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A healthcare professional dedicated to helping patients regain lost function to enhance activities of daily living and work, an Occupational Therapist applies evidence-based techniques and exercises to aid recovery from physical, mental, developmental, or emotional conditions. To aid recovery, you utilize skills in reviewing patient history, evaluating condition, and liaising with other healthcare professionals, allowing you to apply industry standards to develop treatments outlining specific goals and the tasks that will support effective recovery. Your resume should highlight your ability to work within the rehabilitation team to optimize patient outcomes, and clarify if you have experience with patients of all ages or specific age groups the job description asks for.
Expert Tip
You should never use a creative resume
Many job seekers think that an eye-catching resume template will help them stand out to hiring managers and increase their chances of landing an interview. This is a myth put out by resume builders that value design over content.
The truth is that most hiring managers prefer a traditional resume format.
Creative resume templates, like the one pictured here, can actually hurt your chances of landing an interview. Instead, you should use a basic resume format that quickly communicates your basic information and qualifications–like the one included below.
Occupational Therapist resume (text format)
How confident are you feeling about your resume? If you need more help, you can always refer to the following resume sample for a position.
Name
Title
City, State or Country if international
Phone | Email
LinkedIn URL
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST PROFESSIONAL
Compassionate, experienced, and licensed Occupational Therapist with a passion for providing the best quality patient care possible. Excellent academic qualifications including a Master of Occupational Therapy as well as a Bachelor of Science in Health Science, combined with years of hands-on clinical experience. Proven ability to devise treatment programs that increase the client’s ability to carry out activities or occupations independently and with increased confidence. Effectively collaborate with colleagues to create a friendly and caring environment. Highly skilled at utilizing scientific knowledge and technical skills to provide quality patient care and useful diagnostic information. Committed to providing all patients with outstanding care and support to help improve quality of life.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Human Anatomy and Internal Structures
Hydrotherapy
Electrotherapy
Mobility Techniques
Muscle Strengthening
Patient/ Family Education
Medical Equipment
Rehabilitation
Collaboration/ Care Teams
Positive Reinforcement
Physical Therapy
Program Development
Case Management
Neurological Disorders
Communication
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Occupational Therapist
COMPANY NAME | CITY, ST | MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY
Responsibilities
Care for patients across the entire treatment course, from evaluation to treatment, monitoring, and discharge planning.
Recognize for excellent professional expertise, with notable experience in skilled nursing and long-term care as well as rehab care (acute).
Provide expert assistance to occupational therapists and physical therapists with all aspects of treatment.
Offer knowledgeable comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation occupational therapy services for a full caseload of patients through collaboration with multidisciplinary teams for treatment development and implementation.
Conduct assessments effectively, developing occupationally-based, client-oriented treatment plans for adult and geriatric patients with varied conditions, utilizing evidence-based practices.
Screen and evaluate patients in accordance to physician’s evaluation.
Instruct patients and families in appropriate use of equipment to aid physical dysfunctions.
Suggested skills that aid patients in reacquiring lost skills.
Plan and conduct occupational therapy programs.
Recommend changes in patients’ living environment to accommodate their disability.
Administer assessments knowledgeably, interpreting results, and developing treatment plans by the student’s occupational performance needs to achieve IEP goals.
Cross-collaborate with multidisciplinary teams during CSE meetings to provide and implement occupationally relevant services using evidence-based practices.
Occupational Therapist
COMPANY NAME | CITY, ST | MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY
Responsibilities
Assisted in administrative support to coordinate and supply patient-centered occupational therapy care in addition to supervising and training student clinicians to build professional knowledge and sk__i__lls.
Mentored and trained new employees while serving as a preceptor.
Collaborated with RNs, physicians, pharmacy staff, and other patient care professionals to deliver the best quality of care possible.
Achieved numerous recognitions from both management and patients for customer service efforts.
Developed and prepared appropriate therapeutic care plans.
Followed care plan objectives and kept records of attendance and client progress.
Supported and instructed the patient in activities relating to their treatment program.
Handled complex problems and worked with patients to ensure all discrepancies are resolved quickly.
Listened to the patient and analyzed the problem to offer a prompt resolution, ensuring superior service and support.
Physiotherapist
COMPANY NAME | CITY, ST | MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY
Responsibilities
Treated patients by applying physiotherapy techniques and principles to swelling, pain, and joint stiffness in joints, including the knees, feet, hips, hands, and spine.
