Lead with licensure, setting and the patients you treat
Open with a short summary that states your license (and jurisdiction), degree such as DPT, and the setting where you practice—outpatient orthopedics, acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing, home health, pediatrics, neurology or sports. Mention seniority cues such as clinical instruction, program development, caseload or mentor roles, and specialty certifications (for example OCS, NCS, SCS or GCS) only when they are current.
Mirror posting language only when it matches work you have done. Claiming dry needling, vestibular rehabilitation, pelvic health, wound care or a high-acuity ICU caseload without examples invites a hard clinical screen. Point readers to the examinations, interventions and discharge results that prove the skills the job emphasizes. Do not describe yourself as a physical therapist assistant if you are licensed as a PT, or as providing medical management that sits outside PT scope.
Write bullets that connect examination, intervention and function
Strong PT bullets name the population or setting, the intervention approach and a functional result: improved gait or transfer independence, a better timed mobility score, a return-to-work or return-to-sport milestone, or a timely discharge home. Caseload, productivity and documentation timeliness can help when they are honest and not the only story. Prefer measured outcomes over vague claims that you “provided excellent therapy.”
The fictional examples below illustrate wording only. They are not Make.CV performance claims and should not be copied as your own. Replace every figure with results you can support from de-identified outcomes, and strip patient names, record numbers and any protected health information. If a case is distinctive, describe the presentation and intervention without identifying the person.
Show clinical tools and credentials without a technique dump
Group skills into readable categories such as examination methods, intervention areas, outcome measures and documentation or scheduling systems. Prioritize approaches and measures named in the posting when you have genuine experience. A short accurate list of the tests, interventions and tools you actually use beats a long inventory of every continuing-education course you attended.
Place state licensure, NPI if the employer asks for it in an application packet, and specialty certifications where they are easy to verify. Residencies, fellowships, student clinicals and volunteer event coverage belong when they show settings or populations your employment history does not; label the role honestly and do not present student work as independent licensed practice.
Choose a clean layout and review the export
Use a readable template with standard headings so credentials, setting, outcome evidence and skills stay easy to find. Keep dates consistent and leave room for quantified bullets. Browse Make.CV templates if you want to compare layouts before writing.
Build your CV in the free maker with live preview, then download a PDF with no watermark. Check that license, certification and outcome-measure abbreviations wrap cleanly. Confirm the exported text remains selectable before you submit.
Frequently asked questions
How is a physical therapist CV different from a nurse, PA or NP CV?
A physical therapist CV emphasizes examination, plans of care, interventions and functional outcomes within PT scope. A nurse CV emphasizes nursing care and unit practice; a physician assistant or nurse practitioner CV emphasizes medical assessment and a different license. Use the guide that matches the role in the posting.
Should I list every continuing-education course?
No. Prioritize current licensure, specialty certifications and techniques you can discuss with a patient example. Mention a course briefly if the posting names it and you have used the method in practice.
How do I describe outcomes without sharing patient information?
Use de-identified or aggregate results—caseload, documentation timeliness, discharge destination or a change in a named outcome measure—without patient names, record numbers or identifying details. Never invent scores.
Do student clinicals or a PT residency belong?
Yes when they show settings, populations or mentored practice that your employment history does not. Keep descriptions concise, label the role honestly and do not present student work as independent licensed practice.