Occupational Therapy Resume—Examples (+ New Grads)

You help people recover, develop, and thrive after life-changing set-backs. Prove your effectiveness with an occupational therapy resume that’ll make hiring managers take note.

The life of an occupational therapist can be stressful and productivity quotas certainly don’t help.

OTs too often end up neglecting their own continuing education and even mental health, let alone career development. An effective occupational therapy resume can be your ticket to a better every day.

In this guide:

• An occupational therapy resume sample better than most.
• How to create the perfect occupational therapy job description for resumes.
• How to write a resume for occupational therapist jobs that stands out.
• Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing a job in OT.

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Occupational Therapy Resume Example

Lindsey Wiley

Personal Info

Summary

Dedicated occupational therapist with 5+ years’ experience treating both inpatients and outpatients. Seeking opportunity to leverage proven acute care skills in providing excellent patient care at St Luke’s Medical. At St John Hospital, facilitated post-rehab functional independence rates 17-19% above average while supervising and mentoring two OTAs.

Experience

Occupational Therapist

St John Hospital, Los Angeles, CA

• Collaborated with 11 rehabilitation team members daily to develop and carry out treatment plans to best meet patient needs in preparation for discharge.
• Thoroughly documented 350+ evaluations, patient treatment sessions, and discharge summaries using a robust markdown-based note-syncing platform.
• Provided discharge instructions to patients and family members, facilitating post-rehab functional independence rates 17–19% above average.
• Supervised two OTAs, devoting two hours per OTA per week to general mentoring and training activities.

Occupational Therapy Assistant

Howard Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA

July 2016–Aug 2018

• Maintained a case load of 7–9 patients a day, including treating, billing, and documenting.
• Provided individualized treatment to 23 patients ranging in age from 70 to 105 years and whose challenges involved physical and cognitive impairments.
• Participated in home evaluations and discharge planning for 80+ patients.
• Developed discharge plans with nursing staff and patients’ caregivers and family, reducing re-hospitalization within the first 28 days by 14%.

Education

Post-Professional Master’s in Occupational Therapy

University of Southern California Sunnydale, CA

• Excelled in OT interventions project work.
• Completed residency as pediatric occupational therapist.

BS in Occupational Therapy

University of Southern California Sunnydale, CA

• Pursued a passion for pathophysiology coursework.
• Graduated with a 3.7 GPA.

Certifications

• Licensed – National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)
• First Aid, CPR, AED, American Red Cross

Languages

• Spanish – fluent
• Yucatec Maya – intermediate

Key Skills

• Behavioral health methods
• Acute care
• Preparing treatment plans
• Clinical skills
• Record-keeping
• Problem-solving
• Patience and empathy
• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills

Now here’s how to write an occupational therapy resume they’ll love:

1. Choose the Right Occupational Therapy Resume Format

First up, you need to make sure your application is clean and logical, using the correct formatting for a resume. Here’s how:

Occupational Therapy Resume Format

• Use thereverse-chronological resume layout to put your most recent stuff first.
• Choose aprofessional resume font like Calibri, Arial, or Noto in 11–12 pt.
• Set your resume margins to one inchand leave lots of white space throughout.
• Submit a resume that’s not too long.How many pages should a resume be? For most OTs, one. Go to a second page only if you have 20+ years experience.
• Include at least these core sections:Resume Header, Profile (Summary or Objective), Experience, Education, and Skills.

While saving your resume in PDF is generally a much better option that using *.docx files it’s not always the right way to go. Some OT employers use ATSs (Applicant Tracking Systems) that can’t parse PDF files.

To make sure you submit an ATS resume that won't get automatically rejected, always check the job ad to see if there’s a preferred file format mentioned. If not, then default to PDF.

2. Write a Compelling Occupational Therapy Resume Objective or Summary

Having your resume format in order will help stop you from standing out in a bad way. Now you need to stand out in a good way, and fast. Do this with a resume profile that’s like the ultimate TL;DR.

Racked up a year or more as an OT? Then start with a resume summary. It’ll shine a spotlight on all that experience.

Use:

1. One adjective (efficient, dedicated, effective)
2. Job title (Occupational Therapist)
3. Years of experience (2+, 5+)
4. How you’ll help (provide excellent patient care)
5. Two or three of your most relevant achievements (treated 10+ patients a day, met or exceeded 100% of all productivity quotas)

These occupational therapy resume examples show how:

Occupational Therapy Resume Examples—Resume Summary

Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, and highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You're the perfect candidate, and we'll prove it. Use our resume builder now.

4. Turn a Predictable Education Into a Reason to Hire You

Occupational therapy isn’t the easiest field to get into.

Between the educational requirements and the licensing procedures, you’re very much invested by the time you independently treat your first patient. Do all that effort and expense justice with a strong resume education section:

List degrees (with majors), schools, and graduation years. Then add bullets that show key OT skills in action. This occupational therapy resume example shows how:

Occupational Therapy Resume Example—Education Section

Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

Key Points

For an occupational therapist resume that gets interviews:

• Use the occupational therapy resume template up top. It’s optimized for success.
• Put occupational therapy achievementsin your profile, work history, and education sections to show that you’re a proven quantity.
• Include only the right occupational therapy skills. The job ad should make it clear what those are.
• Write an occupational therapy cover letter. It’s an invaluable opportunity to put your passion for the job on display as you make an evidence-based case for yourself.

Still not sure how to write your best ever resume for occupational therapist jobs? Not sure how you can customize our occupational therapy resume template? Share your thoughts down below. We’d love to read them and we’ll be sure to get back to you.

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Dominika is a job expert with a focus on career development and onboarding processes. At ResumeLab, she co-manages our team of career experts.

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