Set up the equipment and prepared patients for therapies.
Prepared case notes and reports of the patients.
Identified physical problems of the patients.
Practiced effective physiotherapies for improving body movements and strengthening muscles of the patients.
Updated the senior physiotherapist regularly on patient statuses.
EDUCATION
Complete School Name, City, St/Country: List Graduation Years If Within the Last Ten Years
Complete Degree Name (Candidate) – Major (GPA: List if over 3.3)
Relevant Coursework: List coursework taken (even include those you are planning on taking)
Awards/Honors: List any awards, honors or big achievements
Clubs/Activities: List clubs and activities in which you participated
Relevant Projects: List 2-3 projects you have worked on
Everything you need to write your occupational therapist resume
Now that you’ve seen an example of a job winning Occupational Therapist resume, here are some tips to help you write your own. You should always begin with a summary section. Remember to use basic formatting with clear section headings and a traditional layout. Finally, be sure to include top skills throughout your resume. We’ve included several examples common for Occupational Therapist below.
Let’s start with your resume summary section.
1. Summary
The resume summary replaces the out-of-date resume objective. A summary outlines the most impressive parts of your resume for easy recall by your potential employer, while also serving to fill in personal qualities that may not appear elsewhere on the page. Remember that summaries are short and consist of pithy sentence fragments! You can check out the Occupational Therapist resume example for more information!
Expert Tip
Always start with your most recent positions at the top of your resume. This is called reverse-chronological format, and keeps your most relevant information easy for hiring managers to review.
2. Formatting
Our experts recommend you start your resume with a resume summary, like the one above. Other common sections are Work Experience, Education, and either Skills or Core Competencies. Here are some guides from our blog to help you write these sections:
Some resumes will include other sections, such as Volunteer Experience or Technical Skills. When it comes to what sections you need to include on your resume, you will know best!
Other sections for you to consider including are foreign language skills, awards and honors, certifications, and speaking engagements. These could all be relevant sections for your resume.
3. Appropriate skills
Human Anatomy and Internal Structures
Hydrotherapy
Electrotherapy
Mobility Techniques
Muscle Strengthening
Patient/ Family Education
Medical Equipment
Rehabilitation
Collaboration/ Care Teams
Positive Reinforcement
Physical Therapy
Program Development
Case Management
Neurological Disorders
Communication
Treatment Planning
Ultrasound Treatments
Building Patient Independence
Discharge Planning
Performance Monitoring
Patient Safety
New Employee/ Student Preceptor
Results Interpretation
4. Experience section
Your Work Experience section should make up the bulk of your resume. This section should include your relevant job titles, companies that employed you, and the dates you were employed.
Most of your resume will be the Work Experience section, so it's important to write about your professional history in an impactful way. To effectively write bullets for a resume, you want to demonstrate the skills that you have that the job description is asking for, articulately and concisely. • Conduct assessments effectively, developing occupationally-based, client-oriented treatment plans for adult and geriatric patients with varied conditions, utilizing evidence-based practices. In this bullet you are demonstrating your ability to build treatment plans based on organizational standards, demonstrating a dedication to maintaining up-to-date industry knowledge. You also give examples of the patient demographics you are familiar with serving, and varied conditions gives employees insight that you have worked with patients suffering from a range of conditions requiring tailoring of treatment plans. • Achieved numerous recognitions from both management and patients for customer service efforts. With this statement you are providing potential employers with the information that you have excelled in your previous roles and that you are dedicated to your position, increasing the likelihood of high-quality work for them as well. If an employer holds patient care as a value (as most do), this statement also lets them know that you share their values and can excel within their organizational culture.
Let’s wrap it up!
Standout resumes will include a resume summary, a traditional reverse-chronological layout, and the skills and experience relevant to your job target. This resume example shows how to include those elements on a page. It’s up to you to insert your personal compelling qualifications.
Keep your resume format easy to scan by both humans and computers; our resume template is designed by our experts to satisfy both audiences. And be sure to include your own skills, achievements, and experiences. Job-winning resumes are resumes that successfully market you, leading recruiters and hiring managers to want to learn more!
Finally, emphasize your interest with a customized cover letter. When writing, remember that the resume and cover letter should support each other. Check out our cover letter tips and examples for more advice.
Didn’t get the specific answers you were looking for on this page? Hire a professional resume writer to get the advice you need to land your next job.
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