Physical Therapist Resume Example + Best Writing Tips and Resume Template

Physical Therapist Resume Writing – Best Tips

Here are some tips and best practices to help you write a good resume for a physiotherapist position.  

Perfect Physical Therapist Resume should attract attention at first glance.

If you use a resume template or cv builder, choose a solution that includes essential sections such as professional summary, education, work experience, skills and contact details. 

Pay attention to both the form and content of each section. Take a look at our sample resume for physiotherapist. 

1. Include Professional Summary or Career Objective 

The professional summary is a short text usually placed at the top of the Resume. Many candidates forget about this section and that’s a mistake! 

If you want to stand out from the other candidates applying for a given position, be sure to include a professional summary in your curriculum vitae.

It usually contains such information as:

• Who are you;
• What area you want to work in;
• why you should be offered the job

While writing your professional summary, focus on specifics and facts. Make sure it is not too long. A good career summary should be 2-5 sentences long.

If you have a track record of achievements, this is the right section to mention it.

Here are few examples of professional summary that could be an inspiration for you.

Physical Therapist Resume Summary examples:

or

Position of Physical Therapist is all about effectiveness, so if you are successful, be sure to show it! See below example

In each of these sample professional summaries, there was an information about both the education and work experience. 

If you know which group of patients you would like to work with as a physical therapist, include that information in your professional summary as well. Your resume builder does not allow you to add a summary? Decide on another solution that includes this section, or use our ready-made resume template.

The professional summary should be at the top of your resume.

TIP: Professional Resume is good for candidates with larger experience. If you are at the early stage of your career path, you might consider writing a career objective

2. How to describe work experience in a Physical Therapist Resume?

Previous experience as a Physical Therapist will have a strong impact on your chances in the recruitment process. Therefore, describe clearly your work history, giving specific details of your job duties.

What does this mean in practice? 

Work experience section in a physiotherapist CV – good tips

Describing your previous experience in your curriculum vitae, first of all give the full names of both your previous employers and your current place of work.

Specify not only the years, but also the months when you worked in a given position.

For each of your past jobs, list the responsibilities you have held.

Avoid generalities!

Writing “patient care” is not enough – be specific about what you did and what treatments you applied, what patients you worked with, and what techniques and methods you used. 

Here are examples of duties that may be included in the professional experience section of Physical Therapist Resume:

If you’ve had any accomplishments in your previous jobs, mention them too!

Under your job description you can include a separate ‘achievements’ section where you can list the ones you are most proud of. 

For example:

If you have extensive work experience in the field of physiotherapy you can omit or briefly describe unrelated jobs, e.g. casual student jobs, etc. For example, if after collage you were a Fitness Personal Trainer and these job duties are not relevant for the job opportunity, just skip them.

What if you are a recent graduate who has not worked as a physiotherapist before?

Show off the internships and apprenticeships you have completed during your studies. This will have a positive impact on the application assessment ! 

Add activities that are related to the job you are applying for.

If you want to underline your motivation and stand out from other applicants, prepare a cover letter and send it along with your curriculum vitae. Despite the beliefs of some candidates, many recruiters still pay a lot of attention to it. 

3. Skills Example in a Physical Therapist Resume

Another crucial section of your Resume are your Physical Therapist skills. 

Describing your professional capabilities always try to list the ones that your potential employer expects in the first place. This will show that you are the perfect candidate for the position. 

In this position hard skills are crucial so try to list them first. It doesn’t mean however that HR Managers won’t look at your soft skills or interpersonal skills.

Are you applying for a job in a Pediatric Rehabilitation Center?  Providing that you have a great approach to children, place this information high in your skills list. 

What else should you add?

Be specific and avoid generalities. Here are some examples of skills that could be included in your Resume:

• clinical kinesiotaping
• knowledge of sports and therapeutic massage techniques and exercise programs
• CPR / AED and first aid certification
• neurodiagnosis of children and adolescents
• Shantal massage
• knowledge of rehabilitation equipment
• physical stamina
• knowledge of English on C1 level

As you can see, the list of exemplary skills also includes the English language. Knowledge of foreign languages can be also important for your future employer because they can treat foreign patients.
If you have worked with English-speaking patients, you should also mention it in your Resume. 

4. Education and Trainings

In a job of Physical Therapist (PT) education and proven qualifications are often a must-have to get the job invitation. Therefore, describe your education and relevant trainings. Don’t limit yourself to just a master’s degree or that you are a doctor of physical therapy. Past courses and training will enhance your skills and may be relevant to the recruitment process.

5. Include Crucial Keywords in your Resume

Many companies and hiring managers use scanning software (ATS) to verify the incoming resumes to narrow down the number of potential candidates.

With this in mind, read the job offer description carefully and use important keywords and phrases that the offer contains. By doing this, you will increase your chances of passing further.

The keywords could be related to job titles, specialities, specific skills or experience, like: sports medicine, manual therapy, outpatient physical therapy and more.

6. Summary

You have just a moment to catch the recruiter’s attention. Make sure you send an effective, clear and convincing Resume Application. 

Make sure your Resume includes such sections:

• Professional Summary,
• Professional experience, which will convince the employer that you can handle the future challenges and
• Skills that will show that you are ideally suited for the position of a physiotherapist 

Highlight the most important information. Use bullet points.

Also consider writing a cover letter. It will give the employer additional proof of your determination.

Don’t you know where to start to build a winning Resume?

You do not have to write it from scratch. Check out the Resume template we’ve prepared for you. If you encounter any difficulties or have any questions, let us know in the comments!