Physical Therapist Resume Examples
Need help writing your resume? We’re here to help with our collection of Physical Therapist resume examples you can easily edit for your job search.
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Physical Therapist resume summary examples
Did you know a recruiter spends an average of seven seconds scanning your resume?
You’ll have to grab their attention quickly when your resume lands in their hands, and the best way to do that is with a resume summary.
This resume introduction consists of two to three sentences summarizing the skills, qualifications and experiences that best show you’re perfect for the job.
Experienced applicants should opt for the professional summary. However, if you’re an inexperienced candidate applying for an entry-level position, you will benefit more from an objective statement.
You can list your most job-relevant skills with a resume objective and explain how they’ll help you achieve your professional goals.
Check out the following examples to determine which approach is right for you.
Good example:
“ An experienced and compassionate Physical Therapist with 8+ years of experience helping patients recover from injuries and chronic pain. Skilled in manual therapy, therapeutic exercise, and patient education to help improve mobility and quality of life. Proven track record of reducing patient pain levels by up to 50% in as little as 3 months.”
Why this example passes:
- Feature candidate’s success statistic to grab attention. Numbers add detail about how big the results you deliver are, e.g., test scores, passing rate and more.
- Shows career length, 11 years.
- Mentions employer-desired skills: student motivation and interactive lessons.
Bad example:
“ Experienced physical therapist with strong background in the field. Dedicated to providing the best care to patients. Looking to utilize my skills in a new environment.”
Why this example fails:
- Doesn’t include any numbers that quantify physical therapist’s performance
- Uses vague descriptions and skills.
- Doesn’t include years of teaching experience.
The fastest way to write your professional summary
Showcase your selling points as a Physical Therapist with an attention-grabbing professional summary generated by our Resume Builder! It’s an automated tool that will suggest best-use phrases and content-rich sentences you can customize.
- 1
Enter the details about the job title you held. The builder comes preloaded with auto-suggested phrasing written by resume experts.
- 2
Then, just pick from these suggested phrases that best frame your experience and customize them to your liking!
- 3
All you have to do is choose the summary phrases that best frame your experience. It’s like having a professional do it for you!
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Physical Therapist resume work experience examples
One of the most fundamental sections of your resume is the work experience. Including skills and accomplishments in your work experience section relevant to your Physical Therapist role is critical to writing a good resume. Compare these work experience examples to understand what information to include to make a job-winning resume.
Good example:
Johnson Consulting I Rolling Meadows, IL I 8/2018-current
- Provided comprehensive physical therapy services to a wide range of patients with varying diagnoses
- Developed individualized treatment plans to meet the needs of each patient
- Utilized evidence-based practice to maximize patient outcomes
- Collaborated with other healthcare professionals to ensure patient satisfaction.
Why this example passes:
- Numbers and statistics add detail and quantify the results this physical therapist delivers: 4% improvement and a class size of 20-25.
- Good use of strong words and active language.
- References specialized value cahier provides with “individualized lesson plans.”
Bad example:
Malone Group I Redmond, WA I 4/2022-present
- Assisted patients with physical therapy exercises
- Worked with patients to improve range of motion
- Performed assessments of patients
- Administered treatments and therapies to patients
Why this example fails:
- Lacks numbers or statistics.
- Describes general tasks, not teaching achievements or career highlights.
- Uses active verbs, but doesn’t focus on results.
Physical Therapist resume skills examples
Here are 18 sample skills for physical therapist:
- Observant
- Specialization in sports injuries and therapy
- Patient Relations
- Treatment Planning
- Safety Management
- Progress Monitoring
- Diagnostic Testing
- Team Training
- Case Management
- Progress Documentation
- Patient Assessments
- Functional Testing
- Data Evaluation
- Patient Assessment
- Direct Patient Care
- Patient Management
- Medical Records Management
- Pain Management Techniques
You should sprinkle skills and abilities throughout your resume. Include them in your professional summary, work experience blurbs and a dedicated skills section.
Examples of additional resume sections
Your Physical Therapist resume must include five main sections: contact information, professional summary, work experience, skills and education. However, you can continue customizing your resume with additional sections for any other qualifications you possess.
Here are some examples of optional physical therapist resume sections that you could add to provide greater detail:
- References
- Languages
- Certifications
- Additional skills
- Photo
- Overview
- Professional skills
- Soft skills
Extra sections help you accurately showcase all the qualifications that make you an excellent Physical Therapist. Nevertheless, stuffing your resume with irrelevant details will diminish the impact of your relevant experiences.
Examples of resume formats
Every resume has a specific layout to organize all sections, also called a resume format. You’ll see examples of the three resume formats: chronological, functional and combination.
The main difference among them is whether or not they give more visual weight to your work history or to your skills section. The format you should select for your resume is based on your years of work experience as a physical therapist.
How to choose a resume format
0-3
Years of experience
Functional formats
- Focus on skills.
- Best for first-time physical therapist who lack work experience.
- Good for people re-entering workforce.
- May omit dates in the work history section.
Organization:
- Skills listed above work experience.
3-10
Years of experience
Combination formats
- Balance skills and work history.
- Ideal for mid-career physical therapist.
- Suitable for career changers and people seeking promotion.
Organization:
- Skills next to or above work experience.
10+
Years of experience
Chronological formats
- Put the most focus on work history.
- Best for physical therapist with a long, steady career.
- Most popular format.
- Preferred by recruiters.
Organization:
- Work experience listed above skills.
Once you know the best format for you, it’s easy to pick a physical therapist resume template. Templates are preformatted layouts created by design professionals to ensure your resume looks amazing!
Don’t forget your physical therapist cover letter
A cover letter works hand-in-hand with your resume to make a stronger case for why you deserve the job.
You can use a cover letter to share even more professional accomplishments as a Physical Therapist and stand out as the ideal candidate for the restaurant team member position.
A cover letter is a companion to your resume where you can provide more context to those resume achievements.
Additionally, a great way to connect with employers is by using the cover letter to tell your unique story about where you are in your career and where you envision going.
If it seems like a lot of writing, worry not because our Cover Letter Builder will help you create a personalized cover letter in minutes!
Get inspired with expertly written content with our cover letter examples, and find the ideal design in our cover letter templates library.
To get all the details on writing an impressive cover letter, check out our cover letter writing guide for 2023.
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