A nursing assistant cover letter needs to do more than list your duties. It should show a hiring manager how you support patients, work within a care team, and maintain the standards that keep patients safe. Whether you are applying for your first NA role or transitioning between facilities, this guide covers what to include, how to structure each paragraph, and what separates letters that earn interviews from those that do not. For general formatting guidance, see our how to write a cover letter guide.
What employers look for in a nursing assistant cover letter
Nursing assistant roles combine technical skills with consistent, hands-on patient care. Hiring managers at hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home health agencies look for specific evidence in your letter, not just general enthusiasm.
- ADL assistance -- Employers want to see that you are comfortable helping patients with bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and feeding. Mention the patient populations you have worked with, such as elderly residents or post-surgical patients.
- Vital signs monitoring -- Competency with blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and temperature readings is a baseline requirement. Reference any electronic health record (EHR) systems you have used to log observations.
- Infection control -- Demonstrate your understanding of standard precautions, PPE protocols, and hand hygiene compliance. Facilities take these standards seriously, especially in long-term care settings.
- Mobility assistance and fall prevention -- Mention experience with transfers, repositioning, assistive devices, and fall risk protocols. Concrete examples carry more weight than general statements.
- Documentation -- Accurate, timely notes protect patients and the facility. Highlight your attention to detail and any experience with point-of-care documentation systems.
- Empathy and communication -- Nursing assistants are often the team members who spend the most direct time with patients. Show that your interpersonal approach supports both patient dignity and family communication.
How to write a nursing assistant cover letter that gets interviews
1. Lead with a relevant credential or a specific care result
Do not open with "I am writing to apply for." Instead, lead with your certification or a concrete outcome. For example, noting that you hold a current CNA certification and have supported ADL care for up to 12 residents per shift tells a hiring manager exactly what you bring before they read another sentence. This approach works for entry-level cover letters across all healthcare roles.
2. Connect your skills directly to the posting
Read the job description carefully and mirror its language. If the listing emphasizes dementia care, describe your experience managing behavioral symptoms and maintaining routine. If the role is in a rehabilitation unit, reference your transfer and mobility assistance experience. Generic letters are easy to identify and easy to set aside.
3. Quantify your patient care experience
Numbers make your experience tangible. Include the number of patients or residents you supported per shift, the type of facility, and any measurable outcomes you contributed to -- such as a reduction in call-light response time or a zero-incident fall record over a specific period. If you are writing a letter with limited clinical experience, our no experience cover letter guide shows how to frame training and clinical rotations effectively.
4. Close with availability and a direct call to action
End with a short paragraph that confirms your availability, references your certification status, and requests a specific next step such as a phone screen or interview. A direct close -- "I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my patient care experience fits your team's needs" -- reads as confident without being aggressive.
Nursing assistant cover letter example
Replace facility names, patient counts, and certifications with your own experience.
Subject: Application for the Nursing assistant position
Before you send your application
Use this checklist to review your nursing assistant cover letter before submitting:
- Does your opening reference your CNA or NA certification by state and status?
- Have you named the facility and connected your experience to their care model?
- Are ADL support, vital signs, and infection control mentioned with specific context?
- Did you include patient-to-staff ratios or measurable care outcomes?
- Is your letter free of filler phrases like "hardworking team player"?
- Have you proofread for spelling, grammar, and consistent formatting?
For additional comparison, review the CNA cover letter and LPN cover letter pages, which cover closely related roles in the same care setting. The nurse cover letter page is also useful if you are preparing materials for multiple levels of nursing roles.
FAQ
How long should a nursing assistant cover letter be?
Keep it to one page, between 250 and 350 words. Long-term care and hospital hiring managers review high volumes of applications, so a focused letter that leads with credentials and care outcomes is more effective than a detailed biography.
What certifications should I include in a nursing assistant cover letter?
Always mention your CNA certification, including the state it is valid in and its current status. If you hold additional credentials -- CPR/BLS, HHA certification, or specialty training in dementia care or wound care observation -- include them early in the letter where they will be seen quickly.
How do I write a nursing assistant cover letter with no experience?
Focus on your clinical training hours, any facility rotations completed during your CNA program, and transferable skills from previous roles in caregiving, customer service, or healthcare support. Our no experience cover letter guide provides a full framework for structuring a letter when your direct experience is limited.
Should my nursing assistant cover letter be different for each facility?
Yes. Tailor each letter to the specific facility type, patient population, and care model. A letter for a memory care unit should emphasize dementia-specific skills, while one for a rehabilitation center should highlight mobility support and post-acute care experience. Reusing a single generic letter is one of the most common reasons applications are passed over.
How is a nursing assistant cover letter different from a CNA cover letter?
In practice, the terms are used interchangeably, and the content of both letters should be similar. The distinction matters mainly in how the job posting is worded. Match the exact title used in the listing to make it clear you are applying for that specific role. For a side-by-side comparison, see our CNA cover letter page. You can also explore the full range of roles covered in the healthcare cover letter section.