Occupational Therapy Resume Template
Today's occupational therapy recruiters look beyond clinical credentials for evidence of adaptability in telehealth and digital documentation. They prioritiz...
Reviewed by Yuvraj Bajwa, Founder, Resumae.
Emily Carter
Occupational Therapy
Professional Summary
Compassionate occupational therapist with 6+ years of experience in acute care and outpatient rehabilitation. Skilled in developing individualized treatment plans to improve patients' daily living skills and functional independence. Known for Activity Analysis and Adaptation and Therapeutic Exercise and Neuromuscular Reeducation expertise, practical problem solving, and dependable communication. This ATS-optimized summary foregrounds quantified accomplishments and role-specific keywords so hiring managers and parsing software see immediate fit for healthcare roles.
Experience
Senior Occupational Therapist
2021 - Present- Designed and implemented customized therapy programs for 15+ patients weekly, resulting in 30% average improvement in ADL scores within 3 months aligned to healthcare standards and ATS-readable formatting.
- Led a multidisciplinary team of 5 therapists to reduce patient readmission rates by 18% through coordinated discharge planning.
- Trained 12 new graduates and interns on evidence-based splinting and neuromuscular reeducation techniques.
- Achieved a 95% patient satisfaction rate by incorporating patient-centered goals and regular family education sessions.
Staff Occupational Therapist
2018 - 2021- Evaluated and treated over 200 patients annually with conditions ranging from stroke to orthopedic injuries, improving functional mobility by 40% on average aligned to healthcare standards and ATS-readable formatting.
- Developed a home safety assessment protocol adopted by the entire rehab department, reducing fall incidents post-discharge by 25% aligned to healthcare standards and ATS-readable formatting.
- Collaborated with physical therapists and speech-language pathologists to create integrated care plans for complex neurological cases.
Skills
Core Skills: Activity Analysis and Adaptation, Therapeutic Exercise and Neuromuscular Reeducation, Splinting and Orthotics Fabrication, ADL and IADL Training, Cognitive Rehabilitation, Home Safety Assessments, Manual Therapy Techniques, Patient and Family Education, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Proficiency
Education
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
2018University of Washington
What Occupational Therapy hiring managers look for
How Healthcare resumes get screened
Healthcare resumes are screened for licence status first, then setting, patient population, and systems. Hospital application portals parse strictly, so plain formatting matters more here than in most fields.
Writing a stronger Occupational Therapy resume
01
Lead with licence and certifications
Licence type, issuing state, and expiry, followed by BLS, ACLS, or specialty certifications. This is a compliance gate before it is a hiring preference.
02
Name the setting, unit, and patient ratio
Level I trauma, community hospital, SNF, ambulatory clinic, and the acuity and ratio you carried. A nurse-to-patient ratio communicates more about your practice than any adjective.
03
List the EMR and clinical systems you charted in
Epic, Cerner, Meditech, or Athenahealth. EMR familiarity meaningfully shortens onboarding and is filtered on directly in most hospital systems.
Mistakes to avoid
- Omitting licence expiry, which compliance staff will have to chase before an offer
- Writing patient care duties generically when acuity and ratio are what distinguish candidates
- Using columns or graphics that hospital application parsers frequently drop
Occupational Therapy resume questions
What skills should an Occupational Therapy resume include?
Lead with the skills the job posting names, which for an Occupational Therapy usually start with Activity Analysis and Adaptation, Therapeutic Exercise and Neuromuscular Reeducation, and Splinting and Orthotics Fabrication. This example lists 10 in total, grouped so a reader can take them in at a glance, and every one of them is backed up somewhere in the experience section. Skills that appear in your list but nowhere in your history are the first thing an interviewer probes.
How do I get an Occupational Therapy resume past an ATS?
Healthcare resumes are screened for licence status first, then setting, patient population, and systems. Hospital application portals parse strictly, so plain formatting matters more here than in most fields. For an Occupational Therapy specifically, mirror the posting's exact wording rather than paraphrasing it, keep the layout to a single column so the parser reads it in the right order, and put Activity Analysis and Adaptation, and Therapeutic Exercise and Neuromuscular Reeducation where they appear in the first third of the page.
What experience do employers expect from an Occupational Therapy?
Employers look for a clear progression and evidence of outcomes, which this Occupational Therapy example shows by moving from Staff Occupational Therapist to Senior Occupational Therapist across 2 roles. Its 7 bullets describe results rather than duties, which is the difference that decides most screens. If you have less history than this, keep the same structure and let projects or coursework carry the relevant evidence.
What certifications help an Occupational Therapy get hired?
State licence or registration with number and expiry, plus BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP, or specialty certifications relevant to the unit. List them where they are read in the first pass rather than at the foot of the page, and include the issuing body and date so nobody has to ask whether they are current.
Matching cover letter
Occupational Therapy cover letter example
Pair this resume with a cover letter written for the same role.