FresumeA strong occupational therapist resume proves you can evaluate patients, build treatment plans, and document care while staying productive across a full caseload. Recruiters look for your OTR/L credential and active state license first, so put them where they can’t be missed. To pass ATS, mirror the exact terms in the job posting and keep to a clean, single-column layout.
What makes a strong Occupational Therapist resume?
Hiring managers in hospitals, schools, skilled nursing facilities, and outpatient clinics want proof of clinical judgment and outcomes, not a list of duties. Lead with your credentials and quantify the work.
- Put credentials up top. List OTR/L, your NBCOT certification, and active state license near your name so a screener can confirm eligibility in seconds.
- Quantify your caseload. Note patients treated per day, productivity percentage, or documentation compliance instead of vague “provided therapy” lines.
- Name your setting and population. Pediatric, geriatric, acute care, inpatient rehab, or hand therapy specifics tell recruiters you fit the role.
- Show tools and interventions. Reference the EMR you use (Epic, WebPT, PointClickCare) and named interventions like ADL retraining, splinting, or sensory integration.
Occupational Therapist resume sections
Header: Name, “OTR/L,” phone, email, city/state, and license number.
Summary: 2-3 lines with years of experience, primary setting, and a signature outcome.
Skills: ADLs/IADLs, treatment planning, splinting/orthotics, EMR documentation, discharge planning.
Experience: Reverse-chronological, with metrics and named interventions under each role.
Education: Master’s or doctoral OT degree from an ACOTE-accredited program.
Certifications/Licenses: NBCOT certification, state OT license, BLS/CPR, plus any specialty such as CHT, SIPT, or CBIS.
Common mistakes
- Burying the OTR/L credential and license below education, where ATS and recruiters miss them.
- Listing generic duties like “treated patients” with no caseload, outcome, or productivity numbers.
- Using a two-column or graphic-heavy resume template that ATS parsers scramble.
- Leaving out the EMR/EHR systems and CPT documentation experience clinics screen for.
- Not tailoring keywords to the setting — school-based OT reads very differently from acute care.
ATS keywords for occupational therapists
Work these real terms in naturally, only where they’re true: OTR/L, NBCOT certification, occupational therapy, ADLs, IADLs, treatment plan, plan of care, patient evaluation, therapeutic exercise, discharge planning, splinting/orthotics, rehabilitation, EMR/EHR, HIPAA, and interdisciplinary team.
