The nursing assistant CV: a hands-on job, a CV that reassures
Nursing assistants (aides-soignant(e)s in France) are in high demand, but a clear CV is still essential to stand out, especially at large facilities that screen a lot of applications.
Lead with your diploma and the patients you serve
- State nursing assistant diploma (DEAS, Diplôme d'État d'aide-soignant), with the year and place of training.
- The care setting you're targeting, since the skills differ: EHPAD (nursing home for dependent seniors), hospital (name the unit), home care (SSIAD, the French home nursing service), private clinic, disability care.
A CV built for an EHPAD (older adults, loss of autonomy, relationship skills) isn't the same as one for an acute hospital unit.
The skills to highlight
- Hygiene and comfort care: bathing, help with dressing, bed making, pressure ulcer prevention, help with meals and mobility.
- Monitoring: taking vital signs, observing the patient's condition, reporting to the nurse.
- Teamwork: working in pairs with the registered nurse (IDE), documentation, following hygiene protocols.
- People skills: patience, listening, gentleness, handling the emotional load, teamwork. These human qualities are central and must show up on the page.
Good example: "Cared for 20 residents in an EHPAD: hygiene care, help with meals, monitoring of overall condition and written handoffs, working closely with the care team."
Applying to healthcare facilities
Hospitals and large nursing home groups use online portals and applicant tracking systems (ATS). Reuse the keywords from the job posting (patient population, unit, type of care) and stick to a simple text CV, never an image. See why Canva CVs are invisible to ATS.
Nursing assistant CV example (template to adapt)
Here is a structure that works, for a nursing home position. The details are fictional: replace them with your real background and your own numbers.
Headline: State-certified nursing assistant (DEAS), nursing home and home care
Profile: State-certified nursing assistant with experience in an EHPAD caring for dependent older adults. Hygiene and comfort care, monitoring of overall condition and handoffs within a multidisciplinary team.
Work experience
- *Nursing assistant, EHPAD (city), 2023 to present*: hygiene and comfort care for the residents of one unit, help with meals and mobility, prevention of pressure ulcers and falls, written handoffs in the care record.
- *Hospital service worker, private clinic (city), 2021 to 2023*: disinfection cleaning of patient rooms, help with meal service, compliance with hygiene protocols.
Education
- State nursing assistant diploma (DEAS), IFAS nursing assistant school (city), 2023
- Clinical placements: geriatric medicine, EHPAD, home care (SSIAD)
Skills: hygiene and comfort care, vital signs, pressure ulcer prevention, patient handling, targeted handoffs, hygiene protocols, care documentation software (name the one you know).
Qualities: listening, patience, gentleness, working in pairs with the nurse, handling the emotional load.
Summary lines for a nursing assistant CV
- New graduate: "Recently state-certified nursing assistant, trained in geriatrics and home care during my placements, looking to join a nursing home team."
- Experienced: "State-certified nursing assistant with experience on a medical unit, comfortable with hygiene care, patient monitoring and handoffs."
- Career change: "After several years in customer-facing roles, I retrained and earned the DEAS. I'm looking for a nursing assistant position in home care."
Mistakes to avoid on a nursing assistant CV
- Leaving out the DEAS or burying it at the bottom: it's often the first thing recruiters check.
- Being vague about your patients: specify nursing home, hospital, home care or disability care, and the unit when relevant.
- Listing qualities with no example: "patient" is more convincing when a task proves it.
- Sending a CV as an image or in columns: hospital recruitment portals may not read it properly.
Test your nursing assistant CV
CVpass analyses your CV against the job you're targeting, spots missing keywords and suggests concrete rewrites. Handy when you're aiming at a specific facility or patient group.
FAQ
What skills should go on a nursing assistant CV?
Hygiene and comfort care (bathing, help with meals, pressure ulcer prevention), monitoring (vital signs, observation, handoffs), working in pairs with the nurse, and people skills (patience, listening, handling emotions). These human qualities are central and should be clearly visible.
How do I write a nursing assistant CV with no experience?
Highlight your DEAS clinical placements (facility, unit, skills gained), your people skills and the population you want to work with (nursing home, home care, hospital). A well-described placement counts as a first job in a recruiter's eyes.
Should I list the state diploma (DEAS) on my CV?
Yes. The state nursing assistant diploma, with the year and place of training, should be visible at the top of your CV: at large facilities it's often a screening criterion.
Read next
- Nurse CV: structure, skills and examples
- No-experience CV: nailing your first one
- CV mistakes that break ATS
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