. Maybe you worked in a factory and documented every time your equipment failed. Documenting patients’ health records is a CNA's duty, so your experience with this task may be helpful.

CNA resume skills

In this section, list the skills you’ve developed that can help you perform the required job duties. Important skills for nursing assistants include communication, compassion, patience, and physical stamina.³ Other skills that can transfer across industries include teamwork, organization, and adaptability.⁴

If you’re not sure which ones to list, look at the CNA job description for ideas. It may tell you the skills the employer desires. If you have those skills, be to include them on your resume.

CNA certification

While requirements can vary by state, you typically need to be certified (or licensed) to work in a nursing assistant role.³ Including this information on your CNA resume can help a prospective employer easily see that you have this qualification. After the name of the certification (Certified Nursing Assistant), share the institution or agency that awarded it.

Additional accomplishments

This information can be added to help tell an employer about your work ethic, your commitment to helping others, or your drive to pursue a healthcare career. You might list volunteer work, share awards you’ve received within your community, or name professional healthcare associations you’ve joined. Include dates for each.

CNA Resume Examples

Knowing what information to include can help you write your resume. But it can also be beneficial to see a resume example for a CNA, giving you an idea of what one looks like when it’s all put together. Here we share two CNA resume examples: one for someone with nursing assistant experience and one for someone new to this healthcare role.

Experienced CNA resume example

If you have experience as a nursing assistant or you’ve worked in a similar healthcare position, you might use this resume format:

Beginner CNA resume example

If you’re a new nursing assistant who has not yet gained experience in this role, you could create a resume using this format:

For more helpful tips when creating your CNA resume, check out our healthcare resume guide. If you’re interested in furthering your nursing assistant education and skills, we can help with that too.

Ready to Pursue Nursing Assistant Training? UMA is Here to Help

If you’d like to learn how to perform the duties required in this healthcare role, UMA offers a Nursing Assistant diploma program. It can be completed in 2 months or more⁵ and includes a 45-hour externship, giving you hands-on supervised training in an actual healthcare setting. If you don’t already have your certification, it also prepares you to sit for the CNA exam, if eligible.⁶

When you earn your Nursing Assistant diploma at UMA, you gain access to dedicated teams of professionals committed to providing you with student support in areas related to academics, financial assistance, career assistance, and more.

We’re here to help with your healthcare career in any way we can. Contact us to learn more or to enroll.

FAQs

• What do you do as a CNA? CNA job duties include helping patients eat, bathe, and use the restroom; measuring and recording vital signs; assisting with mobility; providing comfort; and communicating with the patient’s healthcare team.
• How to put CNA certification on a resume? Placing “CNA” after your name in the heading and including a dedicated “Certifications” section in your resume can help draw attention to your certification as a nursing assistant.
• What skills to put on a resume for CNA? Consider listing skills that are important for a CNA to have, such as communication, compassion, patience, and physical stamina.³ Also, pay attention to the skills the employer lists in the CNA job description. If you have any of these, be sure to let them know.
• What do I need to be a CNA? Requirements to take the CNA exam can vary depending on the agency administering the test. For instance, to take the CNA exam offered by the Florida Board of Nursing, you must successfully pass a background screening and either complete an approved training program with a minimum score; be 18 (or have a high school diploma) and achieve a minimum score on a competency exam; or complete curriculum developed by the Enterprise Florida Jobs and Education Partnership Grant with a minimum score.⁷ Check with your CNA exam provider to learn their eligibility requirements.