With an aging population and a high demand for health services, there is a continued need for the care and attention that healthcare assistants provide. However, are you bringing the same level of care to your healthcare assistant CV?
Every job application deserves the same attention you would give your patients. That’s what a hiring manager will be looking for. Luckily for you, at Resume.io we know a thing or two about communicating your professional skills through the most important part of your job application: your CV. Resume.io is a powerful resource for job seekers, as we provide CV guides and CV examples for 65+ professions, backed up by an easy-to-use CV builder.
This CV guide, along with the corresponding CV example, will cover the following topics:
- What does a healthcare assistant do?
- How to write a healthcare assistant CV (tips and tricks)
- The best format for a healthcare assistant CV
- Advice on each section of your CV (summary, work history, education, skills)
- Professional CV layout and design hints.
What does a healthcare assistant do?
Working as a healthcare assistant can be a fulfilling career choice if you’re interested in providing care and support to patients in various healthcare settings. As a healthcare assistant, also known as a healthcare support worker or nursing assistant, you play a crucial role in ensuring patients receive the best possible care.
Your responsibilities can include assisting patients with personal care, measuring their vital signs and keeping accurate records, or even providing emotional support. You could also find yourself assisting healthcare professionals and communicating with patients’ families. It's important to note that the exact responsibilities of a healthcare assistant can vary depending on the healthcare setting and the specialised training you’ve received.
If you are passionate about helping people, a career as a healthcare assistant may be right for you. It's a challenging yet rewarding job that can make a real difference in the lives of patients. Whether you work in a hospital or residential care home, you'll have the opportunity to contribute to maintaining a safe healthcare environment while providing compassionate care to those who need it most.
A plethora of possibilities
As a healthcare assistant you could work in a variety of settings. This could include:
- Private hospitals & clinics
- Residential care homes
- Community care settings or with home care agencies
- Hospices
- Rehabilitation centers
The most recently released statistics by the Office of National Statistics reported a 5% increase in labour input in 2021. This means investment for full time staff has occurred at a higher rate than in previous years.
How to write a healthcare assistant CV
The very first step in writing your healthcare assistant CV is understanding what sections to include. Your CV should contain the following elements:
- The CV header
- The CV summary (aka profile or personal statement)
- The employment history section
- The CV skills section
- The education section
Optimise for the ATS
ATS stands for Applicant Tracking Systems. Most large organisations use an ATS software to filter only the best of the bunch. Only the top applications will be put in front of the hiring manager. You can make sure that yours makes the cut by including keywords that are important in the job description.
Choosing the best resume format for a healthcare assistant
The best CV format for a healthcare assistant CV is almost always reverse chronological. This means your previous employment section takes centre stage.
Some roles might work better with a functional CV format as it mostly emphasises important niche or complex skills and competencies rather than your work history. This type of CV will focus on your skills section.
While your CV format is important, it needs to be populated with impressive content. We will talk about how to write each of the associated sections of your CV in the dedicated guide chapters and CV example content below.
CV summary example
Your CV summary is the place to summarise your most impressive accomplishments and key strengths as a healthcare assistant. You have just three to four sentences to wow the hiring manager into reading on. After all, this is the section that will be used to determine the relevance of your CV example.
Our CV example summary below will give you some ideas on how you could position yourself as a healthcare assistant. However, your summary should always be informed by the job description of the role that you are applying for.
Exceptional Healthcare Assistant passionate about supporting positive health outcomes by providing stellar support for medical professionals. Demonstrated experience in effective administrative management, operational support, and records maintenance, empowering healthcare personnel to deliver exceptional service to patients. Strong insight into medical industry and processes, with a keen talent for fostering positive relationships with customers and patients.
You can check out some of our other CV samples if you would like some more inspiration.
Employment history sample
Once the hiring manager has decided your CV is worth reading, they will focus on your previous employment history in the healthcare field. Make it easy for them and present your relevant achievements from past positions in reverse chronological order. That means your most recent experience should be at the top.
Ensure your previous employment history showcases your potential as a skilled and accomplished healthcare assistant. Create a subheading for each previous role that includes the job title, employer, location, and dates of employment for each previous position. Under this subheading, list several bullet points detailing your responsibilities and the skills for each role that are relevant to a position as a healthcare assistant.
Remember, this section is a valuable opportunity to demonstrate your expertise, dedication, and accomplishments as a healthcare assistant.
Healthcare Assistant, Brighton General Hospital, Brighton, UK
May 2018 - March 2023
- Engaged with patients to answer or direct questions, providing empathetic and efficient support for a wide range of customers.
- Maintained comprehensive, confidential patient records, inputting patient data and visit records to facilitate physician and medical staff activities.
- Oversaw facility maintenance activities, preparing treatment rooms and managing public areas for positive experiences.
Healthcare Assistant, PeaceHealth Medical, Brighton, UK
April 2015 - January 2018
- Partnered with medical staff to provide support for all administrative and healthcare activities, maintaining alignment with high-level standards.
- Delivered exceptional customer service for patients, providing support for phone and in-person communications.
- Seamlessly maintained detailed patient records, ensuring optimal security and confidentiality across protected data.
Use the STAR method
When choosing which examples to include in the bullet points of your previous employment section, think about telling the story in the clearest way possible. You may find it useful to use the STAR approach:
- Situation - What context is needed to understand the story?
- Task - What did you set out to accomplish?
- Action - What action did you personally take in the given situation? This is the most important part.
- Results - What were some strong results you delivered?
CV skills example
Your hard and soft skills are what makes your experience as a healthcare assistant invaluable. Make sure you include a mix of both in your skills section on your CV.
Hard skills are the technical CV skills such as measuring vital signs. Soft skills are about problem solving and communication. A top healthcare assistant showcases a skills toolkit consisting of both.
- Medical Knowledge
- Patient Records
- Confidential Data Management
- Customer Service
- Patient Communication
- Administrative Skills
- Cross-Team Collaboration
- Medical Staff Partnership
Prioritise your skills
Re-read the job description to remind yourself of the most important skills to the employer. Make sure to list the relevant skills only and in the order of importance. Use the same language as the job description to appease the ATS and the hiring manager.
The ability to communicate in more than one language could be a huge advantage for healthcare assistants, so don’t forget to list that bonus skill. Check out our CV sample content for the skills section below.
Healthcare assistant CV education example
Organising your education section shouldn’t be overlooked. Arrange the section reverse chronological order, placing your most recent qualification at the top. For each qualification, provide the essential details.
Each qualification subheading should include the qualification title, institution name, location, and dates attended.
Certified Medical Assistant, Brighton Medical Centre, Brighton, UK
June 2013 - June 2014
Bachelor of Science in Healthcare, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK
January 2009 - May 2013
CV layout and design
There’s no overlooking the way that your healthcare assistant CV looks. The design should be an integral part of how you approach the writing of your healthcare CV. You should use a simple colour scheme with headings that properly draw your attention to the correct section.
Unfortunately, a lot of tools are fiddly when it comes to creating the clear design needed from a professional-looking CV. If you prefer to skip this step altogether, you can consider using one of our field-tested CV templates. These save on stress and create a CV that you can be confident visually represents your professional skills in a matter of minutes.
Key takeaways for a healthcare assistant CV
- Give your healthcare assistant CV the care it deserves and tweak it for each new job application.
- Highlight your relevant skills and achievements using the STAR method.
- The reverse chronological order is almost always the best way to go for a healthcare assistant.
