Craft a Personable Physical Therapist Cover Letter

Physical Therapist Cover Letter Sample
Created by CakeResume

As a physical therapist, you strive to get patients on the road to recovery from functional issues. Doing that requires empathy and communication besides medical knowledge: all better suited in a physical therapist cover letter. 

A physical therapist cover letter (aka a PT cover letter or a physical therapy cover letter) explains how you use the core skills in your resume to address patient needs. A strong cover letter helps you stand out and saves busy healthcare staff from headaches.

To create a personable and professional resume to accompany your PT cover letter, check out our Resume Builder.  

Read on to find out how to write a PT cover letter, with examples, tips and a template at the end.

Physical Therapist Cover Letter Examples

Do you worry about communicating your experience level in your physical therapy cover letter? To show experience in the cover letter is important but also difficult. That’s why in this guide, we provide cover letter examples for physical therapists with varying levels of experience: we have sample cover letters for internships, for a new grad, for a PT assistant, and for a physical therapist.

✉️ Physical Therapy Cover Letter Sample for an Internship

To write a cover letter for a physical therapy internship, highlight your familiarity with settings in physical therapy. Physical therapy cover letters for internships might feature personal experiences and observational skills.

Jane Doe

[email protected]
216-123-4567

September 1, 2022.

Ms. Garcia

Young Children’s Hospital
3909 Aubergine Road, OH 43123

Dear Ms. Garcia,

I would like to assist families through tough times as a Physical Therapist Intern at Young Children’s Hospital. Using my interpersonal and problem-solving skills, I helped over 150 children and adolescents regain functional independence. I currently study Kinesiology at XY University and would like to pursue a DPT in the future.

My experience with a teenage relative who contracted neurological trauma inspired me to pursue physical therapy. After seeing the transformative impact motion therapies had on the lives of parents and their children, I wanted to help more families lead an active lifestyle. At Newmont Hospital, I assisted adolescents with neuromotor diseases. From assessing tolerance levels in diagnoses and using new VR methods to test the coordination of younger patients for treatment plans, I also increased patient satisfaction by 50% for 100+ patients.

I would love to meet up for an interview to dive into more details about my resume (which I have enclosed). Feel free to reach me at 216-123-4567 or [email protected].

Best Regards,
Jane Doe

✉️ Physical Therapy Assistant Cover Letter Sample

For a physical therapy assistant cover letter, address how you improve workflow for PTs and specify your administrative duties. Cover letters for physical therapy assistants target speed and time management.

Jane Doe

[email protected]
213-123-4567

September 1, 2022.

Hiring Team 

MobileHealth Center
1234 W Grand Avenue, CA 90012

Dear Hiring Team,

I saw your online job posting for a Physical Therapist Assistant position and would like to join your team at MobileHealth Center. My organization, communication, and multitasking skills from working at 5 different clinics have helped streamline patient flow. I hold an Associate’s Degree in Physical Therapy from Derby Community College and have State Licensure in California.

Providing a comfortable experience for patients starts with giving them a professional and caring environment, which I believe my experiences in managing therapy before, during, and after a session could prove to be valuable:

  • Improved clinic flow by 70% by administering preparation tasks to new PTAs and minimizing patient wait times
  • Educated over 1,000 patients on proper postures, exercise regimes, and post-procedural care according to physician notes
  • Reduced time in administrative duties (invoicing, record-keeping, typing speed of 90 WPM) by 60% 

To chat over coffee about what I have to offer, please reach me at 213-123-4567 or [email protected]. Attached is my resume with details on my clinical experiences.

Kind Regards, 
Jane Doe

✉️ Physical Therapy Cover Letter

A cover letter for a more experienced physical therapist focuses on branching current skills. In this case, a physical therapist cover letter may underscore leadership and social outreach. For a personable PT cover letter, mention if you attended any events hosted by the hospital/clinic.

Jane Doe

[email protected]
213-123-4567

September 1, 2022.

Dr. Adams

UCPT General Hospital
7799 Beaupre Avenue, CA 90022

Dear Dr. Adams,

I learned about your Physical Therapist opening from a PT at Hope Hospital, who referred me upon seeing my strengths in leadership, collaboration, and mentorship. With 5 years of experience in occupational therapy, I aspire to be part of an award-winning team that values educated wellness at UCPT General Hospital.

As an APTA member attendee at your last conference, I was motivated after hearing that your comprehensive portfolio of effective treatment models earned the Laurel Award. At Hope Hospital, I also share your philosophy for leading development in patient care, where I collaborated with a team of PTs from cardiopulmonary, neurological, and orthopedic departments to create 5 new standardized treatment models using IFT, TENS, and ultrasound methods. 

