An occupational therapist resume has to prove that your therapy helps people do what matters to them — daily living, work, and independence. Employers screen first for licensure and clinical skill, then for outcomes. "Treated patients" misses the functional gains that define OT. Here's how to write an occupational therapist resume that lands interviews.
OT is outcome-driven clinical care. Lead with license and results.
Put these near the top — an applicant tracking system (ATS — the software that screens resumes before a person does) and employers check them first.
Show the therapy you provided and the independence it restored:
The pattern: the patient's challenge → the intervention you designed → the functional outcome. (See quantify your resume achievements and resume action verbs.)
Lead with the experience that matches the role. (For related rehab roles, see the physical therapist resume guide and how to write a nursing resume.)
Lead with your license and degree, fieldwork/clinical rotations (treat as experience), and transferable strengths. Lead with credentials rather than an empty history — see writing an entry-level resume with no experience.
More in our guide to writing an ATS-friendly resume.
Lead with your license and degree (MOT/OTD), clinical skills (evaluation, intervention, ADL training, rehabilitation), and functional outcomes (independence restored). Note your setting and specialty, and keep it ATS-readable.
Near the top — in your summary or a licenses/credentials section, with your state. They're required, so employers and ATS check them first. Include specialty certifications and CPR.
Use clinical outcomes: patients evaluated/treated per day, functional outcome scores, independence or return-to-work/self-care results, and caseload. "Returned patients to daily-living independence" shows the function your therapy restored.
An OT focuses on function for daily living, work, and self-care (ADLs, adaptive techniques, assistive technology); a PT focuses on movement, strength, and physical rehabilitation. Both lead with license and outcomes — tailor the skills and outcomes to your discipline.
An occupational therapist resume should reflect the work — clinically expert and focused on restoring independence. PrismResume helps you put your license front and center and turn "treated patients" into evaluation, intervention, and functional-outcome results, in a clean, ATS-readable layout. Try the free resume check at prismresume.com.
Wondering how your own resume holds up?
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