CNA skills range from highly technical and position-specific to administrative and interpersonal abilities. They are invaluable in helping you do the work as a certified nursing assistant, and optimally highlighting them on your resume is imperative to getting you a job.
If you’re wondering which CNA skills are the most sought-after in the current job market and which ones to add to your resume, this guide is for you. We’ll explore these abilities to help you understand why employers value them and why they deserve a spot in your resume.
Key Takeaways
CNA skills encompass a range of job-specific competencies and interpersonal abilities that allow you to care for patients optimally.
Some of the most important hard CNA skills include patient care, infection control, oral and denture care, proper hygiene, vital signs monitoring, and mobility assistance.
In-demand soft skills for CNA professionals include communication, attention to detail, time management, empathy, and patience.
You can improve your skills and boost employability by obtaining additional certifications, attending workshops and seminars, volunteering, staying updated on the latest practices, introspecting, and seeking feedback.
What Are CNA Skills?
CNA (certified nursing assistant) skills allow these professionals to aid registered nurses and licensed practical nurses in providing comprehensive patient care. They encompass a wide range of abilities and competencies, from technical to interpersonal.
For instance, CNAs’ daily tasks include activities like taking vital signs, feeding or dressing patients, and helping them maintain hygiene. On the other hand, CNAs also need to have strong communication skills when interacting with patients and their families. They need to be flexible, adaptable, and good at time management.
Furthermore, certified nursing assistants need to have a firm grasp of basic medical terminology and infection control to monitor their patients and report the findings.
Finally, due to dynamic and challenging work environments, CNAs should be patient, compassionate, and have a certain degree of physical stamina.
11 CNA Hard Skills to Add to Your Resume
Let’s examine some of the most important and in-demand certified nursing assistant resume skills. Many of these are must-haves to pass the CNA skills test, while others help you take better care of patients and improve your employability.
#1. Patient Care
Patient care is one of the most fundamental CNA skills. It encompasses a broad set of competencies that allow these professionals to ensure the comfort and well-being of their patients.
It includes assisting patients in their daily activities, such as dressing, bathing, eating, and mobility. Furthermore, patient care includes monitoring patients and watching their vital signs, as well as providing emotional support when needed.
CNAs adept at patient care can quickly notice changes in patients’ conditions, allowing them to react promptly and improve their outcomes. Therefore, highlighting this skill on your CNA resume shows that you can provide holistic care in various settings.
#2. Infection Control
Infection control—also referred to as standard precautions—is the practice of preventing the spread of infections. This hard skill encompasses proficiency in using personal protective equipment (PPE), hand hygiene and waste disposal knowledge, and so on.
CNAs need to understand the basic principles of infection control to protect themselves, their colleagues, and patients. This is a crucial skill in a healthcare environment susceptible to harmful pathogens. Highlighting it in your resume demonstrates a commitment to keeping patients and the environment safe.
#3. Oral and Denture Care
Oral and denture care includes maintaining and cleaning the mouth, teeth, and dentures of patients. This involves brushing their teeth, cleaning their dentures, and helping them maintain oral hygiene, especially if they are unable to do it themselves.
This is one of the most critical CNA skills, as poor oral hygiene can lead to numerous complications, such as gum disease and infections. These can escalate and result in bigger problems, particularly in patients with chronic illnesses.
#4. Proper Hygiene
Proper hygiene, as a CNA skill, encompasses helping patients with their hygiene regimen. This includes assisting with or giving baths, grooming, and toileting. This is a vital skill for CNAs who work with patients who can’t maintain their personal hygiene themselves.
CNA professionals who are adept at proper hygiene ensure that patients remain clean and protected from infections and skin issues. They make sure patients feel comfortable and dignified, improving their morale while promoting continuous healing.
Highlighting this skill on your resume shows that you can provide holistic care and demonstrates your ability to keep the patients’ accommodations clean and organized.
#5. Vital Signs Monitoring
Monitoring vital signs involves checking and assessing patients’ vitals, like blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration rate, body temperature, etc. This essential CNA skill helps certified nursing assistants track patients’ ongoing conditions. They use it to spot any signs of potential upcoming changes or complications.
To monitor vital signs, CNAs need to know how to use various pieces of equipment, including thermometers, stethoscopes, blood pressure devices, penlights, and more. By demonstrating this skill on your resume, you show the ability to detect issues early and communicate them to relevant medical professionals, assisting in a timely intervention.
#6. Mobility Assistance
Mobility assistance is a CNA skill that involves assisting patients to move safely. This includes helping them get in and out of bed, walk around, go from one location to another, etc. By being adept at mobility assistance, you prevent falls and give patients a sense of safety and independence.
Adding this skill to your resume shows that you’ve been trained in proper lifting and assisting techniques and assistive devices that help you and your patients avoid injuries.
#7. Nutritional Support
Nutritional support involves assisting patients with eating. This includes being familiar with their dietary restrictions while ensuring they get proper nutrition throughout the day. This skill is particularly important when caring for patients who can’t feed themselves, as food is essential to their recovery.
#8. Basic Life Support
Basic life support (BLS) represents a set of emergency procedures typically conducted by first responders. This includes knowledge of CPR and proficiency in using AED (automated external defibrillators) to assist those with cardiac arrests, obstructed airways, and other complications.
