Certified Nursing Assistant Resume (CNA) Resume Examples

Nurses have one of the most honorable professions in healthcare. They make sure patients are able to perform every day basic functions such as eating, bathing, and dressing up. However, even the best nurses need help. This is where the Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) comes in. 

Before applying for the job, make sure your Certified Nursing Assistant resume is in good health! Working as a CNA will provide a great experience for the Registered Nurse profession. Below, we’ll show you a CNA resume example to inspire you and help understand what you can put in the objective, skills, duties and responsibilities sections. 

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CNA resume sample

Lilian Kirby, CNA

  • Address: 2819 S Olive St Pine Bluff, AR
  • Phone: 501-565-0470
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Current job: Certified Nursing Assistant, Central Arkansas Hospital, Searcy, AR

Objective

To be able to demonstrate my expertise in the job, so as to help patients, as well as the institution, meet its goals and objectives toward providing excellent healthcare.


Skills

  1. Arkansas-Certified Nursing Assistant
  2. Expertise in providing basic quality-of-life health care needs
  3. Accurate medication administration and treatment skills
  4. Adeptness in information gathering and taking
  5. Excellent communication skills
  6. Team player
  7. Empathy
  8. Patience
  9. Compassion
  10. Cleanliness

Work Experience

CNA, 2017-present

Central Arkansas Hospital – Female Surgery Ward, Searcy, AR

Responsibilities

  • Provides direct patient care services
  • Documents patient’s progress/non-progress
  • Maintains accurate documentation regarding the patient’s status
  • Reports findings and uncanny incidents to the charge nurse
  • Maintains cleanliness and sterility in the area
  • Prepares patients for radiologic examinations
  • Changes dressings, gauzes and bandages as specified
  • Collects specimens and furnishes them to the laboratory department for the needed diagnostic procedures
  • Supports and interacts with the healthcare team

CNA, 2015-2017

Medical Center of South Arkansas – Oncologic Unit, El Dorado, AR

Responsibilities

  • Ensures the comfort, safety and over-all hygiene of the patient
  • Performs non-professional nursing duties
  • Ensures the cleanliness in the area
  • Records pertinent information, status, and data concerning the patient’s progress and well-being
  • Reports incidents and accidents to the charge nurse
  • Coordinates with medical professionals from other departments regarding the patient’s condition
  • Makes beds for patients
  • Assists in the mobilization and transfer of the patients
  • Assists patients during diagnostic tests
  • Replaces bandages and dressings as instructed
  • Collects specimens and sends them to the laboratory with accurate labels and requests

CNA, 2011-2015

Washington Regional Hospice Home, Fayetteville, AR

  • Responds to the needs/calls of residents
  • Assists hospice patients in conducting personal care (grooming, bathing, and hygiene)
  • Assists patients in eating
  • Obtains and records vital signs (Temperature, Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, Respiratory Rate) as well as the frequency of elimination patterns
  • Weighs patients
  • Provides sponge baths and perineal care
  • Assists patients in range-of-motion exercises
  • Documents findings on the patient’s chart as needed
  • Turns, positions and assists residents in ambulation
  • Changes dressings and bandages as required
  • Reports to the charge nurse regarding the status of the patient
  • Collaborates with the medical team in order to help in the treatment of the resident
  • Conducts health teaching as needed
  • Provides near-death care of patients
  • Conducts post-mortem care as warranted

Education

Cuesta College Online Campus, 2011
Certified Nursing Assistance Course
GPA 3.0

Heber Springs High School, 2007-2011
Heber Springs, AR
GPA 2.6


Courses

  1. Duties of a CNA
  2. Basic Patient Care
  3. Medical Assisting Basics
  4. Acute Care
  5. Proper Body Mechanics

 

Resume Objectives for a CNA

Getting certified, having a solid theoretical background on Nursing, and acquiring the correct technical skills are definitely big pluses. However, in the healthcare profession, having the right personality is equally, if not more important. Use the objective statement to highlight your most outstanding soft skills.

Soft skills are the behavioural or personality attributes that best define your approach to work. It’s easier to learn new skills in Nursing because your personality is a product of your life experiences. Who you are as a person will hardly change no matter how many technical skills you learn.

The objective statement will be the ideal section to give the recruiter an idea of who you are as a person.

