These are the ATS keywords, credentials, and software terms that recur across current certified nursing assistant job descriptions — organized so you can scan for what your resume is missing. Placement matters as much as presence: an ATS keyword buried in a skills list ranks lower than the same term used in context inside an experience bullet.
Title variants
- Certified Nursing Assistant
- CNA
- Nursing Assistant
- Nurse Aide
- Patient Care Technician
- PCT
- Patient Care Assistant
- PCA
- Nursing Aide
- State Certified Nursing Assistant
- Restorative Nursing Assistant
- RNA
Certification
- CNA certified
- state certified
- OBRA
- Nurse Aide Registry
- NAR
- clear status
- Prometric
- Pearson VUE
- CPR
- BLS
- AHA
- annual in-service
ADL and care skills
- activities of daily living
- ADL
- bathing
- bed bath
- dressing
- grooming
- oral hygiene
- denture care
- shaving
- toileting
- incontinence care
- brief change
- skin care
- repositioning
- turning
- transfer
- ambulation
- gait belt
- transfer belt
Transfer equipment
- Hoyer lift
- ceiling lift
- sling
- sit-to-stand
- Sara Plus
- floor lift
- pivot board
- lateral transfer
- 2-person assist
- mechanical lift
- fall prevention
Vital signs and monitoring
- vital signs
- blood pressure
- pulse
- temperature
- oxygen saturation
- SpO₂
- respiratory rate
- intake and output
- I&O
- blood glucose
- glucometer
- Accu-Chek
- OneTouch
- fingerstick
- pain scale
Nutrition and dining
- feeding assistance
- dining room
- IDDSI
- thickened liquids
- dysphagia
- SimplyThick
- pureed diet
- minced
- aspiration precautions
- adaptive equipment
Pressure injury
- repositioning
- Braden Scale
- pressure ulcer
- pressure injury
- skin integrity
- heel protector
- air mattress
- alternating pressure
- NPUAP
- bony prominence
Documentation
- PointClickCare
- SigmaCare
- MatrixCare
- ADL flowsheet
- vital signs charting
- incident report
- change in condition
- charge nurse report
- SBAR
Settings
- long-term care
- LTC
- skilled nursing
- SNF
- nursing home
- assisted living
- memory care
- dementia
- Alzheimer's
- hospital
- acute
- rehabilitation
- home health
- hospice
- private duty
Long-tail phrases
- CNA resume
- certified nursing assistant resume
- CNA resume 2026
- how to write a CNA resume
- CNA resume examples
- CNA resume skills
- nursing assistant resume
- patient care technician resume
- LTC CNA resume
- hospital CNA resume
- home health CNA resume
- SNF CNA resume
Pasting these terms into your resume verbatim without matching context can read as keyword stuffing to a human reviewer, even if it passes the ATS. The full Certified Nursing Assistant resume guide shows where each category belongs and how to work it into real experience bullets.