A physical therapist has the skills to help stroke victims regain movement, assist people who have been injured to get their lives back on track, and even help elite athletes recover from on-field injuries. Their services can be truly life-changing and life-affirming.
But PT is more than a rewarding profession, it’s also a well-paid one. Nationwide physical therapists make a median salary of $ 91,010 annually, with the top 25% earning north of $ 106,000 per year.
We know that you have the right professional and soft skills for the role. Now is the time to instill the same confidence in your next employer. To help you with that, we’ve prepared a sample physical therapy resume paired with extra resume writing tips.
Physical Therapy Resume Example (Word version)
Resume for Physical Therapist (plain text)
Professional Summary
5+ years of PT experience. Excellent track record of obtaining positive patient outcomes (especially post spinal trauma). Licensed in both MO and IL. GCS and BLS certifications. CAPTE accredited education. Extensive experience working with adult and geriatric clients privately and in public hospitals.
Skills
- Therapy intervention
- Treatment planning
- Spinal injury recovery
- Post-stroke rehabilitation
- Patient care protocols development
- Outpatient monitoring
- Family education
Work History
St. Anthony’s Rehabilitation and Care Center
Physical Therapist
June 2019 – Present
Responsible for providing direct PT services to patients who have entered residential care. Serviced patient groups include recent amputees, stroke victims, and those seeking post-surgical therapies. In addition to providing direct therapy services, I also supervise a team of three PTs as well as six rotating physical therapy assistants. Notable accomplishments are:
- 96% Patient satisfaction rating
- Completed plans of care for 100+ patients annually
- Wrote and received grant funding for $ 1.5M to update equipment and diagnostic machines
Metro Hospital
Physical Therapy Assistant
August 2017 – July 2019
Assisted Lead PT in administering treatments and care instructions to adults who had been admitted into the hospital PT program. Patient care included post-stroke recovery, cardiac rehabilitation, spinal cord injuries, orthopedic surgery patients, etc.
Select duties:
- Implement treatment interventions in rehabilitative, adjusted care plans, based on individual patients’ progress.
- Prepared all documentation and coding requirements for insurance programs (including Medicaid).
- Assisted in neurological physical therapy procedures such as micro-current electrical neuromuscular stimulations.
Education
Master of Physical Therapy (MPT)
University of Wisconsin
May 2017
Summa Cum Laude
Dean’s List
President – Student Allied Health Professionals
Bachelor of Physical Therapy (BPT)
University of Wisconsin
May 2015
Dean’s List
Memberships and Certifications
- Society of American Physical Therapists. Lifetime Member
- Fellow of The American Society of Physical Therapists
- 2018 Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from American Heart Association
- 2020 APTA Geriatric Certified Specialist (GCS) Certification
How to Write a Compelling Physical Therapist Resume
A resume is your calling card. It has to offer a condensed, impactful summary of your core competencies, qualifications, and main areas of expertise, peppered with some career accomplishments.
For medical professionals, the hardest part is fitting all the professional details and credentials into one page aka the standard resume length. If that’s your case, use the following tips to create an “edited” version of your career history.
Tailor Your Resume To the Job Description
When reading the job description, keep an eye out for keywords. These are phrases the HR uses to describe ideal candidate qualifications or job requirements. For example: “worked with geriatric clients” or “specializes in lymphedema treatments”.
These tidbits are important as they give you hints on what skills the employer is looking for in a candidate, as well as the day-to-day tasks. Your goal is to capture these keywords and organically incorporate them into your resume. Just remember that even if you don’t fit all of the keywords in the description, emphasize your core competencies instead.
Use Active Verbs
Being a physical therapist is in itself a very active job. By using active verbs you can help the reader create a mental picture of an energetic, upbeat, and dedicated professional — someone highly suited for a PT role.
Here are several quick examples of strong verbs for your physical therapy resume:
- Coordinated
- Administered
- Diagnosed
- Influenced
- Facilitated
For more ideas, check our 100+ list of strong verbs for describing your duties, achievements, and main skills.
Connect Your Work Experiences to Impact
Most PTs will have a similar set of qualifications. What can drastically differentiate you from other candidates is your ability to present the impact of your work. Be sure to mention how your theoretical knowledge and clinical practice translate to specific patient outcomes or institution-wide improvements.
You can do so by mentioning some of your “star” patient results, average CSAT scores, prestigious scientific publications, recent talks, or even improvements to the institutions’ treatment protocols. Think of your day-to-day experiences and how those might help you stand out from the crowd.
Final Tip: Consider a Resume Template
Add a bit of extra polish and professionalism to your resume by packaging it into a job-winning resume template. When using a pre-made template, you don’t have to stress as much over the correct resume layout or formatting. Instead, you simply add your skills, education, and work experience entries into a pre-designed template. Then quickly customize it for each new job application!
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