  • Write In Your Own Voice

    If you were to meet the Interviewer in person, how would you introduce yourself? Keep the writing simple but conversational. Avoid using technical terms just to impress the reader. The most effective objectives are short and to the point. Ideally, it should be only 3-4 sentences long with only around 15-20 words per sentence.

  • Lead Off With The Primary Requirement

    Because the objective is located in the top third of the resume, you can be assured the recruiter will be able to read it. One of the most effective ways to capture the attention of the recruiter would be to start off with the primary job requirement. Let’s assume the primary requirement would be having the experience of working with the elderly: Certified Nursing Assistant with more than 6 years of work experience managing the needs of the elderly…In one sentence, you capture 3 job requirements:

    • Certification
    • 6 years of work experience
    • Experience working with the elderly

  • Identify The Prospective Employer

    By identifying the prospective employer in your resume, you are showing respect. Putting the name of the employer in the same sentence as your intent will highlight your level of personalization. Here is an example:

    Certified Nursing Assistant with more than 6 years of work experience managing the needs of the elderly. I understand that the Nursing team at Golden Acres Nursing Home is in need of assistance. To this regard, I am hopeful my application would be considered so I can contribute my experience and expertise for the benefit of your patients and staff.
    It will give a sense of importance to the employer knowing that you took the time to learn more about the organization and its immediate needs.

  • Include The In-Demand Hard Skills

    Did the job post specify certain hard skills? Does the hospital prefer a candidate who can operate medical equipment such as a Sphygmomanometer? Are bone injuries common that you have to be good in using a tourniquet? The job post will most certainly draw up a list of required hard skills. If you have them, make sure these technical skills are disclosed in your objective.

  • Include At Least 3 Soft Skills

    It is a good idea to close out your objective statement with a summary of your 3 most definitive soft skills. By putting soft skills at the end of your resume objective, it may give the recruiter a lasting impression of who you are as a person.

Resume Skills for a CNA

Although a CNA works under the supervision of a Registered Nurse, the position requires certain skills to get the tasks done correctly.

Can someone without a college degree become a CNA? Yes, because there are courses you can take to prepare you for the job. You will learn different skills that can help Nurses attend to the needs of their patients.

Of course, the more you work with Registered Nurses and doctors, you will continue to get better in performing life-saving techniques and first aid measures. Working in real-life situations and applying these skills to actual patients will make classroom learning much easier if you decide to pursue Nursing.

Here are some skills that are recommended to put in a Certified Nursing Assistant resume:

  • Knowledge of Basic Medical Conditions.
    As a Nursing Assistant, it would be great to have a solid background on physiological and biological issues. You will have a better understanding of how to treat infections and viral conditions. In some situations, time is of the essence. The sooner you can identify the symptoms the earlier you can apply the right treatment.
  • Ability to Perform First Aid Procedures. If a patient is bleeding or has a broken bone, first aid has to be performed right away. The same goes for a patient who has lost consciousness or one who appears to have had a stroke. If the Nurse is busy, the responsibility falls on the CNA to get the job done right.
  • Ability to Run a Preliminary Diagnostics Test.
    There are days when the Emergency Room is packed with patients. Doctors and nurses are running around. The first step is always a preliminary diagnostics test. A Certified Nursing Assistant is expected to perform the preliminary diagnostics test in order to save time. Even though time is of the essence, the diagnostics test must be as thorough as possible. The next few steps as prescribed by the Nurse or attending physician will depend on it.
  • Effective Time Management and Organizational Skills. The hospital can be chaotic. It is not just in the Emergency Room. Despite the chaos and confusion, the CNA must hold down the fort by keeping work organized. Patients must be attended to and evaluated. Reports have to be made. Information has to be collected and submitted to the Nurse. Sometimes while attending to one patient, you may be called to handle an incoming emergency. The best and most effective Certified Nursing Assistants are able to keep it together and perform their tasks without a hitch.
  • Excellent Communication Skills.
    In addition to the Registered Nurse, you will also be talking to the doctors, other CNAs, personnel from other departments, the patients themselves, and their families. Having the ability to clearly articulate ideas to other people and be receptive of feedback is a proven way of reducing the risk of miscommunication.
  • Positive and Nurturing Disposition.
    Anyone who has spent time at a hospital may describe the experience as unnerving, unsettling, anxious, and nerve-wracking. Sometimes waiting for the doctor’s official diagnosis can feel like it’s taking forever. This is a hard time, especially for families. A Certified Nursing Assistant understands this and does whatever she can to make the experience as tolerable as possible. It will not give false hope or sugar-coat the situation. Instead, it must present the best and worst case scenarios in the most respectful manner.

