Physical Therapist Resume: Example, Template & Top Tips

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As a Physical Therapist, you know what to do to help a client build back their strength. If you’re having trouble getting your resume to impress hiring managers, we can help. Our resume templates can help your resume make a full recovery and help you land your dream job.

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ResumeGiants » Examples » Physical Therapist Resume

You’re already a pro at building a patient’s strength, but now you have to build your resume’s strength if you want to get a job as a physical therapist. Luckily, all that care and attention to put into your work will translate into a great physical therapist resume you can use to get the job of your dreams.

In this guide, we’ll discuss how to write a great physical therapist resume that’ll be strong enough to show potential employers you have the right stuff to get the job done, including:

• How to write the best possible resume for a physical therapist position
• Creating a physical therapist resume objective or summary
• Compiling your work experience and education resume sections
• Highlighting relevant physical therapist skills and experience
• Tips, tricks, and advice to help you start an exciting career as a physical therapist

As a physical therapist, you might prefer a more “hands-on” approach to learning, so we’ll include plenty of physical therapist resume examples. That way, you can see exactly what goes into building a great resume.

Already know what you want to put on your resume?

Great! Check out the ResumeGiants free online resume builder and get started right away. Browse through dozens of professional templates to find one that fits your style, fill in your information, and you’re ready to start applying to physical therapist positions. 

However, if you don’t think you’re ready to stand on your own two legs just yet, keep on reading!

There are plenty of tips and tricks to help you effectively showcase your skills and experience ahead. Think of this guide as an exercise ball designed to get you nice and strong to take on the job market. Let’s dive in!

As any good physical therapist knows, you have to walk before you can run.

First, let’s take a look at what a good physical therapist resume example looks like. That way, you can get a feel for the different sections of a resume and how to display the information effectively.

Your format might look somewhat different than the example, but the sections and information should be somewhat similar. Think of this as the foundation on which to build your incredible resume.

Resume Example

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Noma Payne

[Physical Therapist]

[684 Exercise Way, Kalispell, MT 59901 | 406-555-7246 | noma.payne@email.com]

Summary

Licensed and caring physical therapist with 5+ years of experience. Looking to use proven PT and assessment skills that have achieved 87% success toward patient goals to deliver positive patient experiences at Mountain View Wellness.

Experience

Spruce Lake Rehab – Kalispell, MT

Physical Therapist

2016 – 2020

• Sports PT in a busy clinic.
• Developed patient care plans for over 150 clients with 85% success toward patient goals.
• Maintained 35 regular clients with 97% positive patient scores.

Sunset Trail Senior Living – Billings, MT

Volunteer

2015 – 2016 

• Worked with residents to help them get around the facility and make them comfortable.
• Used equipment to build residents’ strength, including walkers, exercise balls, and resistance bands.
• Managed schedules of 10+ residents per shift.

Education

Idaho State University | Pocatello, ID

Doctor of Physical Therapy 

2013 – 2016 

Montana State University | Billings, MT

Bachelor’s degree of Physical Therapy

2009 – 2013

Skills and Qualifications

• Attention to detail
• Verbal and written communication
• Compassion
• Optimism
• Active listening

• Patient assessment
• Creating plan of care
• Patient education
• Performing therapy interventions

License

Licensed Physical Therapist – Montana Board of Physical Therapy Examiners #123456789

Certifications

First Aid & CPR Certified – American Heart Association

Sports PT Certified – American Physical Therapy Association (APTA)

Publications

• Article about patient and family education published in APTA Magazine (2019)
• Frequent guest on PT Inquest podcast

Languages

• English (native)
• Spanish (fluent)

Want a few more examples for extra inspiration? Check out our guide for writing a massage therapist resume that follows many of the same principles. 

Helping patients feel better is serious business. That’s why it’s so important for your resume to show you can handle the responsibility of being a physical therapist if you want to get hired. 

