Certified nursing assistant (CNA) job description template

What a certified nursing assistant (CNA) does

Certified nursing assistants do the most physical and personal work in healthcare: bathing, feeding, turning, and walking with patients and residents, often for a full assignment of them. Turnover is high, and the employers who keep CNAs are the ones who are honest in the job description about the assignment size, the shift, and the support on the floor. This template is built for nursing homes, assisted living, and hospitals, with the certification requirements spelled out.

Certified nursing assistant (CNA) job description template

Copy the description, replace everything in [brackets], and cut any line that isn't true for your job. The duties and requirements are a starting point written by HR practitioners, not a legal standard, so edit them to match the real work.

Certified nursing assistant (CNA)

Details
- Department: [Department]
- Reports to: [Manager title]
- Location: [City, State, or remote]
- Employment type: [Full-time, part-time, or seasonal]
- FLSA status: Nonexempt
- Pay range: [$X to $Y per hour]

About [Company]
[Two or three sentences about what your company does, who it serves, and why people like working here.]

Job summary
We're hiring a certified nursing assistant to provide hands-on daily care and comfort to our [patients or residents], working under the direction of our licensed nurses.

What you'll do
- Help patients or residents with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and eating.
- Take and record vital signs, weight, intake, and output.
- Reposition, transfer, and help patients walk using safe lifting techniques and equipment.
- Answer call lights promptly and report changes in condition to the nurse.
- Keep rooms clean, safe, and stocked.
- Document care accurately in the record.
- Support residents' dignity, privacy, and rights at all times.
- Follow infection control and safety procedures.

What you'll need
- Current nurse aide certification and listing on the [State] nurse aide registry in good standing.
- High school diploma or equivalent preferred.
- Current CPR or BLS certification.
- Ability to work [shift], including weekends and holidays on rotation.

Nice to have
- One year of experience in long-term care, rehab, or acute care.
- Restorative or dementia care training.
- Bilingual in a language spoken by many of our residents.

Skills
Compassionate personal care, Safe patient handling, Observation and reporting, Patience, Teamwork, Time management across an assignment.

Physical demands and work environment
Nursing facility or hospital. Requires standing and walking for most of the shift and frequent lifting, pushing, and transferring patients with mechanical aids, plus exposure to infectious disease with protective equipment provided.

Pay and benefits
[$X to $Y per hour], based on experience and location. [List benefits, such as health insurance, retirement plan match, paid time off, and training.]

Equal opportunity
[Company] is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by law. If you need a reasonable accommodation to apply or interview, contact [name] at [email or phone].

How to customize it for your job

• State the typical patient or resident assignment size.
• Say which lift equipment you use. It signals safety.
• If you pay for certification for trainees, say so clearly.
• List shift differentials for evenings, nights, and weekends.

Then check it against the HRTally job description standard, our 10-point checklist, and run it through the inclusive language swap list. Both take about five minutes.

How much to pay a certified nursing assistant (CNA)

Half of US nursing assistants earned more than $20.32 an hour in May 2025, and half earned less, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That national figure is a starting point, not a pay range. Pay for the same job can differ by 30 percent or more between metro areas, so check the BLS occupation profile for state and metro data before you set your range.

For hourly roles, the legal floor matters as much as the market rate. Check the current rate where the job is based in our minimum wage by state table, and the state's overtime and break rules in our state labor law library.

To convert between hourly and annual pay, use our salary to hourly calculator. If you hire in a state or city with a pay transparency law, the range must appear in the posting itself. Our pay transparency laws guide lists where, and our guide to salary bands explains how to set ranges you can defend.

Exempt status, licenses, and legal notes

FLSA status: Nonexempt (overtime eligible). Job titles don't decide overtime eligibility. Duties and pay do. Our guide to exempt vs non-exempt employees walks through each test, and the overtime calculator shows what a nonexempt employee is owed.

Federal rules for nursing homes that take Medicare or Medicaid require nurse aides to complete a state-approved training program of at least 75 hours, including clinical training, and pass a competency evaluation within four months of hire. Facilities must check the state nurse aide registry before hiring. Many states set higher training hours. CNAs are nonexempt and must be paid for all hours worked, including time spent in shift report.

This is general information for US employers, not legal advice. Laws change and vary by state and city, so confirm the current rules or talk to employment counsel before you rely on them.

Interview questions to ask

Ask every candidate the same core questions and score answers against the same criteria. Structured interviews are fairer and predict job performance better than open conversation.

1. Tell me about a resident who was difficult to care for and how you handled it.
2. How do you protect a patient's dignity during personal care?
3. What would you do if you noticed a resident's skin breaking down?
4. How do you manage your time when several call lights go off at once?

When you're ready to schedule, use our interview invitation email template. For a full hiring process, read the recruitment process guide.

Frequently asked questions