Top 12 Certified Nursing Assistant Skills to Put on Your Resume
In the competitive field of healthcare, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) play a crucial role in providing essential care to patients. Highlighting a robust set of skills on your resume can significantly enhance your marketability to employers, showcasing your ability to excel in fast-paced and compassionate care environments.
Certified Nursing Assistant Skills
- CPR Certified
- Vital Signs
- Patient Care
- EHR Software
- Wound Care
- Infection Control
- HIPAA Compliance
- Mobility Assistance
- ADL Support
- Charting Accuracy
- Medication Administration
- Phlebotomy Skills
1. CPR Certified
CPR Certified means a CNA has completed accredited training and passed evaluation in Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, demonstrating the ability to respond to cardiac or respiratory arrest with high‑quality compressions, rescue breathing, and AED use.
Why It's Important
CPR certification arms CNAs with lifesaving techniques during the first chaotic minutes of an emergency, buying time, protecting brain function, and improving survival while advanced help arrives.
How to Improve CPR Certified Skills
Renew before expiration and review updates to keep skills sharp and protocols current.
Practice on feedback manikins to hone depth, rate, recoil, and compression fraction.
Drill team roles: compressor, ventilations, AED, runner—switch efficiently to prevent fatigue.
Build muscle memory for AED steps; minimize pauses between analyses and compressions.
Debrief after mock codes; capture what lagged, fix it in the next run.
How to Display CPR Certified Skills on Your Resume
2. Vital Signs
Vital signs are core indicators of a patient’s status—temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure—and often oxygen saturation and pain score per facility policy. CNAs obtain, document, and report them promptly.
Why It's Important
They flag deterioration early, guide interventions, and establish trends that help the team act before a small problem snowballs.
How to Improve Vital Signs Skills
Use correct technique: proper cuff size and arm level for BP; count a full minute if rhythm is irregular; don’t telegraph that you’re watching respirations.
Validate equipment: calibrate regularly, replace batteries, and clean probes between patients.
Capture context: activity level, position, oxygen device/flow, pain scale—details matter.
Document in real time with exact time stamps and units; avoid rounding.
Know escalation thresholds and report abnormals or concerning trends without delay.
How to Display Vital Signs Skills on Your Resume
3. Patient Care
Patient care for CNAs includes hands‑on support with hygiene, grooming, feeding, toileting, mobility, comfort, and observation under nursing supervision.
Why It's Important
It preserves dignity, safety, and recovery momentum while building trust—small acts that add up to better outcomes.
How to Improve Patient Care Skills
Communicate with clarity and warmth; listen first, then act.
Prevent harm: turn/reposition on schedule, protect skin, manage moisture, and use fall‑prevention strategies.
Spot changes: new confusion, pain, shortness of breath, swelling—report fast.
Honor preferences and cultural practices; tailor routines to the person, not just the task list.
Maintain boundaries and privacy; ask permission before care and explain each step.
How to Display Patient Care Skills on Your Resume
4. EHR Software
EHR software is the digital backbone for documenting and retrieving patient information, enabling accurate, coordinated care.
Why It's Important
It speeds communication, reduces errors, and centralizes the story of each patient so the team can act in sync.
How to Improve EHR Software Skills
Complete role‑specific training and learn the workflows you use most: vitals, I&O, mobility, wound observations.
Use templates, smart phrases, and favorites to chart faster without cutting corners.
Chart in the moment; late entries are for rare exceptions and must be labeled as such.
Protect privacy: log off, position screens away from public view, and verify the right chart every time.
Know downtime procedures and how to reconcile paper notes when systems return.
How to Display EHR Software Skills on Your Resume
5. Wound Care
Wound care means supporting safe cleaning, protection, monitoring, and healing of wounds per a nurse’s plan. CNAs observe closely and report timely changes.
Why It's Important
Good technique prevents infection, curbs pain, and speeds recovery—neglect invites setbacks.
How to Improve Wound Care Skills
Follow orders precisely and use clean or sterile technique as directed by policy.
Reposition and offload pressure points; protect heels and bony areas.
Describe, don’t diagnose or stage: note size, color, drainage, odor, surrounding skin.
Change or reinforce dressings only if permitted by your scope and facility protocol.
Escalate red flags: fever, increasing pain, spreading redness, foul odor, sudden drainage changes.
How to Display Wound Care Skills on Your Resume
6. Infection Control
Infection control is the bundle of practices that stop pathogens from hitchhiking between people, surfaces, and devices.
Why It's Important
It protects patients, coworkers, and you—quietly preventing outbreaks and complications.
