RESUME EXAMPLE · HEALTHCARE AND CAREGIVING
Certified nursing assistant (CNA) resume example and how to adapt it
A CNA resume should make it clear from the first line that you hold an active certification and what kind of facility you’ve worked in. In the US, certified nursing assistants complete a state-approved training program, pass their state’s competency exam and are listed on the state nurse aide registry. Requirements and even titles vary by state (Ohio, for example, uses State Tested Nurse Aide, or STNA), so write yours exactly as your state does.
Next, the nurse or manager reading it wants to know which care you’re skilled at and with which patients: bathing and personal care, transfers and ambulation, feeding assistance, pressure injury prevention, vital signs or support for surgical services. Spell out whether you worked in a hospital, a skilled nursing facility, assisted living, home health or hospice, because the pace and the tasks change a lot from one setting to another.
CNA resume example
Tanya Williams
Certified nursing assistant with 7 years in hospital, surgical and long-term care
Sacramento, CA · tanya@example.com
Professional summary
Certified nursing assistant with seven years of experience on a hospital medical-surgical unit, in surgical services and in a skilled nursing facility. Skilled in bathing, repositioning and feeding dependent patients and in recording vital signs and intake and output in the EHR, with cross-training in operating room turnover and instrument processing. Experienced with residents living with dementia and with end-of-life comfort care. Active California CNA certification and BLS. Looking for a full-time position on a hospital unit or in surgical services.
Experience
Capitol Valley General Hospital · Sacramento, CA
- Care for 10 to 12 patients per shift on a 30-bed medical-surgical unit with many older, dependent adults.
- Provide bathing, repositioning every two hours and mechanical lift transfers according to the nursing care plan.
- Record vital signs, intake and output and weights in Epic and report any change to the patient’s nurse right away.
- Joined the unit’s falls prevention team, which checked bed alarms, call lights and room signage.
Foothill Surgical Pavilion · Roseville, CA
- Prepared operating rooms for orthopedic and general surgery cases with the right supplies and equipment, and helped the team position patients.
- Cross-trained in sterile processing: decontaminated, inspected and assembled instrument trays and logged each load for tracking.
- Transported patients between pre-op, the operating rooms and the recovery unit (PACU).
Oak Meadow Health and Rehabilitation · Elk Grove, CA
- Cared for 10 to 12 residents per shift with varying levels of dependence: bathing, dressing, feeding and incontinence care.
- Assisted residents with dysphagia at meals, following speech therapy orders for thickened liquids and modified textures.
- Supported recreational activities and welcomed families during visits, referring clinical questions to the charge nurse.
Education
Sierra Valley Career College
Skills
Languages
English · Native Spanish · Conversational
Certifications
- Certified Nursing Assistant, California Department of Public Health (active)
- Basic Life Support (BLS), American Heart Association (2025)
- Safe patient handling and mobility training (20 hours)
- Hospice and palliative care training for nursing assistants (40 hours)
CNA resume summary: 3 examples
Your summary is the first thing a recruiter reads. Pick the one closest to your situation and rework it until it sounds like you. You will find more formulas in our resume summary guide.
Newly certified nursing assistant who completed a state-approved training program with clinical hours in a nursing home and on a hospital surgical unit. Hands-on practice bathing and repositioning bedbound patients, taking vital signs, setting up supplies for dressing changes and restocking rooms. BLS-certified and listed on the state nurse aide registry. Available for rotating shifts, nights, weekends and PRN work in hospitals and long-term care.
CNA with six years at a children’s hospital and its outpatient clinics. Experienced in taking vital signs, getting patients ready for procedures and helping nurses teach parents basic care before discharge. Responsible for keeping supply rooms stocked to par levels and for daily equipment checks. Calm, gentle approach with anxious children and their families. Looking to join a pediatric inpatient or day hospital team.
CNA with ten years in surgical services, the last four in the sterile processing department of a regional hospital. Experienced in preparing operating rooms for scheduled and emergency cases, with solid knowledge of the instrument sets for each specialty and of the chemical and biological indicators used to verify sterilizer loads. Trainer for new staff on decontamination, clean-side workflows and instrument tracking. CRCST-certified. Looking to keep working in surgical services or lead a sterile processing shift.
How to describe your experience as a CNA
Start each bullet with an action verb and, whenever you can, add the result. Use these lines as a starting point: swap in your own details and delete anything you have not done.
- Cared for [number] patients per shift on [unit], providing bathing, mobility and feeding support according to the care plan.
- Helped cut operating room turnover time by [number] minutes by organizing instrument trays by procedure type.
- Supported a pressure injury prevention program with scheduled repositioning and daily skin observations reported to the nurse.
