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Outpatient physical therapist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025
2 min read
Quoted experts
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.,
Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.
Outpatient physical therapist example skills
Below we've compiled a list of the most critical outpatient physical therapist skills. We ranked the top skills for outpatient physical therapists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 22.8% of outpatient physical therapist resumes contained patients as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills an outpatient physical therapist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 outpatient physical therapist skills for your resume and career

1. Patients

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use patients:
  • Treated acute care patients with neurological, orthopedic and general medical diagnosis to evaluate mobility and safety for return to home.
  • Facilitated development of coping techniques to manage psychiatric symptoms effectively; educated patients on importance of medication management and compliance.

2. Physical Therapy

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use physical therapy:
  • Designed and performed Physical Therapy intervention for individuals with a variety of orthopedic and neurological deficits while supervising multiple PTA's.
  • Increased new patient awareness of disease and referrals of physical therapy services by developing and leading hospital-sponsored osteoporosis community education courses.

3. Rehabilitation

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use rehabilitation:
  • Completed diagnostic intake assessments and individualized treatment plans in accordance with Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) standards
  • Screen residents for potential rehabilitation.

4. Patient Care

Patient care entails the diagnosis, recovery, and control of sickness as well as the maintenance of physical and emotional well-being through the use of healthcare providers' services. Patient care is described as services provided to patients by health practitioners or non-professionals under guidance.

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use patient care:
  • Performed and documented thorough initial evaluations, treatment programs, and discharge planning for individualized patient care.
  • Provided crisis intervention and facilitated patient transfers from outpatient to inpatient care as needed.

5. Therapy Services

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use therapy services:
  • Facilitated individual, couples, family, and school-based therapy services utilizing primarily CBT, solution-focused, and existential therapy approaches.
  • Provide individual and family psychotherapy services to adolescents, adults and families; marital therapy, critical incident stress debriefing

6. Social Work

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use social work:
  • Collaborated with interdisciplinary treatment staff, including psychiatrists, psychologists, caseworkers, and psychiatric social workers.
  • Work cooperatively with multidisciplinary treatment team including social workers, psychiatrists, program directors and advocates.

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7. Home Health

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use home health:
  • Evaluated and provided treatments in an outpatient and home health care setting.
  • Home health coverage as needed and on call weekends.

8. Discharge Planning

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use discharge planning:
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary treatment teams to formulate and review individualized treatment plans and assist in coordinating discharge planning.
  • Acted pro-actively in identifying and utilizing community resources for social service support and discharge planning.

9. Compassion

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use compassion:
  • Teach group classes for parents and caregivers to help them use compassion, mindfulness and relaxation strategies in daily life.
  • Formed therapeutic alliances through active listening, empathy and compassion.

10. Outpatient Therapy

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use outpatient therapy:
  • Provision of outpatient therapy in Community Mental Health Center until contracted integration program with Cole Memorial became 5 day/week position.
  • Facilitated intake and admission process* Provided intensive outpatient therapy to adolescents and families referred through 17th circuit court.

11. Substance Abuse

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use substance abuse:
  • Perform intake assessments for outpatient psychiatrist, and individual psychotherapy specializing in trauma treatment, mood disorders and substance abuse.
  • Facilitated group, individual, and family therapy pertaining to substance abuse, recovery/relapse prevention, and emotional management issues.

12. Crisis Intervention

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use crisis intervention:
  • Work to implement therapeutic interventions, crisis interventions, behavioral interventions, psycho-educational activities and other best evidence-based practice therapies.
  • Provide individual and group psychotherapy with crisis intervention for severely mentally ill adults and severely emotionally disturbed children.

13. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use mental health:
  • Provided emergency service mental health assessments for a community mental health agency, Huggins Hospital and Memorial Hospital in Carroll County.
  • Provided client-centered individual and family therapy to adolescents and adults facing diverse mental health and environmental problems, utilizing evidence-based interventions.

14. Community Resources

Community resources are a set of resources that are used in the day to day life of people which improves their lifestyle in some way. People, sites or houses, and population assistance can come under the services offered by community resources.

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use community resources:
  • Developed and implemented individualized treatment plans and safety plans, monthly treatment plan reviews, and discharge/aftercare plans utilizing community resources.
  • Conduct case management functions by linking/collaborating with professional and community resources to enhance overall functioning of the individual and/or family.

