Occupational Therapist CV Template (ATS Optimised) — Complete Guide

Open with a profile that states your occupational therapy qualification and your registration/eligibility status for the relevant market. In the UK, clearly indicate you are HCPC registered; if you are applying in Australia, confirm AHPRA registration/endorsement; if applying in New Zealand, state registration with the Occupational Therapy Board of New Zealand. Name your primary client groups and typical settings, such as neuro rehabilitation, frailty/falls services, paediatrics, mental health teams, outpatient clinics, community reablement, or care home support. Add at least one concrete assessment tool you use (for example COPM) and one documentation/administrative system where you record notes and outcomes (e.g., EPR or electronic documentation used locally), so both ATS and recruiters can quickly verify operational readiness. Finish with one-line evidence of measurable practice, such as goal attainment tracking, equipment provision turnaround, or review-cycle compliance—using the KPIs your service actually reports.

Describe your assessment approach so it reads like clinical reasoning rather than a list of tasks. Explain how you run COPM interviews to identify client priority performance problems, set measurable goals for daily living activities and participation, and agree intervention plans with the client and carers. Where your service uses FIM or a function-focused alternative, reference it appropriately and explain how you use it to monitor changes in independence across transfer, mobility, self-care, and cognition-related tasks. Include how you schedule and document review cycles—such as reassessment at agreed time points—and how you update goals when progress plateaus or risk factors change. Add a real-world example: for instance, reducing time and assistance required for upper limb dressing, improving safe meal preparation routines at home, or increasing confidence managing fatigue after stroke rehabilitation, linking each outcome to the tool used (COPM and any local functional measure). Mention how you record outcomes in your clinical documentation system and how you communicate findings at MDT meetings to maintain continuity of care.

Show depth in upper limb rehabilitation by stating what you treat and how you evaluate progress. Use intervention-plus-purpose wording such as task-specific training, graded activity, ROM and strength programmes, pain/nerve sensitivity management, and activity pacing aligned to functional goals. If you provide splinting, specify the clinical purpose—such as protection/positioning, tone management, post-fracture support, or orthotic wear to reduce maladaptive patterns—and include how you educate clients on skin checks, wear time, and safe use. Add a monitoring component: for example you assess skin integrity and adjust the programme when swelling, pain, or hypersensitivity changes. If you include hand therapy, name relevant themes like scar management, tendon glide practice, fine motor retraining, or ADL retraining for hand function. Tie interventions to KPIs or evidence of effect—such as improved functional use measured through COPM goal attainment, increased independence in toileting/self-care tasks, reduced need for carer prompting, or successful equipment/splint trial completion. Where relevant, reference common clinical documentation workflows (e.g., recording splint fit, home set-up recommendations, and patient education outcomes in your electronic records).

Detail how you conduct home safety assessments and translate findings into practical adaptation recommendations. Explain your process for analysing barriers and supports to daily living activities—such as transfers, stairs, bathing, meal preparation, and sleep routines—then recommending equipment and environmental modifications that match the client’s capacity. Mention how you trial equipment where possible and provide step-by-step practice during follow-up, including carer education on safe handling and setup. If your work includes falls risk, describe risk enablement: coaching safe strategies, improving visibility/handholds, and supporting graded exposure rather than simply removing activity. Provide one measurable example relevant to the setting: improved safety on stairs, reduced assistance time for personal care, increased confidence using mobility aids, or more consistent participation in community routines. Reference the outcome tracking method you use—such as COPM goal updates—and state how recommendations are recorded and communicated to other professionals (e.g., OT notes shared with MDT or via care coordination documentation in your local system). Include how you consider consent and dignity during home visits, particularly for sensitive adaptations and equipment installation planning.

Demonstrate how you work within an MDT to coordinate care, reduce duplication, and support timely discharge. Describe your contribution to joint care planning with physiotherapy, nursing teams, social care, psychology, and where appropriate rehabilitation assistants, including how you incorporate referral priorities into your assessment timeline. Use ATS-friendly language like MDT documentation, joint goal setting, and information-sharing with families/carers, and explain how you communicate functional limitations and safe handling considerations clearly to non-OT staff. Mention how you advise other professionals on energy conservation, pacing, positioning, cognitive support strategies, and adaptations needed to maintain participation and independence. Add an example of discharge planning where you liaised with community services to arrange equipment, confirm home accessibility, and support risk enablement for the client and carers. If you use electronic record systems, state them generically (e.g., electronic patient records or your local EPR platform) while emphasising what you capture: assessment results, COPM goals, risk notes, and outcome updates. Include how you contribute to safeguarding and consent-led practice, supporting professional standards in whichever service setting you work in.