Overview
Occupational therapist resumes often fall into the same trap as other allied health resumes: they describe the job rather than the person doing it. "Assessed and treated patients using a client-centred approach" could be written by every OT who has ever qualified. The hiring manager already knows what occupational therapy involves. They want to know about your specific caseload, the assessments you use, and the outcomes your service users have achieved.
This resume belongs to Eleanor Carstairs, an HCPC-registered Band 6 OT with four years of experience. She currently works in a community mental health team in Nottingham, managing a caseload of 28 service users with complex needs. Before that, she completed a two-year rotational programme at Nottingham University Hospitals across neurology, orthopaedics, acute medicine, and hand therapy.
What makes this resume strong is the specificity. Let us go through it.
Your summary should state your band, your specialty, and your caseload
NHS hiring managers filter OT applications by band level and clinical specialty first. If those two things are not in your opening lines, you are making them work too hard.
Here is Eleanor's summary:
HCPC-registered occupational therapist with four years of experience in community mental health and neurological rehabilitation. Currently a Band 6 OT in a community mental health team in Nottingham, managing a caseload of 28 service users with complex needs including psychosis, personality disorder, and treatment-resistant depression.
In two sentences, the reader knows: HCPC registered (essential), Band 6 (the level), community mental health (the specialty), 28 service users (the workload), and the specific conditions she works with. That is everything a shortlisting panel needs to see before reading further.
Your formula: HCPC status + band level + specialty area + current caseload size + the types of conditions you work with.
How to write experience bullets that show your clinical reasoning
The goal with OT experience bullets is to demonstrate three things: the complexity of your caseload, the assessments and interventions you use, and the outcomes your service users achieve.
Look at these bullets:
"Conduct MOHOST and OCAIRS assessments to identify occupational needs and develop person-centred intervention plans"
"Run a weekly anxiety management group (8-10 participants) and a cooking skills group for independent living"
"Completed 14 housing and equipment assessments in the past year, enabling 9 service users to remain in independent accommodation"
The first bullet names specific OT assessment tools. If you use MOHOST, OCAIRS, AMPS, or the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure, name them. These are keywords that hiring managers and ATS systems scan for.
The second bullet shows group facilitation with a participant count. The third shows real-world outcomes: 9 people stayed in their homes because of her assessments. That is the kind of impact that sticks in a shortlister's mind.
The formula: Assessment or intervention + the setting and scale + the outcome for the service user.
Rotational experience: pick the rotations that match the role
Eleanor's Band 5 rotational role covers four rotations in two years. Rather than listing all four equally, she focuses on the most relevant details:
"Managed a neurology caseload of 12-15 inpatients daily including stroke, TBI, and MS patients"
"Contributed to a QI project reducing delayed discharges by 15% through earlier OT assessment on acute medical wards"
If you completed a rotational programme, you do not need to give equal space to every rotation. Pick the two most relevant to the role you are applying for and give them proper detail. A strong bullet from a neurology rotation is more useful than four vague bullets from four different wards.
Skills: group them by clinical domain
This resume organises skills effectively: OT-specific assessments (MOHOST, OCAIRS, AMPS), clinical approaches (cognitive behavioural, group facilitation), specialist areas (neurological rehabilitation, housing assessments), and systems (Rio, SystmOne).
Grouping helps the reader scan quickly. If you are applying for a mental health OT role, put your mental health skills first. If it is a physical rehabilitation role, lead with neuro rehab and upper limb splinting.
And list your clinical systems. Rio, SystmOne, Careflow. If the trust uses the same system you know, that is a real advantage.
QI projects and group work belong on your resume
The two projects on this resume are perfect examples of what to include. The cooking skills group shows she can design, deliver, and evaluate a therapeutic intervention. The delayed discharge QI project shows she can improve service delivery.
"Post-group evaluation showed 78% of participants reported increased confidence in meal preparation and budgeting"
"3 participants successfully transitioned from supported accommodation to independent tenancies"
Those outcomes matter because they show occupational therapy actually working. If you have run a group, led an audit, or contributed to a service improvement, include it with the outcome.
Mistakes that cost OT applications
Not stating your HCPC registration. It is a legal requirement to practise. Put it in your summary and in your certifications section. Do not make the shortlister assume you are registered.
Writing "person-centred" without evidence. Every OT claims to be person-centred. Show it with a specific example: "Completed 14 housing assessments, enabling 9 service users to remain in independent accommodation." That is person-centred in practice.
Listing rotations without context. "Completed rotations in neurology, orthopaedics, acute medicine, and hand therapy" is a list. Give each relevant rotation at least one bullet with a caseload number or outcome.
Using a template with sidebars or graphics. Many NHS trusts use Trac or other ATS platforms. Complex formatting breaks. This resume uses Zinc, a clean layout that keeps everything in a single readable column.
One more thing
When applying to NHS OT roles, match your language to the person specification. If they ask for "experience of working with people with severe and enduring mental health conditions," use those exact words on your resume. Do not paraphrase it as "mental health experience." The shortlisting panel scores your application against specific criteria, and using their language makes their job easier.
