Occupational Therapist Resume Example & Writing Guide

An occupational therapist resume must convey clinical expertise, evaluation skills, and the ability to drive meaningful patient outcomes. The occupational therapy profession continues to grow, with demand across SNFs, acute care, outpatient, and home health settings. A tailored occupational therapist resume helps you stand out by demonstrating not only your OTR credential and licensure but also your impact on patient outcomes, productivity, and team collaboration.

Whether you are moving from your first staff role to a senior position or seeking a hand therapy or leadership opportunity, your resume is the first impression. Generic templates fall flat in rehabilitation, where recruiters look for specific settings, populations, and evidence of clinical growth. This guide walks you through building an occupational therapist resume that highlights your OTR, licensure, clinical achievements, and supervision experience. You'll find format recommendations, real good-and-bad examples, and the skills that rehab managers search for.

Reverse-chronological format is the strongest choice for an occupational therapist resume. It places your most recent clinical work at the top. Avoid functional formats—rehab managers expect to see experience chronologically.

Aim for one page if you have 3–7 years of experience; two pages is acceptable with 8+ years, multiple settings, or CHT certification. Every section should demonstrate clinical competency or measurable impact.

For an occupational therapist resume, prioritize sections in this order:

• Contact Information — Name, phone, email, LinkedIn, city and state
• Professional Summary — 2–3 sentences highlighting your credential, years of experience, and clinical focus
• Licensure and Certifications — OTR, state license, CHT, LSVT BIG, BLS
• Experience — Staff or senior OT roles with quantified bullets
• Education — MOT or OTD with institution, fieldwork if relevant
• Skills — Clinical and soft skills that match the posting

Use clean, single-column formatting. Avoid tables and graphics for ATS compatibility.

The experience section is where your occupational therapist resume earns an interview. Rehab managers scan for evidence of caseload, evaluation skills, supervision, and outcomes—not a list of generic duties.

Avoid this:

Worked as an occupational therapist at a rehab facility. Evaluated patients and provided treatment. Supervised assistants.

Why it falls flat: No specifics, no metrics, passive language. There is nothing about setting, caseload, population, or outcomes.

Write this instead:

Staff Occupational Therapist in a 80-bed SNF, managing 10–12 patients daily across subacute and long-term care. Conducted evaluations and developed treatment plans; supervised 2 COTAs. Achieved 92% productivity while improving discharge-to-home rate by 8% through targeted ADL and transfer training.

Why it works: Facility size, daily caseload, population, supervision scope, productivity metric, and a measurable outcome. A hiring manager immediately understands your scope and impact.

Apply these principles to every bullet:

• Lead with strong action verbs — "Evaluated," "Developed," "Supervised," "Implemented," "Coordinated." Avoid "Responsible for" or "Helped with."

• Include at least two metrics per role — Caseload, productivity, supervision count, or discharge outcomes. Mid-career OTs have ample numbers to share.

• Match the job posting's language — If it mentions "hand therapy," "CHT," or "acute care," use those terms.

• Show progression — Early roles focus on clinical skills; later roles should highlight supervision and outcomes.

• Scale achievements appropriately — Staff roles = personal caseload and productivity; senior roles = department-level impact.

Your professional summary gives the hiring manager a quick snapshot of your clinical focus and impact. For an occupational therapist resume, use 2–3 sentences that cover your credential, years of experience, and a standout achievement or focus area.

Avoid this:

Experienced occupational therapist dedicated to helping patients achieve their goals. Looking for a new opportunity.

This says nothing specific. Every applicant could write this.

Write this instead:

OTR-certified Occupational Therapist with 5 years of SNF and outpatient experience. Skilled in upper extremity rehabilitation, evaluation, and COTA supervision. Achieved 92% productivity while improving discharge-to-home rate by 8% through evidence-based ADL interventions.

Specific credential, experience level, settings, named skills, supervision, and quantified outcomes—all in three sentences.

Three quick tips:

• Name your OTR credential and years of experience in the first sentence — OTR and state license are screened first.
• Include one quantified achievement — Productivity, discharge outcomes, or supervision impact.
• Mention your primary setting or specialty — SNF, acute, outpatient, hand therapy.

For an occupational therapist resume, education and NBCOT credentialing are essential. List your Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) or Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) with institution name and graduation year. Include fieldwork or residency if relevant to the role.

Licensure and certifications:

• OTR (Occupational Therapist Registered) — From NBCOT; required for practice. List credential number and expiration.
• State OT License — Required in all states; list state and license number.
• CHT (Certified Hand Therapist) — From HTCC; demonstrates hand therapy expertise; valuable for outpatient roles.
• LSVT BIG — For Parkinson's and movement disorders; valued in SNF and outpatient.
• BLS — Often required; from American Heart Association.

Continuing education is required for NBCOT certification maintenance. Listing relevant CE focus areas (e.g., "hand therapy," "geriatrics") shows commitment to staying current.