Physical Therapist Assistant Resume Example
Professional resume template and tips for Physical Therapist Assistant positions
Are you exploring a career where you can directly impact patient recovery while working alongside healthcare professionals? This guide details the essential role of a Physical Therapist Assistant, from instructing patients and documenting progress to utilizing specialized software like EMR systems. We provide a clear overview of the daily responsibilities, technical and soft skills you need to succeed, and the key knowledge areas to develop. You'll also find practical tips for crafting a strong resume that highlights your hands-on experience and patient-centered skills. Start building your tailored application today with Mokaru to step confidently into this rewarding healthcare career.
KENNETH GRAHAM
Professional Summary
Physical Therapist Assistant with 5+ years specializing in outpatient orthopedic rehabilitation. Reduced average daily documentation time by 30% using eClinicalWorks EHR, enhancing patient care continuity. Proficient in therapeutic exercise instruction, progress monitoring, and Microsoft Office suite.
Skills
Experience
- Spearheaded the integration of eClinicalWorks EHR software across the rehab department, training 12 PTAs and streamlining patient data entry, which reduced documentation time by 20%
- Led weekly patient progress review meetings using critical thinking to analyze complex cases, resulting in 15% faster achievement of functional mobility goals
- Designed and presented a new aquatic therapy protocol using Microsoft PowerPoint, which was adopted clinic-wide and improved patient satisfaction scores by 10%
- Owned the transition to digital progress notes in eClinicalWorks, collaborating with therapists to ensure accurate data capture for over 200 active patient files
- Utilized active listening and social perceptiveness to tailor exercise instructions, directly contributing to a 95% patient adherence rate for home exercise programs
- Developed a patient monitoring spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel to track key metrics, enabling the team to quickly identify and address plateaus in patient recovery
- Assisted senior therapists by diligently observing and documenting patient responses during treatments, ensuring all progress notes in Microsoft Word were completed daily
- Supported the onboarding of 5 new patients per week by safely securing them into therapy equipment and providing clear, motivational instructions for basic exercises
- Demonstrated active learning by quickly mastering eClinicalWorks for patient scheduling and documentation, accurately maintaining records for a caseload of 10 patients
Education
Certificates
- Certified Physical Therapist Assistant
- LSVT BIG Certification for Parkinson's Disease
- APTA Advanced Proficiency Pathways for Physical Therapist Assistants
Build Your Physical Therapist Assistant Resume
Create a professional, ATS-optimized resume tailored for Physical Therapist Assistant positions in minutes.
What does a Physical Therapist Assistant do?
A Physical Therapist Assistant performs various tasks on a daily basis. Here are the core responsibilities you can expect in this role:
- Instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities.
- Document patient information, such as notes on their progress.
- Observe patients during treatments to compile and evaluate data on their responses and progress and provide results to physical therapist in person or through progress notes.
- Instruct patients in proper body mechanics and in ways to improve functional mobility, such as aquatic exercise.
- Secure patients into or onto therapy equipment.
What skills do you need as a Physical Therapist Assistant?
Employers hiring for Physical Therapist Assistant positions look for candidates with a strong combination of technical and soft skills. Here are the most important skills to highlight on your resume:
What knowledge areas are important for a Physical Therapist Assistant?
Beyond skills and tools, employers value candidates with deep knowledge in these areas. Consider highlighting relevant coursework, certifications, or experience:
How do I write a great Physical Therapist Assistant resume?
Creating an effective Physical Therapist Assistant resume requires focusing on what employers in the Healthcare sector value most.
Use relevant keywords
ATS systems scan for specific terms. Include these keywords naturally throughout your resume:
Quantify your impact
When describing how you "instruct, motivate, safeguard, and assist patients as they practice exercises or functional activities", include metrics like percentages, team sizes, budgets, or project scope to demonstrate real results.
Showcase technical proficiency
Highlight hands-on experience with eClinicalWorks EHR software, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel and any customer and personal service certifications that validate your expertise.
Match the experience level
For Physical Therapist Assistant roles, employers typically expect usually requires trade school, apprenticeship, or 2-year degree. Highlight matching qualifications prominently at the top of your resume.
