CNA resumes need to go over a significant number of skills. Here are some tips that you might want to follow if you’re looking to find success as a CNA.
How to Write a Great CNA Resume
CNA Resume Example
A CNA, or Certified Nursing Assistant, is a healthcare worker who focuses on patient care. You may see this position also called a nursing assistant, nurse aide, or patient care assistant. By working with nursing staff, a CNA can provide care to a wide variety of people, in locations such as hospitals, long-term care facilities, and nursing homes. Here’s what you need to know about writing a certified nursing assistant resume.
What Is a CNA Resume?
A CNA is an individual who is qualified to help with patient care in many ways, including operating medical equipment and otherwise helping medical staff with patient care. A CNA job doesn’t require as much education as many other medical jobs, but you’re still dealing with very important elements of patient care, which means that your job search needs to highlight your medical skills.
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Structure of a CNA Resume
So, how can you effectively showcase everything you need to become a CNA? Here’s how to write a professional resume that works for your CNA resume.
Contact information
Your resume headerwill typically include contact information such as your full name, your email address, phone number, and professional links, like your LinkedIn profile.
Resume objective or summary
The next section on your CNA resume is your resume summary or resume objective. This is a short paragraph, typically 2-3 sentences in length. The resume summary discusses your top skills and best achievements. If you have little to no work experience, you can write a resume objective in which you’ll convey your overall career goals.
Skills
The skills section is one of the best ways to meet the job description of a specific nursing assistant job. Here are a few resume skills you will see in resume templates for a CNA:
- Charting patient vital signs
- Providing first aid
- Taking blood pressure
- Communication skills
- Helping with activities of daily living and personal care
- Changing linens and bedpans or helping with catheters
- Basic Life Support (BLS)
- General medical competency
- Talking to family members
- Understanding medical terminology
- Medication administration
- Time management
- Managing electronic medical records
- Understanding patient conditions
- Creating care plans
- Attentive to patient well-being
- Teamwork
- Helping patients in wheelchairs
CNA skills are quite varied, and you must include the right skills to impress a hiring manager. The best resume will typically pull skills from resume examples in your field as well as the job description itself. This helps you stand out in the field of generic resumes.
Work history
In your work experience section, you should include up to the last 10 years of experience. For each job, provide a few bullet points highlighting top responsibilities and achievements, making an effort to feature skills and qualifications that match the job you’re applying for.
Education
This is where you can include all education you have, especially education related to your CNA job. If you have certifications and licenses, put them in this section. If you have college experience, you don’t need to include high school experience.
Do’s and Don’ts for Your CNA Resume
Here are some tips to keep in mind as you prepare your CNA resume:
Do:
- Understand how your CNA skills and experiences can help you move up in your career. If you want to become a registered nurse for example, LPN, or another medical expert, a CNA training program can start the process.
- Include all notable college experience you have, even experience outside the medical field. College experience shows a great work ethic.
- Talk about specific duties you’ve had in previous jobs. This gives a hiring manager more insight into what you’re good at doing.
Don’t:
- Add your GPA in your education section unless the application requests it. Instead, focus on other awards and recognitions, like cum laude.
- Mention specific patient names. You can mention previous medical achievements, but naming patients may be a HIPAA violation.
- Include experience that’s over 10 years old – employers will care most about your recent work history.
FAQ: CNA Resume Example
Do I need more hard skills or soft skills on a CNA resume?
CNAs need to include significant amounts of both hard skills and soft skills. You should aim , for a healthy mix of both, as your job will involving interacting with patients, but also providing specific care via your knowledge and technical skills.
Are internships a good addition to my resume?
Internships can be a great addition, especially for resumes that might be short on professional work experience. If you worked in an internship at any point, you can include it on your resume and cover letter as long as it helps showcase important skills to a recruiter.
Can I write a CNA resume with less experience?
Yes. Most of the time, when you talk about having less experience, you just mean that you haven’t had as much hands-on experience outside of a training group. Highlight your skills, but also incorporate your academic experience and other activities like internships and volunteer work.
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