Physical Therapy Cover Letter—Examples & Writing Tips

You’ve studied hard for 5 years to become a professional PT. The passion for helping people get stronger—physically and mentally—turned your career into a successful and rewarding journey.

But every journey has its obstacles, and getting a physical therapy job can be quite a challenge. Just being an excellent PT isn't enough—you need to prove your worth by writing the perfect physical therapist cover letter. Here's how.

In this guide:

• A physical therapy cover letter template that you can use.
• The definite guidelines on the physical therapy cover letter format.
• Expert tips on writing a physical therapy cover letter that will get you more interviews.

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Looking for cover letter examples for other positions? See:

• Nursing Cover Letter
• LPN Cover Letter
• Medical Assistant Cover Letter
• Physician Cover Letter
• Respiratory Therapist Cover Letter
• Social Work Cover Letter
• Research Assistant Cover Letter
• Dental Assistant Cover Letter
• School Counselor Cover Letter
• Nonprofit Cover Letter
• Best Cover Letter Examples for All Jobs

Don’t have a resume yet? Check out this guide: Physical Therapy Resume Example

First, let’s take a look at a professional physical therapist cover letter example…

Physical Therapy Cover Letter Example

Nicholas has done a wonderful job, hasn’t he? Now, if you want your cover letter to look like this, follow these cover letter writing tips:

How to Write a Physical Therapy Cover Letter (New Grads, Candidates With No Experience and Professionals)

1. Start With Properly Formatting Your Physical Therapist Cover Letter

Preceding physical therapy, you’ll need to diagnose a patient’s condition, analyze the situation or illness, and plan a proper care program. Same here—

Before you start writing, you’ll need to carefully make sure that all the formatting details are in place, so the final document looks clean and professional.

Put your cover letter in good shape with these simple cover letter formatting rules:

• Choose a professional font, like Tahoma, Georgia, Verdana, Arial, or Calibri (it should be consistent with your resume font).
• Margins should be 1” on every side.
• Line spacing: 1.15.
• Left-align all contents of your cover letter.

Now that you’ve done all that, you can insert a cover letter heading in the top left corner with your personal information and contact details.

Expert Hint: Save the document as a PDF file, unless you’re sending your cover letter via email.

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2. Introduce yourself and Identify the Job

When it comes to job applications, first impressions are influenced by a number of factors: the visual aspects, the tone of the writing, and how well you fit the employer’s job description.

So whether you’re writing an entry-level cover letter or not, one of the most important things to do is to grab the reader’s attention from the very beginning. Make sure to start your first paragraph with addressing your cover letter to a specific person by using their name.

Don’t know the recruiter’s name? No worries! Use “Dear Hiring Manager” rather than “Dear Sir or Madam”.

Next, start writing by introducing yourself briefly, telling them what position you’re interested in and why you think you’re the right person for the job. Include one or two accomplishments that will show you’re qualified and experienced.

3. Showcase Your Most Relevant Physical Therapy Skills & Qualifications

The biggest mistake you could make when writing a cover letter? Writing a generic cover letter that isn’t targeted to a specific job description. So, the next paragraph of your physical therapist cover letter should be tailored to the job advertisement.

Remember how you searched for keywords to use in your resume?

Do the same here:

1. Read the job posting carefully and look for specific keywords and phrases that describe the job requirements.
2. Underline the ones that you think are most relevant.
3. Use them when describing your work and academic experience.

Expert Hint: In order to work as a professional physical therapist in the U.S., you must earn a doctor of physical therapy degree from a Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education and pass a state licensure exam.

4. Explain Why You Want In

Employment of physical therapists is growing faster than ever, so dozens of candidates may be lining up for the same job as you are. So in order to get ahead you have to really emit passion and enthusiasm.

How? Show them that you want to work for them… and only them.

Do some research about the company and make sure to reference what you found out in the letter. They’ll be head over heals with you and will invite you over for an interview right away.

Expert Hint: If you’re writing a cover letter with no experience, use your academic or internship achievements. You can spice up your education background by talking about your GPA, extracurricular activities, relevant coursework, or scholarships and awards. Got some volunteer work to put on your resume? Great! Use that in your cover letter, too. 

5. Ask For an Interview

Give yourself a big pat on the back. You’re almost done. End your cover letter with a strong accent. Show your confidence and boldness by requesting an interview. 

“Thank you for your time and consideration” or “Looking forward to hearing from you” won’t do the job. 

You have to know what the purpose of your cover letter is and ask for it. Now all you have to do is use a polite cover letter closing and sign your name.

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Key Points

If you’re writing a cover letter for physical therapy jobs, remember to:

• Use the correct physical therapist cover letter format up top.
• Include all the necessary personal information in the cover letter header.
• Introduce yourself, state the job position you are applying for, and mention a couple of your most notable accomplishments.
• Tell them why you want to be hired.
• Ask for an interview and properly sign-off.

Got questions on how to write a good cover letter for physical therapy jobs? Want to see more physical therapist cover letter examples? Let us know. We’ll be happy to help!

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