Physical Therapy Resume Examples
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Looking for more? Our other top-requested physical therapy resume examples are for massage therapist, physical therapy assistant and physical therapy aide. Searching for different physical therapy roles? Keep scrolling! There’s more below.
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Job Outlook
We have good news for you!
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for physical therapists will increase by 18% in the next decade. Simultaneously, the employment rate for physical therapist assistants and physical therapy aides will grow by 33%.
This high demand is due to the health needs of the large and now aging baby boomer generation. Physical therapy professionals will be needed to care for patients with chronic conditions and help others recover from mobility-related injuries.
Physical therapists are also expected to rely more on their assistants in the upcoming years, as it reduces the costs of their services.
Whatever the role, you’re on the right track. Let’s keep you on it by creating a resume that is effective and gets you the job.
3 Tips for Writing Physical Therapy Resumes
Choose the right format for your physical therapy resume
A resume format is just the way you organize your skills and work history. There are three formats to choose from and how you decide which one works best for you will come down to your years of experience.
Let’s say that you are a physical therapist with over nine years of experience in the field and you want to apply to a job posting you just saw — then the chronological resume is the best format for you.
Why? Because this format puts more emphasis on your extensive work history in physical therapy. It focuses on showing career progression, how you advanced and the skills you learned through the years.
On the other hand, maybe you just graduated from university and you’ve been working in physical therapy for less than two years. If this is the case, then the functional resume will help you stand out.
Instead of focusing on work history, the functional resume puts your skills and education front and center, showing the hiring manager that you can grow and become an excellent addition to their team.
But what if you’re in-between?
You’re a massage therapist with about three to five years of experience. You know a couple of tricks and you’ve helped plenty of people, but there’s still room for growth. For you, there’s the hybrid format.
As the name suggests, this resume format mixes the work history from the chronological resume and the skills from the functional resume to create a new one where you can highlight everything evenly, including the professional skills you’ve gained along the way.
Now that you understand what the three formats are and how they work, the next thing you need to do is choose one before you begin writing your resume. This will save you a lot of time and help you move on to the next step.
Promote sought-after resume skills
After choosing the right resume format, it’s time to decide the skills to put on your resume.
We know that each physical therapy role is unique and has its set of requirements, but all hiring managers want to see a couple of these skills in all of their candidates.
Check them out below and see which ones apply to you:
- Compassionate
- Detail-oriented
- Manual dexterity
- Physical stamina
- Treatment planning
- Resourceful
- Motivational
- Time management
- Organization
- Strong communication
- Critical thinking
- Team player
- Patience
- Patient motivation
- Written communication
- Documentation
- Reading comprehension
- Program development
- Coordination
- Problem-solving
- CPR certification
- Pediatrics
- Orthopedics
- Passionate
- Inpatient care
- Outpatient care
- Rehabilitation
- Home healthcare
- Equipment planning
- Budgeting
- Active listening
- Encouraging
- Ability to educate patients and family
- Assertiveness
- Ability to operate equipment
- Analytical
- Systems evaluation
- Sensory ability
Be sure to include about six to eight of these skills in your physical therapy resume. It will show the hiring manager that you are the best candidate for the job.
Use a template to make your resume look clean
It takes real passion, vocation and love to work in physical therapy. Hiring managers want someone who possesses the abilities and skills to help others better their quality of life. Show them you are it with a resume that reflects that.
At JobHero, we have a ton of modern, clean and professional resume templates just a click away – and adding your information to them is extremely simple.
Our Resume Builder saves you even more time and makes it easier for you to create a great resume by suggesting keywords, marking possible spelling mistakes and allowing you to organize your information any way you want.
It’s a great tool that will help you get the job you want, whether as a masseuse or a pediatric physical therapist.
FAQ
What is physical therapy?
Physical therapy is a medical branch that looks to ease muscle pain and helps patients function, move and live better lives.
Licensed physical therapists work with doctors to create a treatment program for their patients, depending on the reason why they need treatment in the first place. It could be due to a sports-related injury, post-surgery care, or to manage a chronic illness like diabetes or arthritis, or rehabilitation after a stroke or accident.
Likewise, massage therapists work to relieve muscle pain, improve circulation, increase relaxation, and improve their clients’ general wellness.
How do I work in physical therapy?
To work as a physical therapist, you need a doctor of physical therapy degree and a license given by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy.
Physical therapy doctorate programs usually take about three years to complete. They require you to have a bachelor’s degree and prerequisite courses in anatomy, biology, physiology and physics. Physical therapy students must also complete clinical work to graduate.
After graduating, some physical therapists apply to a residency or fellowship program, which allows them to gain more specialized experience.
Is it hard to work in physical therapy?
Physical therapy professionals spend years learning and training to help others. As you read above, it takes a lot of dedication, passion and hard work to become one.
It can be an emotionally demanding job, as you’re helping patients who are going through health-related situations and their families. It also requires a lot of physical strength and stamina to assist them in their movements and routines.
That being said, it’s incredibly gratifying for physical therapists to witness their patients getting better with time, and achieving their goals.
How much do you get paid in physical therapy?
Physical therapy is a growing industry with a good salary for many roles.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, physical therapists’ median annual salary is about $89,440. In comparison, physical therapist assistants and aides can earn from $27,000 to $58,790 a year, depending on where they work.
Massage therapists also have a solid annual salary of about $42,820.
It’s a profitable industry to work in and the employment rate in physical therapy for the next decade looks very promising. Be sure to be a part of it by using our Resume Builder to create a first-rate resume that will get you the job.
Should I include a cover letter with my physical therapy resume?
Yes!
Even if the job posting doesn’t request for you to submit one, do it — it will help you look more professional and prepared.
A cover letter is your chance to go all out because it gives you extra space to further discuss your skills, work experience, and tell the hiring manager your story. You can include heartwarming anecdotes from when you helped a patient recover or quantifiable achievements, like how you increased a patient’s mobility after five sessions, or how you can provide a massage to over ten clients in a single day as a massage therapist.
Like in other medical professions, the hiring managers in the physical therapy branch want someone who can effectively take care of their patients by delivering good results and being empathetic with their situation.
And we know just how to help you balance that out perfectly in your cover letter.
Start by checking out and getting inspired by our great selection of physical therapy cover letter examples.
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Last edited by: Gabriela Barcenas, CPRW, Content Writer II - November 04, 2024
Gabriela Barcenas
CPRW, Content Writer IIGabriela is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and career adviser. With 10 years of digital media experience and five years of resume writing expertise, her publication history includes fashion, education, travel, social justice, equitable design and career advice.
