Physiotherapist CV Guide (ATS-Optimised) — Complete UK/ANZ Template

Open with a 4–6 sentence clinical summary that clearly states your registration status (e.g., HCPC registered in the UK) and your main physiotherapy speciality such as MSK, neuro rehabilitation, respiratory, paediatrics, or sports. Add your typical setting fit—acute wards, inpatient rehabilitation, community clinics, or outpatient services—so recruiters can quickly map you to the vacancy. Include at least one concrete KPI such as average caseload per day, session frequency, or discharge target achievement to show productivity and clinical throughput. Reference the outcome measures you actually use, such as NPRS pain scoring, Oswestry Disability Index, 6MWT, TUG, or condition-specific PROMs, and explain how those numbers shaped your treatment decisions. Finish the summary by naming how you work in a multidisciplinary team (for example, OT and medical/respiratory or neurology teams) and how you document using accepted clinical records systems.

Describe your assessment-to-discharge workflow across history taking, risk screening, and physical examination, then link each step to documented outcomes and safe practice. Use practical, ATS-friendly language: how you set SMART goals with patients and carers, and how you record baseline measures before intervention begins. Mention specific assessment tools you’ve used, such as ROM and strength testing, balance and gait observations, activity tolerance grading, and functional capacity checks like 6MWT or TUG where relevant. For pain and function, include PROM usage explicitly—for example NPRS alongside Oswestry for spinal or limb-related conditions, or other condition-specific questionnaires appropriate to the caseload. Explain how you monitor response between sessions and adapt your exercise prescription using symptom response, adherence patterns, and functional thresholds to adjust dosage, range, and progression.

Tailor this section to the vacancy by grouping experience by setting and patient group rather than listing generic duties. For MSK roles, specify the context (orthopaedics, sports injuries, or long-term conditions) and describe how you combine manual therapy with graded exercise prescription covering strength, mobility, endurance, and functional re-training. Include post-operative rehabilitation detail where applicable, such as THR/TKR or shoulder protocols, and connect your interventions to outcome measures like improved NPRS pain scores and progress in functional tasks. For neuro rehabilitation, focus on gait and balance training and task-oriented practice, referencing measures like TUG, step or transfer goals, and documented improvements in mobility confidence and independence. For respiratory physiotherapy, describe breathing control, airway clearance techniques, and exertional tolerance work, and mention how you use 6MWT or symptom scoring to demonstrate safety, pacing, and measurable gains. For paediatric experience, highlight family-centred education, developmental goal setting, and how you track progress with age-appropriate functional measures and attendance or adherence indicators.

Add a ‘Clinical Tools & Documentation’ paragraph that surfaces real-world systems and governance you’ve used, not just general claims. Reference the electronic health records you worked with, such as SystmOne in community environments (UK) or Best Practice / Medtech Evolution (AU/NZ) where applicable, and explain how you ensure timely, accurate clinical note completion. Include safety and governance terminology recruiters expect in regulated healthcare: falls screening, red-flag symptom recognition, safeguarding awareness, and consent/capacity considerations. Clarify how you manage documentation for shared care—such as communicating progress and risk status to MDT partners and updating treatment plans after reassessment. Demonstrate MDT collaboration by naming typical partners (OT, speech and language therapy, consultants, orthopaedics, and respiratory or neurology specialist teams) and describing how information exchange influenced discharge planning, referral pathways, or adjustments to therapy frequency. Tie your documentation and safety approach to measurable outcomes, such as reduced missed appointments, faster functional discharge criteria, or improved PROM completion rates.

Show continuous professional development that directly supports your speciality rather than listing generic courses. Name relevant learning routes such as manual therapy upskilling, neuro-rehabilitation workshops, respiratory CPD, or postgraduate modules, and connect each to what changed in your day-to-day practice. If you have BLS/ALS training, moving and handling updates, or airway clearance competence, include them with an evidence statement about how they improved safety or response times in your caseload. Explain how your CPD improved measurable performance—examples include increased guideline adherence, improved PROM data capture, more consistent progression criteria in exercise programmes, or better patient self-management outcomes. If you contributed to service improvement, include one concrete initiative such as improving discharge readiness documentation, reducing DNA rates with tailored home programmes, or standardising outcome measurement across the team—then cite the metric you tracked (e.g., PROM completion rate, average discharge days, or reduced follow-up backlog). Where relevant for cross-market roles, show awareness of clinical pathway differences between UK NHS settings and Australian/state health or New Zealand service models, while keeping your evidence-based approach consistent.