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Professional nursing assistant skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

1 min read

Quoted experts

Marina Orobinskaia,

Comora Sarah

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical professional nursing assistant skills. We ranked the top skills for professional nursing assistants based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 41.4% of professional nursing assistant resumes contained vital signs as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a professional nursing assistant needs to be successful in the workplace.

8 professional nursing assistant skills for your resume and career

1. 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 professional nursing assistants use vital signs:

Monitor Vital Signs, Temperature, Height and Weight Trainings:
Provided residents care in long-term care facilities including monitoring and documenting vital signs, and effectively engaged in good teamwork.

2. PNA

Here's how professional nursing assistants use pna:

Completed a 400 hour PNA externship program working as a NAII in the PACU

3. 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 professional nursing assistants use patient care:

Provided high-quality patient care and recorded patient data, ensuring accuracy and abiding by HIPPA regulations.
Completed routine computer documentation, answered telephones, and provided patient care under supervision of a registered nurse.

4. Administer Medications

Here's how professional nursing assistants use administer medications:

Prepare and administer medications as directed by a physician.

5. 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 professional nursing assistants use adl:

Performed assessments, responsible for medication administration, wound care treatment, documentation and aiding in the residents' ADL's.
Assisted residents with ADL's and performed tasks within my scope of practice under the supervision of a charged nurse.

6. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how professional nursing assistants use mental health:

Counseled patients with their health and life benefits regarding occupational and recreational therapy in an emergency mental health facility.
Provided patients with occupational and recreational therapy in an emergency mental health facility.

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7. Medical-Surgical

Medical-surgical is a type of nursing that deals with adult patients who are recovering from surgeries or are acutely ill.

Here's how professional nursing assistants use medical-surgical:

Worked primarily on the Medical-Surgical floor, but rotated to the ICU, ED, OR, and Orthopedic units.

8. Patient Charts

Here's how professional nursing assistants use patient charts:

Maintain patient charts while ensuring confidentially of patient information.
Documented activities and assisted in maintaining patient charts.

What skills help Professional 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 professional nursing assistant resumes?

Marina Orobinskaia

Program Coordinator, Bellevue College

Experience, good program attended.

What soft skills should all professional nursing assistants possess?

Comora Sarah

Assistant Clinical Professor, Merrimack College

Ability to effectively communicate with all patients and interdisciplinary team members, willing to be flexible with shifts and scheduling, a team player with a great work ethic.

Do you want to know more?

List of professional nursing assistant skills to add to your resume

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

Vital Signs
PNA
Patient Care

Administer Medications
ADL
Mental Health

Medical-Surgical
Patient Charts

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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