- Spotted and reported changes in patients’ condition to the nurse, allowing early intervention.
- Kept the unit’s supply room stocked to par levels with no stockouts.
- Trained [number] new CNAs on the unit’s routines and protocols.
- Assisted residents with dysphagia using the textures and thickened liquids ordered by speech therapy.
- Supported patients and families during end-of-life care with respect and discretion.
- Tracked sterile instrument sets with the department’s tracking software.
- Completed hourly rounds on assigned patients, helping reduce call light use and falls on the unit.
- Took part in fire and evacuation drills and mock code training on the unit.
Skills for a CNA resume
Hard skills
- Bathing, grooming and personal care
- Transfers, ambulation and mechanical lifts (Hoyer)
- Repositioning and pressure injury prevention
- Vital signs, intake and output
- Feeding assistance and modified diets
- Cleaning, disinfection and instrument processing
- Basic surgical instruments
- Specimen collection (urine, stool, sputum)
- Isolation precautions and infection control
- Electronic health records (Epic, PointClickCare)
- Supply par levels and restocking
- CPR and Basic Life Support
Soft skills
- Dignity and respect in every interaction
- Patience with confused or anxious patients
- Sharp eye for changes in condition
- Clear communication with nurses
- Physical and emotional stamina
- Discretion and patient privacy
- Teamwork across rotating shifts
Only list skills you can back up with an example from your experience. More ideas in our guide to resume skills.
Common keywords in CNA job postings
These terms show up often in job postings for this role. If they truly describe you, use them with the same wording as the posting so both the recruiter and the applicant tracking system (ATS) can find them.
Tips for your CNA resume
Write out your certification and the state that issued it
Write “Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)” in full along with the abbreviation, so you match recruiters who search either way. Add the state where you’re certified and note that you’re active on its nurse aide registry. If you’re moving to another state, check its rules for transferring your certification (often called reciprocity) before you apply, and write “transfer in process” if that’s your case.
Name each setting and unit
A hospital, a skilled nursing facility, assisted living, home health and hospice have little in common day to day. Name the unit (medical-surgical, orthopedics, telemetry, memory care, rehab) and the type of patient. If you want to move from long-term care to a hospital, highlight the skills they share: vital signs, safe transfers, pressure injury prevention and isolation precautions.
Stay within your scope of practice
Make sure your bullets describe tasks a CNA can actually do. In most settings, CNAs don’t give medications, perform assessments or handle sterile procedures; if you helped with one, say so plainly: “assisted the nurse with wound care.” Scope varies by state and facility policy (some states certify medication aides separately), and nurse managers quickly spot a resume that overstates duties.
Hospital or nursing home: adapt your CNA resume
Hospitals look for acute care experience, vital signs, EHR charting and the ability to keep up with fast admissions and discharges; some value extra skills such as EKGs or phlebotomy if you’re certified in them. Nursing homes and assisted living value consistency, dementia care and relationships with residents and families. Reorder your bullets for each and adapt your professional summary to the facility.
Back up soft skills with real situations
Patience, compassion and a caring attitude appear on every CNA resume. To make them count, tie each one to a real situation: comfort care at the end of life, calming a resident with dementia, reassuring a worried family member. Our guide to resume skills explains how to show them through your experience.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a CNA, a nursing assistant and a PCT?
“Nursing assistant” is the general job; “certified” means you passed your state’s competency exam and are listed on its registry. Hospitals often use titles such as patient care technician (PCT) or patient care assistant, which may add skills like EKGs or blood draws with extra training. Use the title from the job posting and keep “CNA” on your resume so you show up in both searches.
What should I put on my CNA resume if I only have clinical hours?
Treat your clinical hours as your first experience: facility, unit, number of hours and tasks. Add volunteer work with older adults or people with disabilities, any customer-facing job and caring for a family member if it applies. Our guide to a resume with no experience helps you organize it so it doesn’t look empty.
Can I work as a caregiver or home health aide with a CNA certification?
Often, yes. CNA training covers most of what home care and home health aide jobs require, though some states and agencies ask for extra training, a competency test or registration. If that’s your goal, emphasize activities of daily living, dementia care and communication with families. See our caregiver resume example for a model.
Should I put my CNA certification number on my resume?
It’s optional. List the certification, the issuing state and “active,” plus the expiration or renewal date if your state uses one. Employers will verify your status on the state nurse aide registry, so keep your number handy for the application form.
How do I show I’m working toward becoming a nurse?
Add your LPN or RN program under Education with the school and your expected graduation date (“ADN program, expected May 2027”). Mention it briefly in your summary too: many hospitals like hiring CNAs who are in nursing school, and some offer tuition assistance, so it can work in your favor.