How to Improve Infection Control Skills
Perform hand hygiene at the right moments; keep nails short and jewelry minimal.
Use PPE properly and in the correct sequence; remove safely to avoid contamination.
Follow isolation signage: standard, contact, droplet, or airborne—no shortcuts.
Clean and disinfect shared equipment between patients; mind high‑touch surfaces.
Handle sharps and biohazard waste with care; never recap needles.
How to Display Infection Control Skills on Your Resume
7. HIPAA Compliance
HIPAA compliance means safeguarding protected health information (PHI)—spoken, written, or electronic—and sharing it only as allowed for care, payment, or operations.
Why It's Important
It preserves trust, protects patient rights, and keeps the organization on the right side of the law.
How to Improve HIPAA Compliance Skills
Apply the “minimum necessary” rule; access only what you need for your task.
Verify identity before sharing information; discuss PHI in private spaces.
Shield screens, log off, and secure printed materials; no PHI on personal devices.
Know breach reporting steps and act immediately if something goes wrong.
Keep credentials and annual privacy training current; ask when in doubt.
How to Display HIPAA Compliance Skills on Your Resume
8. Mobility Assistance
Mobility assistance is hands‑on help with transfers, ambulation, and positioning that keeps patients safe and moving toward independence.
Why It's Important
It prevents falls, preserves strength, and boosts confidence. Motion is medicine—done safely.
How to Improve Mobility Assistance Skills
Master body mechanics and gait‑belt use; keep the patient close and your back happy.
Use the right device—walker, cane, wheelchair—and confirm it’s correctly sized.
Know when to call for a second assist or a lift; respect your limits.
Scan the environment: clutter, cords, low lighting, slippery floors—remove hazards.
Document distance, device, assistance level, and tolerance; note dizziness or pain.
How to Display Mobility Assistance Skills on Your Resume
9. ADL Support
ADL support means assisting with bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, toileting, and continence—day‑to‑day essentials delivered with respect.
Why It's Important
It preserves dignity and health, especially for older adults or those recovering from illness or injury.
How to Improve ADL Support Skills
Personalize routines; offer choices to promote autonomy.
Use adaptive tools when helpful and encourage safe participation to maintain ability.
Protect skin: gentle cleansing, moisture barriers, and thorough drying.
Support safe feeding: proper positioning, pacing, and aspiration precautions.
Track intake/output and bowel patterns; report meaningful changes.
How to Display ADL Support Skills on Your Resume
10. Charting Accuracy
Charting accuracy is precise, complete, and timely documentation of care and observations—objective, legible, and traceable.
Why It's Important
Accurate charts guide decisions, demonstrate the care provided, and serve as a legal record.
How to Improve Charting Accuracy Skills
Chart immediately after tasks; use exact times, units, and standard abbreviations.
Stick to facts: what you saw, heard, measured, or did—no assumptions.
Correct errors per policy (single line, initial/date); never erase or obscure entries.
Verify patient identity and the right record every single time.
Reconcile totals (I&O, distances) and address missing data before end of shift.
How to Display Charting Accuracy Skills on Your Resume
11. Medication Administration
For CNAs, medication tasks typically involve assisting with reminders and observation. Actual administration usually requires additional state‑approved credentials (e.g., Medication Aide/Tech) and must follow facility policy.
Why It's Important
Working within scope prevents errors, supports adherence, and protects patient safety.
How to Improve Medication Administration Skills
Know your scope. If not certified to administer, do not give meds; assist only as allowed.
When assisting, verify the “five rights” with the licensed nurse and the MAR.
Never pre‑pour, leave meds unattended, or chart for someone else.
Observe for side effects or changes and report immediately; document refusals per policy.
Maintain hand hygiene and proper storage/handling; high‑risk meds remain with licensed staff.
How to Display Medication Administration Skills on Your Resume
12. Phlebotomy Skills
Phlebotomy skills involve safe, accurate venipuncture for blood collection. CNAs may perform phlebotomy only if trained, competent, and permitted by state rules and facility policy.
Why It's Important
Clean technique and correct collection improve test accuracy, reduce complications, and ease patient anxiety.
How to Improve Phlebotomy Skills
Learn vein selection and anatomy; choose the best site and angle, minimize tourniquet time.
Follow the order of draw, label at bedside with two identifiers, and invert tubes as directed.
Use safety devices correctly; two attempts max before seeking help.
Ensure specimen handling meets temperature and timing requirements.
Communicate calmly, use distraction or positioning to reduce discomfort, and maintain strict infection control.
How to Display Phlebotomy Skills on Your Resume
