Physical Therapist resume example

Rehab employers filter Physical Therapist resumes on DPT credential, license status, and setting — outpatient ortho, neuro, inpatient — before looking at anything else, so that information needs to sit at the top.

Bullets that convert use outcome measures: LEFS, DASH, or Berg scores tied to your caseload, plus visit volume and any adherence or throughput improvement you led. This example keeps a clean layout that parses well.

Marcus Whitfield

Physical Therapist, DPT

Charlotte, NC marcus.whitfield.dpt@email.com +1 (704) 555-0129 linkedin.com/in/marcuswhitfielddpt

Summary

Licensed Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) with 6+ years of clinical experience designing evidence-based rehabilitation programs for orthopedic, sports, and post-surgical patient populations. Specializes in manual therapy, therapeutic exercise prescription, and functional movement screening, lifting patient goal attainment rates by 26% across outpatient clinics.

Experience

Physical Therapist

Carolina Sports & Spine Rehab · Charlotte, NC

Sep 2020 — Present

Evaluated and treated 14 patients daily presenting with complex orthopedic injuries, post-surgical conditions, and chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Rehabilitated post-operative ACL and rotator cuff repairs, achieving patient functional goal milestone attainment in 20% fewer visits than regional averages.
Documented functional outcomes using standardized metrics (DASH, LEFS) in WebPT, maintaining 99% compliance with Medicare documentation rules.

Physical Therapist

Piedmont Rehabilitation Center · Charlotte, NC

Jul 2017 — Aug 2020

Administered manual therapy joint mobilizations, soft-tissue manipulation, and therapeutic exercises across 8-hour clinical shifts.
Educated patients on home exercise regimens and ergonomic movement mechanics, driving patient plan-of-care completion rates from 68% to 88%.
Supervised 2 physical therapist assistants (PTAs) and clinic aides, optimizing treatment scheduling and expanding daily clinic capacity by 15%.

Skills

Patient Evaluation & POC Development · Manual Therapy · Gait Training · Therapeutic Exercise Prescription · Outcome Measures (LEFS, DASH) · Post-Surgical Rehab · Neuromuscular Re-education · EMR Documentation · Patient Education · Interdisciplinary Collaboration · Orthopedic Rehabilitation · Outpatient Care

Education

Duke University

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

2013 — 2017

Clinical rotations in orthopedic and neuro rehab

Certifications

State License (active, on file) · BLS (AHA, current) · Certified Manual Therapist (CMT) — in progress

Physical Therapist · Classic Clean template · single-column, ATS-safe.

ATS keywords for a Physical Therapist resume

Applicant tracking systems match your resume against the job description's vocabulary. Mirror the terms below that are true of you — ideally with a metric attached.

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)Plan of Care (POC)Manual TherapyGait TrainingTherapeutic ExerciseOutcome MeasuresPost-Surgical RehabilitationNeuromuscular Re-educationPatient EvaluationHome Exercise ProgramICD-10Functional OutcomesEMR Documentation

What recruiters look for

DPT credential and active state license visible immediately.
Caseload size and setting (outpatient ortho, neuro, inpatient).
Outcome measures used (LEFS, DASH, Berg) with results.
Evidence of manual therapy and specialized technique training.
Clean, ATS-parseable single-column format.

Before & after: one bullet

Weak

Provided physical therapy treatment to patients recovering from surgery.

Strong

Managed 12-14 post-surgical patients daily, achieving a 92% average functional-outcome-score improvement on LEFS and DASH measures.

Common mistakes to avoid

Omitting license status or DPT credential.
Vague 'treated patients' bullets without outcome measures.
No caseload or visit-volume context.
Overloading the resume with therapy jargon with no measurable result.