Education has always been a passion of mine. I supervised more than 200 PTs and created a blog with a following of 5000 at eMotions.com, where I provide forums, articles, and roadmaps to address common concerns of PTs. 

I have included my resume and would love to dive into how we can collaborate on interdisciplinary treatment developments. Feel free to contact me at 213-123-4567 or [email protected] 

Sincerely, 
Jane Doe

How to Write a Cover Letter for a Physical Therapist

To write a physical therapist cover letter, include the following components:

💡 Sender and Recipient Details

Include your name and contact details at the top of your PT cover letter. Follow up with the recipient’s name, organization name, and organization address. 

💡 Clear Subject Line (for Emails)

When emailing a PT cover letter, include the position name and the organization name in the subject line. 

To draw interest, insert a quality that the organization would love to have from your PT cover letter in the subject line. For instance:

Compassionate DPT Seeking PT Position at XY Hospital

💡 Greetings

Start your PT cover letter with a polite salutation (e.g. “Dear”). For a PT cover letter, filter the online directory of the hospital or clinic by the department to find the recipient’s name or use “Hiring Team” if unknown. 

💡 Opening Paragraph

State how you found the position and briefly touch on your relevant soft and hard skills at the start of your PT cover letter. Since physical therapy is a results-oriented occupation, include an accomplishment near the beginning of your PT cover letter.

💡 Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs of your PT cover letter should illustrate how you use your skills differently from other candidates. Make your PT cover letter more compelling and explain what drew you to the organization. 

Pro tips:

  • Use the job description and organization mission as a guide to decide what achievements to include in your PT cover letter.
  • Specify and explain the contributions you made in your previous roles with clear metrics (e.g. patient flow, recurrence rate, patient satisfaction, etc.). 

Another reason to carefully read through job descriptions is that some healthcare providers use Application Tracking Systems (ATS) to screen applicants. Mirror keywords from the job description in your PT cover letter to increase your chances of getting reviewed.   

💡 Closing

Close off your PT cover letter with a call to action and reach out for an interview or chat. Let the recruiter know that you want to expand more on your resume or CV. Mention any attachments that go along with your PT cover letter.

💡 Sign-Offs

End your physical therapy cover letter with a professional sign-off (Sincerely, Best Regards, Kind Regards etc.) and your name. 

💡 Contact Information (for Emails)

If you are emailing a PT cover letter, you could include a link to your blog/website at the end of your signature. You can exclude the recipient’s contact details from your PT cover letter since you are emailing them directly. 

Tips for Writing a Physical Therapist Cover Letter

1. Highlight your computer skills:

As a PT or PTA, computer skills are essential to clinic flow. Discuss your record-keeping skills or ability to track patient progress in your PT cover letter. 

2. Emphasize your typing speed: 

For PTAs, mentioning your typing speed in your PT cover letter communicates that you can efficiently handle large datasets to reach doctors or patients. The minimum typing speed should be 70 WPM. 

3. Proofread your cover letter: 

Professionalism is integral in a PT cover letter. Remove any typos and grammatical errors. Double-check your metrics.

4. Apply transferable skills: 

If you are a new grad, writing a physical therapist cover letter can be daunting when you have no work experience. Emphasize the skills from your school fieldwork. Your experience with clinical instructors is what sets you apart (e.g. assessment techniques, methods used, treatment plan approaches, etc.).

Physical Therapist Cover Letter Template

You can use the following physical therapist cover letter template as a guide to bridge your skills and the organization's duties and mission.

[Your Name]


[Phone Number]
[Email]


[Date]


[Recipient Name]

[Organization Name]
[Street Address, State/Province, Zip Code]


I found your opening for a [PT Position Name] through [how you found the job]. I have [list hard skills] in [list areas of specialization] and would love to help your mission by providing [list soft skills] to patients. 

I understand that [organization values] are important and I hope to further that. At [previous clinic / place of fieldwork], I helped to [improve/reduce] [mention relevant results]. I believe these qualities would be valuable to physical therapy at your organization, which focuses on [mention key job roles].

Please find enclosed my [attachments] and feel free to reach me at [contact details]. I would love to discuss more of what I have to offer. 


Sincerely,
[Name]

🔑 Key Takeaways

  • When writing PT cover letters with limited experience, emphasize how your observational knowledge could serve the organization in hands-on settings.
  • Take a results-oriented approach in your PT cover letter to show how you assess situations and achieve progression. Your PT cover letter should highlight relevant metrics to the job role.
  • Convey your compassion for patients in your PT cover letter by tying in a personal story or focusing on the organization’s mission. 

With CakeResume, you can easily create a resume online, free download your resume in PDF, and utilize ATS-compliant templates to create a resume. Create your resume online (free download) now and land your dream job!

--- Originally written by  Flora Lai ---

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