Occupational Therapy Resume—Examples (+ New Grads)

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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Looking to try your hand at a different job, too? See our guides:

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Occupational Therapy Resume Example

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 the reverse-chronological resume layout to put your most recent stuff first.
• Choose a professional 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

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.

OT with 5 years’ experience. Seeking opportunity to join a close-knit team. At St John Hospital, provided discharge instructions to patients and family members while supervising and mentoring OTAs.

The first example makes a strong case based on quantified achievements, not lifeless duties like in the second example.

Haven’t been an OT long enough to write something like this yet? If you’re a new grad writing a resume with no experience, use a resume objective instead and shift that spotlight onto relevant achievements from your studies, any OTA work you’ve done, and non-OT jobs. 

Check out these occupational therapy resume objective examples: 

Occupational Therapy Resume New Grad Objective—Examples

Passionate occupational therapist with 2+ years’ experience treating both inpatients and outpatients as an OTA. Seeking opportunity to leverage clinical skills in providing excellent patient care at St Luke’s Medical. At Howard Medical Center, maintained a case load of 7–9 patients a day and participated in the home evaluations and discharge planning of 80+ patients.

No experience working as a fully fledged OT, but some experience as an OTA plus residency during Master’s. Fully licensed. Looking for a relaxed work environment without productivity quotas to meet.

The first example is all about what the candidate can do for their potential employer, not the other way around—that’s crucial.

Struggling to get through writing a resume profile? Write it last. You’ll find it’s easier, faster, and much more effective to do it that way.

3. Create the Perfect Occupational Therapy Job Description and Skills Sections

Talking about your future performance is tricky and invariably ends up sounding like a bunch of promises.

There’s a much better way: Show them you’ve got a proven track record of success in doing just what they need. Make your resume work experience section a showcase of achievements.

How to write a job description for occupational therapists:

1. Re-read the job ad.
2. Focus in on the OT skills and duties in it.
3. Think of times you’ve used those skills to ace those duties.
4. Write resume bullet points that describe and quantify those times.

These occupational therapy resume examples show how:

Occupational Therapy Resume Examples—Job Descriptions

Occupational Therapist

St John Hospital, Los Angeles, CA

Aug 2018–present

• 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 Therapist

St John Hospital, Los Angeles, CA

2018–present

• Collaborated with rehabilitation team members daily to develop and carry out treatment plans to best meet patient needs in preparation for discharge.
• Thoroughly documented evaluations, patient treatment sessions, and discharge summaries.
• Provided discharge instructions to patients and family members.
• Supervised OTAs, mentored, and trained OTAs.

So simple and yet so effective: Putting numbers to duties and focusing on the results of your work really transform a job description.

One more thing: You need a section listing the key skills to put on a resume that make you the ideal candidate. But flooding the page with random OT skills is not the way to go.

Check what the job ad requires and aim to cover that plus only a little more. These examples will help with the phrasing.

Occupational Therapy Resume Skills

Hard skills

• Behavioral health methods
• Acute care
• Preparing treatment plans
• Clinical skills
• Anatomical knowledge
• Exercise physiology
• Patient assessment
• Documenting treatment progress
• Acting as a rehab liaison
• Drafting rehabilitation protocols

Soft skills

• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving
• Adaptability
• Teamwork skills
• Analytical skills
• Critical thinking
• Decision-making
• Time management
• Organization

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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 

Post-Professional Master’s in Occupational Therapy

University of Southern California Sunnydale, CA

2018

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

BS in Occupational Therapy

University of Southern California Sunnydale, CA

2016

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

Short on OT experience? When writing an occupational therapy resume, new grads can extend the education section with projects, classes, and accomplishments that show OT skills like anatomical knowledge and time management.

5. Enrich Your Occupational Therapist Resume With Extra Sections

It’s no secret that occupational therapy is booming. And that’s the problem: Everyone wants in, and competition for the best jobs is fierce.

Give yourself an advantage. Add one or two extra sections:

• Additional Activities
• Foreign Languages
• Classes Taken
• Awards
• Hobbies and Interests
• Volunteering
• Certifications
• Professional References

These two occupational therapy resume examples show yes vs no:

Occupational Therapy Resume Examples—Extra Sections

Certifications

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

Languages

• Spanish – fluent
• Yucatec Maya – intermediate

Certifications

• Licensed
• First Aid, etc.

Hobbies and Interests

• Darts (competitive, mostly in pubs)
• Weaving baskets from extension leads
• Collecting pasta

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with adding hobbies and interests, but they, like everything else you add, have to be relevant to the job ad.

One last hoop: You’ll need to write a convincing cover letter to go with your occupational therapy resume. The only exception is when the job ad specifically asks you not to submit one. Otherwise, write one just to be on the safe side: cover letters are necessary for many recruiters to consider your application. 

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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.

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