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Nursing attendant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Janice Nash,

Marina Orobinskaia

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical nursing attendant skills. We ranked the top skills for nursing attendants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 32.0% of nursing attendant resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a nursing attendant needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 nursing attendant skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how nursing attendants use patients:

Performed and reported clinical observations of patients' temperature/pulse/respiration rate and blood pressure.
Supervised patients with diminished capacity and monitor safety hazards.

2. Vital Signs

Vital signs are a set of values indicating different body systems' performance. They are measurements of the body's most basic functions. The four major vital signs used in medicine to assess a patient are body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure.

Here's how nursing attendants use vital signs:

Worked on maternity ward assisting mothers and newborns with feeding, bathing, and vital signs.
Maintain patient stability by checking vital signs, recording intake and output information.

3. Blood Pressure

Here's how nursing attendants use blood pressure:

Obtain reports and record temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure, weight, on computerized chart.
Performed blood pressure, temperature, pulse, and respiration.

4. BLS

Here's how nursing attendants use bls:

Provided BLS to employees within the company.

5. Cleanliness

Here's how nursing attendants use cleanliness:

Ensured the cleanliness, sanitation and maintenance of laboratory equipment.
Maintain sterility and cleanliness of clinic

6. ADL

ADL is a clinical shorthand for "activities of daily living." It includes tasks such as feeding, dressing, bathing, and caring for one's self and personal hygiene.

Here's how nursing attendants use adl:

Assist clients with ADL's, and making sure their needs are met.
Worked with 8 year old autistic child enhancing speech and ADL skills

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7. Post-Mortem Care

Here's how nursing attendants use post-mortem care:

Assist the nurse in giving post-mortem care and transferring the cadaver to the morgue.

8. Oral Hygiene

Oral hygiene is the terminology used to describe the state and measurement of cleanliness and health in one's mouth and, sometimes, the surrounding areas. The most basic way of ensuring and improving a good oral hygiene is the regular brushing of one's teeth, but trips to the dentist and other healthcare professionals are a common need, even if it is just for check-ups.

Here's how nursing attendants use oral hygiene:

Educated consumers in oral hygiene instructions and provided post-op instructions.
Assist with hygiene care/bathing/hair care/oral hygiene.

9. Direct Patient Care

Here's how nursing attendants use direct patient care:

Assisted a staff of 4 nurses with direct patient care including hygiene and exercise.
Report to Registered Nurse Assist Nurses with direct patient care.

10. Fluid Intake

Here's how nursing attendants use fluid intake:

Observe fluid intake and output and Report any abnormal changes in the normal value.
Monitor fluid intake and output levels.

11. Fresh Water

Fresh Water refers to an area of water not in the ocean. Depending on context, fresh water may be used to describe an aquatic environment, such as freshwater fish, or to define water that is acceptable to drink. This water typically contains very low levels of salt and can be found in rivers, lakes, or ponds.

Here's how nursing attendants use fresh water:

Provided fresh water/nourishment between meals.
Initiate physical activities; prep and serve meals, feed patients as necessary, providing fresh water and nourishment between meals.

12. CPR

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR is a medical procedure that involves chest compression to help a patient breathe. This artificial ventilation helps in keeping the brain function in place and regulates blood throughout the body. CPR is a lifesaving procedure that is used in emergencies.

Here's how nursing attendants use cpr:

make sure that my patient is well cared for.am also CPR certified.
Performed CPR and post mortem care.

13. ICU

ICU means intensive care units. It also has a name known as the critical care unit or intensive therapy unit. The ICU handles patients experiencing acute diseases or severe injuries that need specialized treatment procedures by specific professionals.

Here's how nursing attendants use icu:

Staff nurse on Orthopedic unit, surgical step-down unit, ICU and float pool and prior nurse tech assisting in patient care
Stock individual ICU room carts with needed supplies, linens, and perform controls on equipment on a daily basis.

14. Infection Control

Infection control describes the principles and practices used in hospitals and other healthcare facilities to control and minimize the spread of infections with the aim of lowering rates of infection. Infection control refers to the process of detecting and controlling pathogens in order to reduce their spread.

Here's how nursing attendants use infection control:

Practiced good hand hygiene and infection control.
Maintained departmental policies and procedures while meeting daily objectives, quality assurance program, safely, environmental and infection control standards.

15. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how nursing attendants use patient care:

Provided thorough patient observation and seclusion observation to ensure high- level safety and proper patient care.
Provide continuous patient care for a middle-aged quadriplegic gentleman within his private residence.

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What skills help Nursing Attendants find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on nursing attendant resumes?

Janice Nash

Professor, Director of the Undergraduate Nursing Program, Carlow University

Graduates who had internships or experience working in healthcare in addition to the required clinical courses are at an advantage. An applicant who highlights their ability to work collaboratively as part of a team and problem-solve will be noticed.

What soft skills should all nursing attendants possess?

Marina Orobinskaia

Program Coordinator, Bellevue College

Friendliness, positive energy, leadership.

What hard/technical skills are most important for nursing attendants?

Marina Orobinskaia

Program Coordinator, Bellevue College

There are no more or less important skills. You need to learn all of them to excellence and what is most important - use your critical thinking when you do them.

What nursing attendant skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Amy Bruce

Chair, Program Director, University of Charleston

If a gap year is taken in nursing school, the student should try to work as a Certified Nurse Assistant or Nurse Extern. This will keep them in the field and keep their experiences and current knowledge fresh until he or she can return to school.

What type of skills will young nursing attendants need?

Dr. Linda Roney

Associate Professor, Fairfield University

New graduates need to have excellent leadership and communication skills, especially during times of uncertainty. For example, many of our 2019 graduates were deployed to float to areas of need throughout the pandemic. Because they had full, personal protective equipment on, their new work area could not read facial expressions or body language to try to guess the nurse's level of comfort with their new setting. They had to quickly learn to speak up about what their learning needs were, and how to best advocate for their patients.

Do you want to know more?

List of nursing attendant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a nursing attendant resume and required skills for a nursing attendant to have include:

Patients
Vital Signs
Blood Pressure
BLS
Cleanliness
ADL
Post-Mortem Care
Oral Hygiene
Direct Patient Care
Fluid Intake
Fresh Water
CPR
ICU

Infection Control
Patient Care
Motion Exercises
EKG
IV
Stretchers
Catheter
Restraints
Emotional Support
Patient Safety
Urinals
Colostomy
Bedpans

Assist Nurses
Surgery
Skin Care
Epic
Physical Therapy
Hospital Policies
Blood Glucose
Patient Behavior
Oral Care
Patient Assessment
Liquid Intake

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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