Example bullet points
Here are some strong bullet points you could adapt for your Physical Therapist Assistant resume:
- Spearheaded the integration of eClinicalWorks EHR software across the rehab department, training 12 PTAs and streamlining patient data entry, which reduced documentation time by 20%
- Led weekly patient progress review meetings using critical thinking to analyze complex cases, resulting in 15% faster achievement of functional mobility goals
- Designed and presented a new aquatic therapy protocol using Microsoft PowerPoint, which was adopted clinic-wide and improved patient satisfaction scores by 10%
How to use AI to improve your Physical Therapist Assistant resume
AI tools like ChatGPT can be incredibly helpful when crafting your Physical Therapist Assistant resume. They can help you brainstorm achievements, rephrase bullet points for impact, identify missing keywords, and tailor your content to specific job descriptions.
However, AI is not perfect. Always proofread the output carefully. AI can sometimes make factual errors, use generic language, or miss the nuances of your specific experience. Think of AI as a helpful assistant, not a replacement for your own judgment.
AI Resume Prompt
You are a senior recruiter with 15+ years of experience in technical hiring and resume optimization. You have reviewed thousands of resumes for Physical Therapist Assistant positions and know exactly what hiring managers and ATS systems look for.
Your task:
Analyze my resume for a Physical Therapist Assistant position and provide concrete, actionable feedback to maximize my chances.
Job description:
[paste the job description here]
Provide feedback on the following:
- Match analysis: Which requirements from the job description ARE and ARE NOT reflected in my resume?
- Quantification: Which bullet points lack concrete numbers/metrics? Provide examples of how I can rewrite them.
- Keywords: Which technical terms from the job description (such as eClinicalWorks EHR software, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, etc.) are missing or could be more prominent?
- Impact statements: Rewrite my 3 weakest bullet points using the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
- ATS optimization: What adjustments will increase my score in Applicant Tracking Systems?
- Priorities: Give me a top-5 of changes that will make the biggest difference, ranked by impact.
Be direct and critical - I want honest feedback, not compliments.
Why use Mokaru instead? At Mokaru, we have invested extensive research into our AI prompts and continuously update them based on recruiter feedback and ATS testing. Our AI resume builder handles the complexity for you: optimizing for ATS systems, matching job descriptions, and ensuring professional formatting, so you can focus on landing interviews.
Physical Therapy Assistant Resume Example
Looking for a Physical Therapy Assistant resume instead? The skills and experience are very similar to a Physical Therapist Assistant. Here is an example you can use as inspiration:
STEVEN PETERSON
Summary
Physical Therapist Assistant with 5+ years specializing in outpatient orthopedic rehabilitation. Reduced average daily documentation time by 30% using eClinicalWorks EHR, enhancing patient care continuity. Proficient in therapeutic exercise instruction, progress monitoring, and Microsoft Office suite.
Skills
Experience
- Spearheaded the integration of eClinicalWorks EHR software across the rehab department, training 12 PTAs and streamlining patient data entry, which reduced documentation time by 20%
- Led weekly patient progress review meetings using critical thinking to analyze complex cases, resulting in 15% faster achievement of functional mobility goals
- Designed and presented a new aquatic therapy protocol using Microsoft PowerPoint, which was adopted clinic-wide and improved patient satisfaction scores by 10%
- Owned the transition to digital progress notes in eClinicalWorks, collaborating with therapists to ensure accurate data capture for over 200 active patient files
- Utilized active listening and social perceptiveness to tailor exercise instructions, directly contributing to a 95% patient adherence rate for home exercise programs
- Developed a patient monitoring spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel to track key metrics, enabling the team to quickly identify and address plateaus in patient recovery
- Assisted senior therapists by diligently observing and documenting patient responses during treatments, ensuring all progress notes in Microsoft Word were completed daily
- Supported the onboarding of 5 new patients per week by safely securing them into therapy equipment and providing clear, motivational instructions for basic exercises
- Demonstrated active learning by quickly mastering eClinicalWorks for patient scheduling and documentation, accurately maintaining records for a caseload of 10 patients
Education
Certifications
- Certified Physical Therapist Assistant
- LSVT BIG Certification for Parkinson's Disease
- APTA Advanced Proficiency Pathways for Physical Therapist Assistants
Build Your Physical Therapy Assistant Resume
Create a professional, ATS-optimized resume tailored for Physical Therapy Assistant positions in minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
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