How to Write a CNA Description for a Resume

Updated June 17, 20221.9k

A certified nursing assistant focuses on patient care. Prove your CNA skills by writing a great job description in your resume.

CNA Job Description for Resume

When you list a previous job as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) in your resume, you must have a job description to go along with it. This helps you showcase important skills and experiences. The more you can show off what you’ve done in previous certified nursing assistant jobs, the better. Here’s how to talk about your CNA skills in a job description.

What Is a CNA Job Description?

Underneath a CNA job in your work experience section, you’ll include a CNA job description. Your job description will typically include skills that you utilized in that job, as well as any major achievements you accomplished and qualifications that you used regularly. It may also be an effective way to show that you understand medical terminology and that, as a healthcare professional, you provide effective nursing care.

How to Format Your CNA Job Description

When you write your CNA job description, you must format it appropriately. This helps the hiring manager scan your resume more effectively. Here are the most important formatting tips to lean on:

Include a job description under every job you list in your work history section.
Include up to five bullet points for every job. Bullet points are the best way to get your information across.
Reduce the number of bullet points for less relevant jobs, such as jobs that you held more than five years ago, or jobs where you don’t feature as many CNA-relevant skills or experiences.

More recent jobs will typically have around five bullet points, while your older jobs may have 2-4 bullet points. Additionally, your resume format may impact how many bullet points you use. A functional resume, which focuses more on skills, may not have any job descriptions, or may only have an extremely short one.

Words and Terms To Lean On

The first important element to understand is what words you should be using in your CNA job description. If you look through CNA resume samples, you’ll likely start to see many of the same CNA skills and job duties. Here are some skills to consider for a certified nursing assistant resume:

Patient care
Activities of daily living (ambulation, bedpans, personal hygiene, changing linens)
Personal care plans
First aid
Medical equipment and medical records
Avoiding bedsores
Assist patients with call lights
HIPAA
Interpersonal skills
Patient comfort
Teamwork
Patient well-being

These are all skills that a recruiter will likely be looking for throughout your resume. However, remember that a professional resume isn’t just a list of skills. You also want to talk about those skills appropriately, especially in other resume sections, like your resume objective or your work history section.

This is where action verbs come into play. When you use action words to describe your past job experiences, you create a picture of yourself as an active, involved employee. Here are a few examples of action words you may use in your resume template or cover letter:

Charting patient’s vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, etc.)
Talking to family members
Providing emotional support
Recording intake information
Understanding patient conditions

Note how instead of just saying “Family member discussion,” this example emphasizes exactly what was done. You spoke to the family members yourself. This is an important part of putting your experience into perspective for a hiring manager.

FAQ: CNA Job Description for Resume

Are there many different CNA job descriptions out there?

Depending on the jobs you’ve previously held, you may have had different job experiences or terms that you need to include in your resume. Here are a few types of CNA jobs that may require slightly different CNA job descriptions:

Nursing home CNA
Care facility CNA
Home caregiver
Nurse aide
Long-term care nurse
Inpatient care CNA

For example, a nursing home CNA might be more well-versed in helping people with daily living activities, whereas an inpatient care CNA might be more experienced at tracking vital signs and medical records.

Do CNA jobs rely more on soft skills or hard skills?

Both soft and hard skills are crucial if you’re planning to be a CNA, and that’s why it’s important to include both in your CNA job description. Soft skills are important because they show you can relate to the people you’re caring for, while hard skills are important because they’re the everyday knowledge and training that help you care for those people. You should be showcasing both types of skills in your resume and cover letter.

What should I know about creating the rest of my CNA resume?

To create an effective resume, you need to know how a CNA resume might look, then build that resume for yourself. You can use resume examples at ResumeNerd to see how other people are creating CNA resumes, then incorporate that into your resume. The resume builder is also a great place to go when creating a resume from scratch.

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About The Author

Cindi Cervone Carlson

Cindi Cervone Carlson is a Senior Vice President for Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Cindi is responsible for developing, delivering, and implementing a dynamic, world-class organization dedicated to delivering outplacement consulting, training, support, and executive coaching. Cindi started her career at Challenger as a client who had lost her job. Over the past nine years, she has risen from an entry-level, part-time professional to Senior Vice President.