While an American Heart Association Heartsaver CPR is sufficient to become a CNA, complete BLS training can help you take better care of patients and, in turn, increase your chances of getting the job.
#9. Safety Skills
Safety skills involve having an awareness of potential work-related risks and threats. As a CNA, you should know all the safety protocols that will help you maintain a safe healthcare environment. This includes proficiency in using equipment, conducting nursing procedures, and following safety strategies.
#10. Resident Rights
Resident rights are legal entitlements for those who reside in long-term care facilities. As a CNA, you must be aware of these rights and adhere to them to give patients the care they deserve. Some rules and regulations that protect patients include their right to privacy, the ability to make their own decisions and give consent, freedom from abuse, etc.
#11. Administrative Skills
Administrative skills combine the technical and soft abilities needed to keep the healthcare organization running correctly. They range from CNA computer skills, like medical record-keeping and billing and coding assistance, to appointment scheduling, inventory management, and patient intake and discharge procedures.
Showcasing these CNA skills on your resume demonstrates that you can support not just the patients but the entire healthcare organization.
5 CNA Soft Skills for Your Resume
In addition to all the job-specific hard skills, there are plenty of soft skills to add to your CNA resume. These are transferable between professions and typically obtained through real-life experience rather than being taught and learned.
Here are some of the most sought-after soft CNA skills for a resume:
CNA Soft Skills
Communication. Communication is an essential skill for CNAs since their job involves continuous interaction with patients, their families, and other healthcare workers. It includes not only verbally communicating but also actively listening to patients and addressing their concerns.
Attention to detail. The ability to notice small but important details is invaluable in a healthcare setting. CNA professionals often monitor patients’ vital signs and look for changes in their condition or behavior. This skill helps them improve patient outcomes by spotting changes sooner and preventing errors.
Time management. Certified nursing professionals usually juggle multiple assignments simultaneously within a limited time frame. The ability to manage time and prioritize these tasks is essential to providing optimal care to patients. Good time management skills allow CNAs to do everything they need in fast-paced healthcare environments.
In addition to these soft skills, certified nursing assistants should also have the following qualities:
CNA Must-Have Qualities
Empathy. Empathy is a crucial characteristic that allows certified nursing assistants to truly understand their patients. It allows CNAs to recognize the physical and emotional challenges patients are going through and address them effectively. This helps CNAs build rapport with others and create a safe and welcoming healthcare environment.
Patience. Patience gives certified nursing assistants the ability to remain calm and composed in challenging and stressful situations. For instance, some patients can be difficult to work with, confused, or uncooperative due to their conditions. CNAs must be patient in giving them the high-quality care they need without causing frustration.
How to Present CNA Skills on Your Resume
Presenting CNA skills on your resume is all about being relevant and demonstrating competence.
Firstly, you should add a tailored CNA skills list to a dedicated section containing all your hard and soft skills needed for the role. You can find the required CNA skills in the job description or by researching the company. You want to ensure your list matches these requirements. That way, you show you’re the right person for the job.
To demonstrate your competence, you should connect your skills to related accomplishments. This is best done in the resume summary and work experience sections. When you mention a skill, you want to add a specific achievement next to it that resulted from your competence.
You can include numbers and statistics to corroborate your prowess further and add measurable value to your efforts.
Here are two good resume examples of CNA skills where a candidate presented their patient care and vital signs monitoring abilities:
CNA Skills Examples
Provided daily comprehensive patient care to 30+ residents in a 120-bed care facility to ensure efficient completion of all activities of daily living.
Closely monitored patient health conditions and promptly reported observed changes to reduce hospital readmission rates by up to 11%.
For comparison, here’s an example of a poor demonstration of CNA skills on a resume:
Bad Example
Used administrative skills to maintain medical records.
Here are five practical ways to enhance your CNA skills:
5 Ways to Enhance Your CNA Skills
Acquire additional certifications. Specialty certifications beyond CNA enhance your knowledge and competence and improve your employability. Certifications to consider include CWCA and CHPNA.
Attend workshops and seminars. These events can give you an invaluable hands-on learning experience and help improve your practical skills.
Gain volunteer experience. Volunteering in varied environments helps you face different challenges and situations and interact with a wide range of unique patients.
Stay informed about the latest trends. You'll have relevant knowledge about the latest technologies and practices by reading healthcare journals, partaking in online discussions, attending webinars, etc.
Self-reflect and seek feedback. You should regularly evaluate your current knowledge and experience, ask for feedback from mentors, patients, and colleagues, and discover areas to improve.
Closing Thoughts
Nursing assistants and orderlies have a 4% positive job outlook, which amounts to more than 58,000 new openings between 2022 and 2032. While that is decent growth, the competition can be fierce. That’s why you should optimally highlight your CNA skills and responsibilities on your resume to demonstrate your competence.
We’ve given you a comprehensive list of skills needed for the job and CNA resume samples for inspiration. You’ve also seen some practical tips on enhancing your abilities, becoming a better professional, and improving your employability. Keep those in mind, and it won’t be long before you’ll have a job interview!
