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Patient care technician/certified nursing assistant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

1 min read

Quoted experts

Marina Orobinskaia,

Marina Orobinskaia

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical patient care technician/certified nursing assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for patient care technician/certified nursing assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 39.9% of patient care technician/certified nursing assistant resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a patient care technician/certified nursing assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.

14 patient care technician/certified nursing assistant skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use patients:

General data entry entering vitals and daily observation of patients.
Provided Direct Patient Care to ventilator dependent patients.

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 patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use vital signs:

Take Vital signs, bathing, toileting, Output amounts from Foley Catheters, JP drains, and suction canisters.
Monitor patient's vital signs, assess patient's neurological status and identify significant changes in patient's condition

3. 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 patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use adl:

Administered Medication* Performed ADL's with clients* Completed Respite duties* Cooked meals* Completed house duty cleanings*Completed weekly schedule*Ordered medication refills
Supervised and assisted patients with ADL's and developmentally appropriate activities.

4. Blood Pressure

Here's how patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use blood pressure:

Record temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration rates, food and fluid intake and Out- takes as directed.
Assisted RN at Mi Casa Es Su Casa Adult Day Care with manual blood pressure and blood sugar testing.

5. Care Tech

Here's how patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use care tech:

Trained new health care technicians, teaching skills, equipment use and protocols needed to be successful.
Supervised 7 staff members on a rotating basis when we had no Health Care Tech II.

6. EKG

Here's how patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use ekg:

Participated in continuing education courses to develop further specialization in performing EKG's and monitoring Cardiac Telemetry.
Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes and document specimen from collection to analysis and performing EKG.

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7. Fluid Intake

Here's how patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use fluid intake:

Promote weight maintenance strategies including monitoring and documenting food/fluid intake.
Assisted residents with adequate nutrition and fluid intake during restorative.

8. Blood Sugars

Here's how patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use blood sugars:

Provided assistance with such tasks as bathing, feeding, vital signs, changing wound dressing, and checking blood sugars.
Take vital signs, Blood sugars, record I&O's, place patients on cardiac monitors, collect specimens.

9. Catheter

Here's how patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use catheter:

Inserted urinary catheters utilizing sterile technique while tracking and documenting urinary intake and output.
Measured/documented fluid input/output; provided catheter care; collected specimens.

10. Direct Patient Care

Here's how patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use direct patient care:

Performed direct patient care nursing tasks under the supervision of a Registered Nurse and performed various tasks as competency documentation designated.
Provided direct patient care on a 16-bed Intensive Psychiatric Treatment Unit and performed Psycho-Social evaluations for Emergency Department patients.

11. 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 patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use infection control:

Maintained departmental policies and procedures while meeting daily objectives, quality assurance program, safely, environmental and infection control standards.
Maintained established departmental policies and procedures, objectives, quality assurance program, safety, environmental and infection control standards.

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 patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use cpr:

Skilled in activities of daily living, behavioral management, crisis prevention/intervention and CPR certified.
Committed to health and safety standards-Empathetic and approachable-Successful completion of PCT training program with certification is required CPR certified

13. PCA

PCA (Personal Care Aide) skills are the abilities to provide assistance and care to elderly, disabled, sick, or fragile individuals.

Here's how patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use pca:

Train newly hired PCA'S/Secretaries, demonstrating leadership in a fast-paced, customer focused environment.
Determined PCA program eligibility and developed Care Plans for eligible clients.

14. IV

Here's how patient care technician/certified nursing assistants use iv:

Access IV lines by administering medications, maintaining patency, and discharging.
Perform routine specialized procedures such as inserting/removing urinary catheters, sterile dressing changes and discontinuation of IV catheters after completing competency.

What skills help Patient Care Technician/Certified Nursing Assistants find jobs?

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

What skills stand out on patient care technician/certified nursing assistant resumes?

Marina Orobinskaia

Program Coordinator, Bellevue College

Experience, good program attended.

What soft skills should all patient care technician/certified nursing assistants possess?

Marina Orobinskaia

Program Coordinator, Bellevue College

Friendliness, positive energy, leadership.

What hard/technical skills are most important for patient care technician/certified nursing assistants?

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 patient care technician/certified nursing assistant 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 patient care technician/certified nursing assistants need?

Shelly Wells Ph.D.

Chair and Professor of Nursing, Northwestern Oklahoma State University

As they enter the workforce, graduate nurses need a robust set of interpersonal skills, in addition to their general nursing knowledge. New nurses must be good listeners, critical thinkers, effective communicators, and problem-solvers to advocate for their patients, profession, and themselves. They must demonstrate empathy, compassion, dependability, flexibility, and a good sense of humor. The new graduate must be confident in their general nursing knowledge gained while in school and commit to learning something new every day while engaged in their nursing career.

Do you want to know more?

List of patient care technician/certified nursing assistant skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a patient care technician/certified nursing assistant resume and required skills for a patient care technician/certified nursing assistant to have include:

Patients
Vital Signs
ADL
Blood Pressure
Care Tech

EKG
Fluid Intake
Blood Sugars
Catheter
Direct Patient Care

Infection Control
CPR
PCA
IV

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.

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Patient Care Technician/Certified Nursing Assistant Skills

Updated January 8, 2025

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