Your resume is like your first impression for potential employers. Even worse, most hiring managers only take six to seven seconds to read through a resume — which means you absolutely need to choose the best format to show off your skills clearly, quickly, and efficiently.

Your resume’s format is a lot like working with a patient. There’s no single best solution for every situation. You should choose a format that fits your specific style and best showcases your unique skills.

While your physical therapist resume format might be different from some of our examples, there are a few universal resume formatting tips you should always follow:

• Use reverse-chronological order for your education and work experience sections.
• Leave plenty of space between sections and paragraphs for easy readability. 
• Keep your resume to one page (two pages if absolutely necessary).
• Use bold headings over sections to make it easy for hiring managers to scan for information.
• Use a clear, professional font like Arial, Calibri, or Cambria.
• Choose a readable font size between 13-15 for headings and 11-12 for body text.
• Save your resume as a PDF to prevent formatting issues.

The main goal of your resume formatting should be to put the most important information first. Since most people read from top to bottom (including hiring managers), you want to put the most exciting info right up front to encourage potential employers to keep reading.

Typically, most physical therapist resumes follow this basic order:

1. Header with personal information and contact details
2. Resume summary or objective
3. Work experience
4. Education
5. Skills and qualifications
6. Other sections (as needed)

Like we said earlier, your layout might differ slightly from this order. For example, if you don’t have much professional experience yet, it might be a good idea to put your education and skills section at the beginning of your resume. Remember, most important things first!

Now that you know all the pieces of a solid physical therapist resume, it’s time to piece them together. Since we hope you already know your contact information and personal details, let’s jump ahead to the resume summary or resume objective.

Your physical therapist resume summary or objective is going to be the first in-depth piece of information that hiring managers will read — so it has to be good! First things first, what’s the difference between a resume summary and a resume objective?

• Resume summary – A few sentences that sum up your professional experience, knowledge, and skills.
• Resume objective – An overview of your career goals, with a few skills thrown in.

These two terms might sound similar, but they both serve very different purposes. Resume summaries are supposed to describe your specific work experience, and a resume objective outlines your overall career goals.

Physical Therapist Resume Summary Example

As you might have guessed from the name, a resume summary is simply a summary of your resume. It should be about two or three sentences that describe your professional experience as a physical therapist. And don’t forget to include a few specific skills you can bring to the practice. 

The easiest way to write a resume summary is to make a list of your professional experience and skills you want to showcase. Then, try to cram them all into a few short sentences. 

Ready for an example? Here’s what a good physical therapist resume summary should look like:

The key to any great physical therapist resume summary is to keep it short, concise, and specific.

Resume real estate is valuable. Don’t take up any more space than you have to, so you can fill the rest of the page with other important information. 

As for specifics, hard numbers and unique skills are always a bonus. And if you really want to dazzle potential employers, including their business’s name is always good for a brownie point or two!

How to Write an Entry-Level Physical Therapist Resume Objective

It’s easy to write a resume summary if you have a resume to summarize, but:

What if you’re just starting out in the exciting world of physical therapy and don’t have much (or any) professional experience? That’s what a resume objective is for!

A resume objective is simply a brief explanation of your career goals. It’s a great place to show potential employers what you bring to the table and where you want to go with your career.

You might not have specific professional experience to showcase, but that doesn’t mean you won’t make a great physical therapist!

For example, let’s say you’re applying to be the next physical therapist at Spruce Lake Rehab Center.

We’d love to have you, but since it’s such a top-rate facility, we want to make sure all our physical therapists have the care and attention to detail necessary to keep our patients happy and healthy.

To show you know how to put in the work, simply mention our name in your resume objective. When the hiring manager reads it, they’ll know you didn’t just copy and paste the same old resume objective you use for everyone.

You take the time to do it right. And that’s exactly what we need in our physical therapists!

Adding a little personalization to your resume is a great way to show potential employers you pay attention to the details and you’re more than willing to put in the work to do something right — which is what makes a good physical therapist.