15. Discharge Summaries

Here's how outpatient physical therapists use discharge summaries:
  • Provide individual and group therapy, as well as complete clinical assessments, treatment plans, and discharge summaries.
  • Conduct intake assessments, create treatment plans, complete daily progress notes, bimonthly court reports and discharge summaries.
top-skills

What skills help Outpatient Physical Therapists find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on outpatient physical therapist resumes?

Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Human Factors, University of Alabama in Huntsville

Strong analytical skills are a must. This includes both logic and reasoning skills, but also data analysis skills. For many jobs, the ability to collect and scientifically evaluate data will be vital, if not an absolute necessity. Similarly, a strong understanding of experimental methods can put a candidate in a great position to be able to help a company evaluate existing programs and chart a path forward for new ones. Finally, I would say that a strong ability to write is critical. Those graduates who are able to effectively and persuasively communicate in writing are setting themselves up for success at any company and allowing the company to leverage them for increasingly important tasks.

What soft skills should all outpatient physical therapists possess?

Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Human Factors, University of Alabama in Huntsville

Students need to be able to read individual and group dynamics in order to act appropriately in any given situation. This includes not only the interactions with one's bosses but also peers and subordinates. Similarly, being comfortable with networking can help any company, but networking skills shine through in interviews.

What hard/technical skills are most important for outpatient physical therapists?

Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Human Factors, University of Alabama in Huntsville

Technical skills like the ability to perform statistical analyses are critically important for most Psychology-related jobs. This allows a candidate to collect and analyze data but also to interpret and understand other existing data. A strong statistical background can also help set a candidate apart from their peers in the application process. This includes understanding when and how to use various parametric and nonparametric statistics to be able to answer questions regardless of the data one is working with.

What outpatient physical therapist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Charles Westerberg Ph.D.Charles Westerberg Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Brannon-Ballard Professor of Sociology, Beloit College

For students taking a gap year, I think they should focus on building up their social capital networks. They should get as much exposure and face time as possible in fields that will give them access to people who can vouch for them. This might not be precisely the sort of position they are looking for, but it should provide them with access to relatable skills and contacts. To do this, students should call and email relentlessly. You never know when you will get a break. Passivity is not an excellent way to create gaps for yourself.

What type of skills will young outpatient physical therapists need?

Dr. Eva Moya Ph.D.Dr. Eva Moya Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Professor, The University of Texas

Graduates of the social work profession need to be able to work with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and mobilize communities to bring about social, economic, political, or environmental change, in addition to being involved in social policy development.

Skills in research, to study social issues, with the intention of developing social policy or micro-level approaches to practice to improve people's lives, and training in relation to multiculturalism, cultural competence, cultural humility practice is vital.

Key skills include:
-Collaboration
-Critical thinking
-Ethics in evidence based-practice
-Assessment, intervention, and evaluation
-Social work competencies to inform behaviors.
-Administration and management
-Community practice
-Policy practice

List of outpatient physical therapist skills to add to your resume

Outpatient physical therapist skills

The most important skills for an outpatient physical therapist resume and required skills for an outpatient physical therapist to have include:

  • Patients
  • Physical Therapy
  • Rehabilitation
  • Patient Care
  • Therapy Services
  • Social Work
  • Home Health
  • Discharge Planning
  • Compassion
  • Outpatient Therapy
  • Substance Abuse
  • Crisis Intervention
  • Mental Health
  • Community Resources
  • Discharge Summaries
  • Adaptive
  • Clinical Supervision
  • Treatment Plan Reviews
  • Outpatient Services
  • Therapeutic Services
  • Treatment Modalities
  • Therapeutic Interventions
  • Clinical Documentation
  • Early Intervention
  • Group Therapy Sessions
  • Intake Assessments
  • Ongoing Support
  • Clinical Services
  • Autism
  • Mental Illness
  • Service Delivery
  • Foster Care
  • Family Therapy Sessions
  • Psychosocial Assessments
  • Traction
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
  • Diagnostic Assessments
  • Community Agencies
  • Crisis Management
  • Medication Management
  • Orthotics
  • Dual Diagnosis
  • Individual Therapy Sessions
  • Crisis Situations
  • Mental Health Assessments
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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