Nursing assistant (CNA) resume example

By the Rezumed team · Updated November 5, 2026

A nursing assistant resume has to tell a nurse manager two things quickly: where you stand with your state's competency exam and registry, and what basic care you have already given under a nurse. For students, the clinical hours from your training program are the main experience, so they get real bullets.

What the job asks of you

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says "Nursing assistants provide basic care and help patients with activities of daily living." Their listed duties include cleaning and bathing patients, helping patients use the toilet and dress, turning, repositioning and transferring patients between beds and wheelchairs, measuring vital signs such as blood pressure and temperature, serving meals and helping patients eat, and listening to and recording patients' health concerns and reporting that information to nurses. BLS adds that "Nursing assistants are often the principal caregivers in nursing and residential care facilities."

On training, BLS says "Nursing assistants typically must complete a state-approved education program and pass their state's competency exam." Those who pass are placed on a state registry, and BLS notes that specific requirements vary by state and that some states add others, such as continuing education and a criminal background check. So a student resume should state your program and its clinical hours, your exam and registry status, and the care tasks you did under a nurse.

Sample resume

Exam and registry status go first because a nursing home or hospital checks it before anything else. The clinical rotation gets the most bullets. The dietary aide job stays because it is real time with residents.

What to put in each section

Clinical hours: facility, unit, hours, supervision

Write your clinical rotation like a job: facility, unit type, month and total hours, and who supervised you. Then write one bullet per kind of care: personal care, vital signs, moving residents and reporting to the nurse.

Keep every resident generic to avoid privacy problems. Write "residents on a long-term care unit", never a name, a room number or a condition that could point to one person.

Exam and registry: say exactly where you are

Write your status in plain words: exam scheduled with the month, passed with the month, or listed on your state's registry. Don't put a credential's letters after your name until you are on the registry. BLS also says that in some states, nursing assistants may get additional credentials, such as Certified Medication Assistant (CMA). List one only once you hold it.

Education and other work

Name the program as state-approved, with the school, completion month and clinical hours. BLS says these programs include "instruction on the principles of nursing and supervised clinical work", and are offered in places such as high schools, community colleges and vocational schools. If you are a pre-nursing student, add your degree program and two or three science courses. A dining room, transport or front desk job in a care setting belongs on the page, plus one bullet.

Skills to list

Postings from nursing homes, hospitals and home care agencies name the setting, the shift and any certifications they require. Use their exact words for the care you have done. The University of Maryland career center also suggests mirroring the job description's keywords.

Tools

• Charting systems, by name, such as PointClickCare or Epic, noting a training account if that is all you used
• Vital signs equipment: blood pressure cuffs, thermometers, pulse oximeters
• Transfer aids: gait belts, and mechanical lifts only if you were trained on them
• Certifications: Basic Life Support or CPR, with the issuing organization and expiration date

Abilities

• Bathing, dressing and toileting with privacy and respect
• Accurate vital signs and recording
• Safe repositioning and transfers
• Reporting changes and concerns to the nurse right away
• Patience with routine, repeated care

Common mistakes

• No exam or registry status. A manager who can't tell whether you have passed will move to the next resume. Write the month you passed or the month you are scheduled.
• Clinical hours with no bullets. "Clinicals, Briarwood Care Center" says where you were, not what you did. Give the rotation four or five bullets.
• Claiming tasks outside your training. BLS notes that some nursing assistants may dispense medication, depending on their training and state rules. Unless you hold that credential, keep medications off your bullets.
• Leaving out the physical side. BLS lists physical stamina among the important qualities: "They must be able to perform tasks such as lifting or moving patients." A transfer or repositioning bullet shows you have done it safely.

FAQ

Can I apply before I pass the competency exam?

You can, but say where you stand. BLS says nursing assistants typically must pass their state's competency exam, and that requirements vary by state, so check your state's rules and the posting. Put your exam month on the first line so the employer can plan around it.

I'm a pre-nursing student. Does this resume help later?

Yes. Nursing assistant work is direct patient care, so it stays on your resume through nursing school. When you graduate, it moves below your clinical rotations, as in the new grad registered nurse example.

One page or two?

One page. A program, one rotation, a job and a volunteer role fit easily. See How to write a new grad resume for the general layout.

Check your resume free

Upload or paste your resume and see what to fix, in under a minute. Add a job post to see what's missing for that job. No sign-up.

Check my resume

More resume examples

• Entry-level medical assistant resume exampleA medical assistant certificate, a 160-hour externship and a front desk job, with bullets for both clinical and office work.
• New grad registered nurse resume exampleClinical rotations, a capstone preceptorship and licensure status, written for a first RN job or nurse residency.
• Entry-level social worker resume exampleA BSW field placement with its hours, case notes and referrals, written so clients stay confidential and licensure status is clear.

See all resume examples.

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Nursing Assistants and Orderlies
• University of Maryland Career Center: Resume how-to guide