Entry-Level Physical Therapist Resume Objective Example

Now you know how to write a great resume objective, but as a physical therapist, you might want to get a bit more “physical.” So, let’s take a hands-on look at what a physical therapist resume objective example would look like. 

It’s always better to learn from someone else’s mistakes, so let’s look at what a bad resume objective looks like:

Well, at least it’s short! But unfortunately, this resume objective isn’t going to get many callbacks.

Not only did this applicant admit to not having experience, but they didn’t even provide any specific skills that would make them a fit for the job.

They did mention their passion for helping others, but how many physical therapist applicants do you think have the same passion? Likely all of them! That’s not really something unique that would make them stand out from the pack.

Instead, it’s always best to use concrete, specific details about your experience, skills, and goals. Now, let’s take a look at a resume objective to be proud of:

That’s the stuff! It’s specific, short, and concise.

This applicant might not have professional experience as a physical therapist, but they still gave enough solid and unique information to entice the hiring manager to read on. 

As an added bonus, this applicant also mentioned the employer’s name. Now that’s a physical therapist resume objective that can stand on its own two legs!

Your experience section is arguably the most important part of your resume.

Anyone can go to school and learn about physical therapy, but not everyone can apply the knowledge and skills to real-life situations.

Having a well-written experience section shows you can actually apply your skills.

Your physical therapist experience section should cover three key elements:

• Work history
• Key accomplishments
• Responsibilities

Just like with your resume summary or objective, you want to find that perfect balance between providing enough detail and keeping everything short and concise.

Give them the good stuff and move on to the next piece of information.

Since applying for jobs is basically a competition with the other applicants, here are a few tips to help your physical therapist experience section stand out:

• Use concrete numbers and statistics
• Customize your experience to fit the job
• Keep information concise and to the point
• Incorporate keyword from the job description

You’ve probably noticed at this point that we’ve mentioned that you should customize your resume based on the job you’re applying to. Well, we’re going to say it a few more times because it’s super important!

If you want to succeed as a physical therapist, you need to have a good attention to detail.

By customizing your work experience, it shows you took the time to really think about the job description and didn’t just use the same old resume you use for everything else.

It’s also a good idea to add any keywords or requirements from the job description.

For example, if the job description says you need to be CPR certified, make sure that bit of information is somewhere on your resume!

Physical Therapist Resume Examples: Experience

You know how to write a great physical therapist resume experience section, so now let’s take a look at some examples. 

First up, let’s see what to avoid in your experience section:

If this experience section was an ice cream flavor, it’d be vanilla. There aren’t any specifics or details that would make this experience section stand out from the other resumes in the pile. 

To make your experience stand out, add plenty of specific details and facts. 

With that in mind, here’s a good physical therapist resume experience section example:

How many other applicants do you think will have this exact experience section? None of them! Because this physical therapist experience section is full of unique details backed by cold, hard numbers, it’ll easily stand out from the other resumes on the hiring manager’s desk.

Entry-Level Physical Therapist Experience Section

What if you don’t have professional experience to fill out a resume experience section? That’s okay!

Everyone has to start somewhere. But that doesn’t mean you can simply skip this part and move on. There are ways to showcase your experience, even if it might not be official physical therapy experience.

There’s a good chance that you have more relevant experience than you realize.

Think back to every job you’ve had over the years. Maybe you volunteered at a nursing home for a summer or even helped one of your family members after they broke their leg. That’s experience!

Let’s check out an entry-level physical therapist experience section that likely wouldn’t make the cut:

It’s nice that this applicant mentioned where they went to school, but that’s about the only helpful piece of information in this experience section (and it should probably be in the education section, anyway).

This resume will likely end up in the hiring manager’s trash can.

It doesn’t matter if you have experience or not, you should always provide specific details about your background and skills.

The same experience section tips apply to entry-level applicants, too:

• Use concrete numbers and statistics
• Customize your experience to fit the job
• Keep information concise and to the point
• Incorporate keyword from the job description

Instead, here’s an example of what a good entry-level physical therapist experience section might look like:

Being a volunteer at a nursing home might not count as bona fide physical therapist experience, but some of the skills are definitely relevant to a career in physical therapy.

