Overview
Landing your first Band 5 occupational therapy role is competitive. NHS trusts and private providers receive dozens of applications from newly qualified OTs, and the ones who get interviews are those who can show exactly what they did on placement, not just where they went. Your resume needs to read like a clinical portfolio summary, not a module list.
This resume belongs to Erin Gallagher, a newly HCPC-registered OT who graduated from Ulster University. She completed placements across acute medical wards, community rehabilitation, and paediatric settings, managing caseloads of up to 18 patients independently. She also worked as a healthcare assistant throughout university, which gave her practical patient-facing experience before she even started placement.
What Makes This Resume Work
Clinical placements are listed as jobs, not education footnotes. Erin treats each placement like a real role, with a company name, date range, and quantified bullets. This is important because NHS hiring panels assess placement experience the same way they assess paid employment. She includes caseload numbers, assessment counts, and discharge figures so the reader can gauge her readiness for a Band 5 workload.
The summary leads with registration and clinical scope. Hiring managers for OT roles want to know two things immediately: are you HCPC registered, and what settings have you worked in? Erin answers both in the first sentence, then follows with a caseload number and a patient satisfaction figure. There is no wasted space on vague statements about being passionate.
Supporting experience fills in the gaps. The healthcare assistant role shows Erin has been working in care settings for over two years. This matters because it tells employers she understands the realities of shift work, manual handling, and patient dignity before stepping into a qualified role.
Certifications and CPD show professional awareness. Including HCPC registration prominently, along with food safety training, signals that Erin takes her professional obligations seriously. For a newly qualified therapist, this attention to detail goes a long way.
Key Takeaways
If you are a newly qualified OT writing your first resume, treat your placements as the main event. List them under experience with full details, quantify everything you can (caseload size, assessments completed, groups run, training delivered), and make sure your HCPC registration is impossible to miss. Any paid care work you did alongside your degree is worth including because it demonstrates stamina and commitment to the sector.
