Becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant, Nursing Assistant, Patient Care Assistant (PCA) or a Nurse’s Aide is a dream come true to someone who has completed a state-approved CNA training program. Furthermore, one is qualified to apply for a CNA job after completing the written competence exam and securing a position in the State Registry.
When applying for a job, you will be required to provide proof of training and information about yourself to determine if you are the right person for that job position. Some employers will ask for a summary of your career journey, and the best way to do that is by submitting a resume.
Writing a Perfect CNA Resume
Anyone can write a resume, but what most people want is how to write a perfect CNA resume. For starters, the first step is to understand the structure and basic rules of writing a resume.
Generally, a Certified Nursing Assistant resume has 8 parts:
1. Headline
2. Address
3. Career Objective
4. Professional experience
5. Education
6. Certification
7. Awards
8. Skills
Headline
In this section, you highlight your name and the title of the job position. The font should be large and easy to read at first glance.
Address
The address section hosts your physical address, email address, phone number, or any proof of address. If you have a LinkedIn account, then it’s best to add the link to this section of your resume.
Career Objective
In this section, you need to highlight your career goals, which mostly revolve around what you want to do with your earned soft and hard skills, practical knowledge, hands-on training, and classroom education. It can be written in bullet points or as a paragraph that captures all your objectives. Show the employer that you know your responsibility, tools, and equipment and that you can provide excellent care to patients.
Professional Experience
You should include this section if you have worked somewhere before the application. Some applicants will include an internship as part of their professional experience. It is important to list an experience that is related to the job position.
Also, list some of the activities you did while developing experience as a CNA, and only list what is relevant to the job application. Use statistics and numbers to quantify your accomplishments in your previous job.
Education
This is the section where you display all educational qualifications. There are 4 things that you should capture when you list your levels of education and these include:
· Course name (Upper case)
· Institution
· Location
· Date
Always remember to start with your latest education qualification.
Certification
All certifications that support your education qualification fall into this section. Some will list a certificate earned from the additional course and licenses from various exams. Potential students looking to become a CNA should try their best to identify additional courses or training and supplementary certifications to become relevant in the market.
Awards
If you have ever earned an award such as “employee of the year” or “CNA of the Month” then this is where it should appear on your resume.
Skills
If there are skills that you may have developed from your career journey list them here. Your soft or hard skills will help the employer determine if there is a need for further training. Therefore, you need to be honest about what you can do given the opportunity.
Some of the skills you can list include:
· Time management
· OSHA compliance
· HIPPA compliance
· Organization & Prioritization
· Patience Care & Monitoring
Most of these skills will be listed in the job advertisement.
Where to Find Information for your Resume
You may be asking yourself, where do I get words to use on my resume? The information you need is right in front of you. Use creativity and information from your certificates, recommendation letter, and the job advert to draft the perfect Certified Nursing Assistant Resume. There is plenty of free information on writing a free CNA resume which can be very helpful when drafting one.
The worst mistake you can do when writing a resume is providing wrong information. The moment they discover this, your application will automatically be rejected. Therefore, it is important you be honest about the information you put on your resume.
As the baby boomer generation approaches their retirement age, there is a drastic need in health services, which is an indication that there is a shortage of nurses. Therefore, there will also be a demand for Certified Nursing Assistants. The American Nurses Association (ANA) projects a growth of 11% or more nurse employment annually through 2022 in every state.
Author’s Bio
Laura Garbers is a skilled career coach with vast experience in guiding careers of jobseekers writing and education websites. She provides expert advice in writing resumes at CraftResumes.
Sample CNA Resume
CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT RESUME
Mat Kingston
Somewhere, SE 06602
Home: 566-443-5448 | mk@somedomain.com | LinkedIn URL
Career Objective
A compassionate and determined nursing professional with reliable skills in patient-care with years of experience in CNA. Looking for an opportunity to put practical knowledge, hands-on training, and classroom education to help the elderly in society.
Professional Experience
Gold Hospital, Somewhere, SE
Nursing Assistant Intern, 2019 to Present
· Provided nursing assistance to 15 residents
· Provide high-quality patient care under the supervision of a Registered Nurse (RN)
Education
CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT (CNA)
Hutchinson Community College – Hutchinson, Kansas 2018
Certification
CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT LICENSE/2020
Somewhere board of nursing, SE
Awards
INTERN OF THE YEAR
December, 2019/Gold Hospital,
Key Skills
Conflict Resolution
Electronic Medical Records
Medication Administration
Patient Advocacy and Support