That’s the goal of your entry-level resume experience section. Ensure the experience you include is relevant to the position you want.

How to Write the Education Section for a Physical Therapist

Education is a huge part of becoming a physical therapist. Without a degree, no employer will want to hire you. 

But despite its importance, your physical therapist resume education section doesn’t actually need to be super detailed. There are really only three pieces of information that employers want to see:

• Where you went to school
• The dates of attendance
• Your degree

Here’s a quick example of what a good physical therapist education section might look like:

Idaho State University | Pocatello, ID
Doctor of Physical Therapy 
2013 – 2016 

Montana State University | Billings, MT
Bachelor’s degree of Physical Therapy
2009 – 2013 

It might not look like a lot, but this is all the information potential employers need to know about your education. 

If you really want to impress employers, you can also add your GPA or any academic awards you earned — but only if they’re impressive!

Your experience and education sections might be the bulk of your resume, but they don’t tell the whole story.

Adding a skills section is a great way to fill out your background and showcase more unique skills that might not have been covered in your other resume sections.

Resume skills are broken down into 2 main categories:

• Hard skills – Measurable, concrete skills.
• Soft skills – Universal, harder-to-define skills.

You want to look well-rounded, so it’s always best to provide a healthy mix of both types of skills.

Here’s a list of both hard and soft skills that look great on a physical therapist resume:

We know you’re skilled, but no employer wants to read through the thousands of skills you possess.

So, when you’re writing your physical therapist resume skills section, be sure to limit your list to only the most essential and impressive skills — and make sure they’re relevant to the position! 

Is there still more you want to say about yourself!? Great! That’s where “other” sections come in.

Other sections are just that: additional sections you add to the end of your resume to showcase unique skills, experience, or qualifications that don’t fit into any earlier resume sections. 

You’re welcome to add as many or as few other sections as you like, but just remember, make sure they’re relevant to the position! 

Although you’d probably love to go on and on about yourself, it’s always best to keep your other sections to a minimum. You don’t want to add too much clutter to your resume and bore any hiring managers. 

Physical Therapist Resume Sample Extra Sections

Not sure what kind of “extra” sections you’d like to add? The most obvious other section on a physical therapist resume is licensing.

Most states require physical therapists to be licensed before they can practice. Naturally, that’s something employers would want to know. 

Your license section doesn’t have to be super in-depth. You should simply list what governing body gave you the license and your license number. That’s enough to know you mean business!

Here’s a quick example of a solid physical therapist license section:

License

Licensed Physical Therapist – Montana Board of Physical Therapy Examiners #123456789

Beyond that, you can fill out your resume with any other sections that you think would be relevant and interesting to potential employers to show off your core competencies. Here are just a few suggestions:

Certifications

• First Aid & CPR Certified – American Heart Association
• Sports PT Certified – American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) 

Publications

• Article about patient and family education published in APTA Magazine (2019)
• Frequent guest on PT Inquest podcast

Languages

• English (native)
• Spanish (fluent)

You’re used to putting in the hard work to help your patients feel better, so creating the perfect physical therapist resume should be a breeze! You just need to showcase your skills and prove to potential employers you have what it takes.

To get your resume into fighting form, remember to follow these proven resume tips:

• Customize your resume to the job
• Use specific details about your experience and skills
• Match your skills and experience to the job description
• Use concrete numbers and statistics to back up your information
• Use a clean and easy-to-read layout
• Choose a professional format
• Save your resume as a PDF

Now that you know everything there is to know about writing the ideal physical therapist resume, it’s time to get to work!

Need a little help getting started? Check out some of the resume templates available on the ResumeGiants website. Find one that fits your style, fill in your information according to these tips, and download the finished file. 

Armed with a great resume, you’ll be on your way to relieving all of your patients’ aches and pains in no time as a physical therapist.