Duties And Responsibilities for a CNA

Of all the sections of your resume, it is the work experience section which will draw the most attention. The duties and responsibilities that you have listed will be the recruiter basis for considering your application. When the recruiter goes through your work experience, he is looking for the answer to one question:

“Are you qualified for the job?”

The job descriptions listed in the duties and responsibilities for the work experience section must be able to answer this question definitively.

One way to approach your work section is to think of a checklist that is based on the requirements of the job. Properly written, the person reviewing your resume work experience section would be compelled to tick off the boxes.

How do you come up with the checklist? The list of requirements for the job can be found on the job post itself.

Let’s come up with a job post for Golden Acres Nursing Home:

For Immediate Hiring

CNA – You will work with the elderly; retired persons with various health conditions.

Qualifications:

  • At least 1-year of experience attending to the needs of the elderly
  • Knowledgeable of basic first aid procedures – CPR, putting on a splint and tourniquet, monitoring vital signs, and cleaning and treatment of wounds.
  • Knowledgeable of basic caregiving techniques – Cleaning and dressing up of patients, moving/changing bed position, treating bedsores, and administration of medications.
  • Can handle standard nursing equipment – stethoscope, dressing scissors, blood pressure monitor, thermometer, and pulse oximeter.
  • Friendly, patient, and positive disposition – Ability to carry out a conversation with the elderly in a genuine and sincere manner.

With these qualifications in mind, have you handled duties and responsibilities that are similar to those described in the job post?

List them down on a piece of paper or create a draft. Don’t write the tasks in a general manner:

  • Performed CPR
  • Evaluated patients
  • Took vital signs
  • Gave medicines
  • Informed Nurse

Put more detail in your job descriptions. Try to create imagery; the recruiter should be able to visualize you on the job.

Good duties and responsibilities for CNAs

  • Worked from 2017 to 2018 for Seven Sierra Home Care for the Elderly. This is a retirement home for people aged 65 and above and who have early signs of dementia, Parkinson, Alzheimer’s, and other conditions that have been diagnosed as debilitating by a licensed health professional.
  • Evaluated the health condition of the patient; checked for changes in vital signs and mental activity.
  • Reviewed the checklist of medications; ensured that all prescriptions were taken as scheduled by the attending physician.
  • Assessed the level of hygiene of the patient; changed diapers whenever necessary, bathed and cleaned the patient according to schedule.
  • Checked the condition of bedsores; performed cleaning and treatment procedures as needed.
  • Assisted the Registered Nurse during her hourly rounds and performed all tasks upon request.

If you noticed, we did a description of the previous employer first. The purpose is to draw attention to the fact that the candidate had indeed worked with the elderly for a period of one year.

The job descriptions are more detailed and highly-specific. We also used appropriate verbs that are associated with the Nursing profession. These verbs include: evaluated, reviewed, assessed, checked, and assisted.

Always make your job descriptions detailed but dynamic. It should emphasize activity.

Entry Level CNA Resume

Here’s how to get hired as a CNA when you don’t have experience. In addition to the tips we’ve shared in this article, here are a few more ideas you can consider:

  • Include volunteer work and on-the-job training, when your experience is lacking. Everyone has to start somewhere, so don’t get discouraged by that.
  • Highlight any advanced courses in Nursing or in skills that are relevant to the practice, in the resume objective and create another section “Certifications/Seminars Attended”
  • If your state requires Nursing Assistants to be certified or licensed, don’t forget to indicate your license number under the “Contact Information” section.
  • Apply to jobs that specify “entry-level” applicants.

There you go! You can finally set pen to paper and prepare your job application.

How to write a good CNA Resume  

The job outlook for CNAs is very rosy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) sees demand growing by 11% every year. This growth rate is higher than the average in the jobs market. In 2016, more than 1,564,300 open positions were available. Pay is slightly better than minimum wage at $13.72 per hour or $28,530 per year.

Unless the employer knows you personally, the first thing he will look for is your resume. This piece of paper is very important, so it is vital that you submit an accurately-written and formatted resume.  If you want the interviewer to consider you for the job, then make sure to include the following characteristics:

  • Clean formatting; Centred on the page
  • Plain and easy to read information
  • Uses fragments instead of lengthy sentences
  • Includes a profile summary
  • Seamless flow
  • Error-free

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