Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Job Description Template

A certified nursing assistant, or CNA, carries out a variety of direct care tasks and assists patients with activities of daily living. Under the supervision of a licensed nurse, CNAs monitor vital signs, aid patients with mobility, and help with other day-to-day care needs like eating and bathing. In some states, a CNA can help with medication administration after completing specialized training. A well-written CNA job description can give you the edge you need to find caring, capable, and dedicated CNAs.

Your time is valuable, so let us help you find the right candidates for your CNA staffing needs. The template below is optimized with keywords and terms to boost performance, but it’s also customizable for your specific facility. The sections provide tips and sample language that you can use for your job post.

For additional tips on how to draft your own job description, browse some of our current CNA job postings and, when you’re ready to start meeting candidates, check out some of our recommended CNA interview questions to ask.

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

Tips: The introduction to your CNA job description should consist of one to two paragraphs that highlight your working environment, core values, and a little about you as an employer. Take this opportunity to highlight your residence or medical facility and why you stand apart from the crowd. Pick a few appealing benefits to surface at the beginning of your description, such as shift flexibility or free continuing education, to get the attention of applicants. This is your opportunity to market your facility, so make your pitch.

Here you also want to clearly describe the position you’re looking to fill. Be sure to provide details about the working environment, as the duties of CNAs can differ broadly by facility. You may also want to discuss the location of your facility and anything nearby that may be of interest to candidates, such as gyms, restaurants, or bus stops.

Template:

[Facility name] is looking for a CNA to join the [department name] at our downtown campus. Consistently ranked one of the best places to work, [Facility name] offers rich learning opportunities for all members of our healthcare team. Additionally, our strong commitment to promoting optimal health outcomes makes us an ideal facility for professionals and patients alike.

As a CNA, you will have the opportunity to assist various healthcare providers with essential patient care tasks. You’ll be joining a collaborative and enthusiastic team that values each and every staff member’s input. Our generous benefits package and professional development resources are just a few ways that we show appreciation for our valued staff.

Benefits

Tips: Keep your readers engaged by following your introduction with more detail about your benefits. If your introduction was the elevator pitch for your benefits, use this section to provide more reasons why candidates would want to work for you. As you describe your benefits, be careful to avoid any language which could be misleading. It’s a good idea to run your list by your human resources team before you publish.

Template:

• Medical and dental benefits for employees and qualifying family members
• Retirement plans and 401k options
• Generous PTO policy
• Malpractice insurance
• Commuter benefits
• Tuition assistance
• Continuing education benefits

CNA Duties and Responsibilities

Tips: After telling candidates about the benefits you have to offer, they’re going to want to know more details about the position. Use this section of your CNA job description to highlight the typical day-to-day tasks for the position. As you do, be sure to start each line with active verbs, to be precise, and to order the list by starting with the most important duties for CNAs at your facility.

Template:

• Assisting residents with activities of daily living (ADLs), including but not limited to personal hygiene, toileting, grooming, and mobility
• Helping to serve and feed meals to residents as needed
• Checking and recording vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, and reporting abnormal findings to your supervisor
• Observing residents throughout the shift and relaying abnormal findings or concerns to nurses and other staff as necessary
• Maintaining a hygienic environment by cleaning and sanitizing surfaces, changing linens, and keeping resident rooms well-kept
• Transferring residents in and out of beds and wheelchairs, onto exam tables, and repositioning them as needed
• Communicating with family members and other visitors, serving as a conduit between residents and healthcare staff
• Providing companionship and offering a compassionate ear to residents as needed

Compensation and Shifts

Tips: It’s a good idea to include compensation for the position up front, even if it’s a pay range. Doing so can not only help to filter candidates on the front end by setting expectations, but it can also save a lot of time on the back end as you negotiate with candidates. If you offer additional forms of compensation, such as travel pay or hazard pay, you should specify that in this section.

You also want to be specific about the shifts that are available to candidates and whether there’s any flexibility in scheduling. This is almost always an important factor for nursing professionals, so addressing it in your job description can be a nice incentive to apply. As you describe the available shifts in your CNA job description, remember that candidates may also want to know about nurse-to-resident ratios, shift rotations, and what the team hierarchy might look like on any given shift.

Template:

• CNA pay range: $12-$19/hour
• Overtime, holiday pay, and bonuses available
• Bi-weekly or weekly pay periods
• Flexible shift options available Monday through Friday
• Nurse-to-patient ratios between 1:3 and 1:5 (day) and 1:10 (night)

CNA Qualifications and Skills

Tips: As you build out this section, be mindful of the fact that candidates may not apply if they feel they’re missing any single requirement. That’s why it’s important to only list your necessary requirements. If you list any preferred requirements, be sure to identify them as “preferred” and not “required” in your CNA job description. Skills, licensing, and educational requirements are key items to include in this section.

Template:

• High school diploma or GED
• Certification from an accredited CNA training course
• Successful completion of a background check and drug screening upon hire
• Ability to stand and walk for long periods of time and lift up to 50 pounds
• Basic understanding of relevant nursing care and medical terminology
• Warm, personable, and professional bedside manner
• Effective oral, written, and reading communication skills
• Above-average multitasking skills (preferred)

Call to Action

Tips: Your CNA job description will not only entice potential applicants to apply but will also show them how to apply if you include a call to action (or CTA). For example, tell prospective CNAs whether you’d like them to submit their application via email or by clicking on an “apply” button on your website. If they’ve come this far, then you want to make it easy for them to apply.

Template:

Ready to join our team? Learn more about our benefits and flexible work schedules by submitting your application online with us today.

Get Your CNA Job Description in Front of the Right People

Recruiting nursing staff is no easy task. Crafting the perfect job description is a good start, but it also needs to be seen by the right people. Learn how our industry-leading job board can help you reach a nationwide network of nursing professionals who are actively seeking their next career step.

IntelyCare writer Diana Campion, MSN, APRN, ANP-C, contributed to the writing and research for this article.