Physical Therapist Sample
Download and customize our resume template to land more interviews. Review our writing tips to learn everything you need to know for putting together the perfect resume.
Dedicated to aiding physical therapists in caring for patients managing pain and regaining movement while recovering from surgery, illness, and injury, you help patient perform exercises to strengthen muscles and joints through a variety of techniques. A good resume will illustrate your ability to help patients through the entire cycle of their care, working with physicians, the supervising physical therapist, and other clinicians to perform initial evaluations, prepare evidence-based treatment plans, monitor progress, and prepare discharge instructions and education to help patients return to as close to normal function as possible. Employers will expect your resume to show your skills in areas such as measuring motor function and strength, contributing to the development of treatment plans, recording and documenting patient progress, and assisting patients through exercises, stretches, massage, and utilizing equipment and devices appropriately and safely while remaining professional, friendly, compassionate, and empathetic.
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.
Physical 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
PHYSICAL THERAPIST PROFESSIONAL
Compassionate and licensed Physical Therapy Assistant with a passion for providing the best quality patient care possible. Proven ability to devise treatment programs that increase the client’s ability to carry out physical movement and activities independently and with increased confidence. Effectively collaborates with colleagues to create a friendly and caring environment for patient care. Highly skilled at utilizing scientific knowledge and technical skills to limit or prevent physical disability and improve the mobility of people who have injury. Committed to providing all patients with outstanding care and support to help improve quality of life.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Physical Therapy
Exercise
Surgical Recovery
Muscle Devleopment
Orthopedics
Special Needs Patients
Empathy
Physiology
Clinical Teamwork
Aquatherapy
Pain Management
Communication
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Physical Therapist
COMPANY NAME | CITY, ST | MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY
Responsibilities
Administered active and passive manual therapeutic exercises, heat, and electrical modality treatments.
Observe patients during treatment to comply and evaluate data on patient responses and progress, reporting results to a physical therapist.
Secure patient into or onto therapy equipment, providing supervision for continued safety and prevention of injury.
Administer traction to relieve neck and back pain using the intermittent equipment.
Maintain equipment and furniture to keep it in good working condition performing the assembly and disassembly of equipment.
Clean and organize work area, disinfecting equipment after treatment to minimize infection
Change linens, such as bed sheets and pillowcases, between patients
Arrange treatment supplies to keep them in order for efficient treatment.
Physical Therapy Assistant
COMPANY | CITY, ST | MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY
Responsibilities
Delivered quality patient experiences, offering friendly greetings to patients entering for physical therapy sessions.
Performed routine tasks under the physical therapy sessions.
Took inventory of supplies.
Answered telephones, scheduled appointments, and updated session status using the computer.
Set up, cleaned, and disinfected patient treatment areas.
Maintained equipment and furniture to keep it in good working condition, including performing the assembly and disassembly of equipment and accessories.
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 physical therapist resume
Now that you’ve seen an example of a job winning Physical 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 Physical 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 Physical 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
Physical Therapy
Exercise
Surgical Recovery
Muscle Devleopment
Orthopedics
Special Needs Patients
Empathy
Physiology
Clinical Teamwork
Aquatherapy
Pain Management
Communication
Medical Records Documentation
Patient Safety
Regulatory Compliance
Evidence-Based Therapy Practices
Monitoring Patient Progress
Patient Evaluation
Supply and Equipment Maintenance
Infection Control Techniques
Patient Education
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.
The bullets in your resume should reflect the skills that employers are going to expect, while remaining clear and concise. • Observe patients during treatment to comply and evaluate data on patient responses and progress, reporting results to a physical therapist. This bullet illustrates the core requirements of a Physical Therapy Assistant's duties. It demonstrates that you are experienced and skilled in monitoring patients during their encounters, ensuring they are properly performing exercises to optimize the benefits and maintain safety. It also demonstrates your ability to collaborate with the Physical Therapists who are supervising your work, evaluating and monitoring performance and reporting your conclusions to them to collaborate on possible improvements that may better suit the patients' recovery. • Delivered quality patient experiences, offering friendly greetings to patients entering for physical therapy sessions. One thing healthcare organizations are often emphasizing are positive patient experiences that contribute to patient retention and growth. This bullet shows that you are dedicated to providing patients with positive experiences, acting compassionately and remaining friendly to ensure their cooperation and satisfaction with the facility and their care.
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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