Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
A frontline CNA job description for skilled nursing and assisted living — activities of daily living, vitals, and resident dignity at the core.
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Built for: Healthcare
Overview
This Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) template is a job description starting point for healthcare employers hiring direct-care staff who support residents or patients with daily living tasks. It is built to help you post a role that is specific about what the CNA will do, what skills are required, and what the work environment looks like, while still leaving room for your facility’s policies, shift needs, and benefits.
Use this template when you need to hire for bedside support work such as bathing, dressing, feeding assistance, mobility support, vital sign collection, and observation/reporting. It is especially useful when you want a posting that is easier to screen against and more aligned with EEOC and OFCCP expectations for job-related criteria. The template also helps you document essential functions in a way that supports ADA-aware hiring and reduces confusion about the physical demands of the role.
Do not use this template as-is for licensed nursing roles, purely administrative positions, or jobs where the CNA will not provide direct resident care. It should also be customized if your setting has unique requirements such as memory care, hospice support, hospital transport, or specialized documentation. If your state requires pay transparency, shift details, or specific disclosures, those should be added before publishing.
Standards & compliance context
- Use job-related criteria and avoid unnecessary language that could create bias concerns under EEOC and OFCCP guidance.
- Describe essential functions clearly so candidates and reviewers can understand the physical and care-related demands in an ADA-aware way.
- If the role is exempt or non-exempt for wage-and-hour purposes, confirm the classification before publishing the posting.
- Add salary range and required disclosures where state or local pay transparency laws apply, including California, New York, Colorado, and Washington.
- Keep the title template searchable and accurate, such as Certified Nursing Assistant, rather than using inflated or informal titles.
General regulatory context for orientation only — verify current requirements with counsel or the relevant agency before relying on this template for compliance.
How to use this template
- 1. Replace the placeholders for {company_name}, {department}, {benefits}, employment type, role level, and salary range so the posting matches the actual opening.
- 2. Edit the description_template to reflect the care setting, shift pattern, resident population, and the main outcomes the CNA is expected to support.
- 3. Review the requirements_template and keep only the essential functions, required skills, and preferred skills that are truly needed for the job.
- 4. Add any facility-specific details such as documentation systems, lifting equipment, infection-control expectations, and supervision structure.
- 5. Publish the posting, then compare applicants against the required skills and essential functions during screening and interview review.
- 6. After the first hiring cycle, update the template based on candidate quality, turnover patterns, and any compliance or pay-transparency changes.
Best practices
- List the CNA’s essential functions first so applicants can quickly tell whether they can perform the core work.
- Keep required skills to the capabilities that are truly necessary, such as resident transfer support, vital signs, and basic documentation.
- Use outcome-based language like supporting resident comfort and safety instead of vague phrases that do not describe the actual job.
- State the shift, employment type, and care setting clearly so candidates self-select accurately before applying.
- Separate preferred skills from required skills to avoid screening out otherwise qualified CNAs who can learn on the job.
- Include realistic salary range details and benefits placeholders before posting in jurisdictions that require compensation transparency.
- Tailor the posting to the unit, such as memory care or rehab, rather than reusing a generic CNA description across every opening.
What this template typically catches
Issues teams running this template most often surface in practice:
Common use cases
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