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Sports physical therapist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

1 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Nathan Tenhundfeld Ph.D.,

Jan Kretzschmar

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical sports physical therapist skills. We ranked the top skills for sports physical therapists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 43.5% of sports physical therapist resumes contained physical therapy as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a sports physical therapist needs to be successful in the workplace.

7 sports physical therapist skills for your resume and career

1. Physical Therapy

Here's how sports physical therapists use physical therapy:

Implemented physical therapy program to patients with minimal supervision.
Implemented all aspects of outpatient orthopedic physical therapy without ancillary staff Focus on sports performance enhancement and female athletes

2. 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 sports physical therapists use patient care:

Collaborate with physicians and other therapists regarding patient care, examination and evaluation.
Promote safe and therapeutic interdisciplinary patient care through consultation, supervision, effective communication and training of direct care staff.

3. Rehabilitation

Here's how sports physical therapists use rehabilitation:

Facilitated open communication with members of interdisciplinary rehabilitation team.
Assisted Rehabilitation department leadership in developing out-patient Cardio-Pulmonary Program.

4. Injury Prevention

Injurу рrеvеntіоn іѕ аn асtіvіtу оr attempt tо prevent, trеаt, оr reduce thе severity оf bodily іnjurіеѕ or dіѕаbіlіtу аnd dеаth related tо іnjurіеѕ саuѕеd by external mесhаnіѕmѕ, ѕuсh аѕ accidents, before thеу оссur.

Here's how sports physical therapists use injury prevention:

Worked with High school athletes with focus on performance maximization and injury prevention.
Conduct strength training classes focused on improving athletic performance, muscular strength and endurance while emphasizing quality movement and injury prevention.

5. PTA

The Parent-Teacher Association, PTA, is a formal organization made up of parents, teachers, and staff that aims to facilitate parental involvement in a school, discuss issues that affect children, organize events to raise funds for the school supplies, and supporting school efforts in general. It is also a forum for parents to gain insight and express their views on what is happening at their school.

Here's how sports physical therapists use pta:

Sole therapist overseeing PTA, technician, and office staff.
Present in-services to PT's, PTA's, residents, PA's and interns as appropriate.

6. Primary Care

Here's how sports physical therapists use primary care:

Developed practice guidelines on Femoral Neck Stress Fractures to aid primary care providers with a logarithm to aid in treatment.
Worked as primary care provider of over 800 Soldiers and dependents.

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7. Treatment Sessions

Here's how sports physical therapists use treatment sessions:

Coordinated group and co-treatment sessions between OT, ST, school psychologies and teaching staff.
Document daily treatment sessions, progress reports, and discharge reports via computerized documentation.

What skills help Sports 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 sports 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 sports physical therapists possess?

Jan Kretzschmar

Professor, King's College

The ability to empathize with patients and make them feel special.

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

Jan Kretzschmar

Professor, King's College

Anything related to assessments.

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

Adrienne Pinckney PT, DPT, Cert. MDT

Clinical Education Team Member & Assistant Professor of Instruction, University of Delaware

Even in light of the pandemic, I believe that entry level physical therapists (DPTs) should avoid taking a gap year after graduation (unless extreme personal circumstances warrant this decision). Licensed physical therapists are essential healthcare workers and are critical to the spectrum of care and recovery of all patients with a myriad of conditions and injuries, including COVID-19. As such, although PTs may not find jobs in the healthcare setting of their top choice, they will not have trouble finding employment in the United States.

If an entry-level DPT has to take a gap year for whatever personal reason, I strongly recommend that they make every effort to seek out PT mentorship and remain connected to the PT world through trying to be physically present in some capacity in a PT/rehab setting (either as a volunteer, PT aide/tech in a facility, administrative support . . . something) or even in any type of facility related to health & wellness (fitness center, wellness center, etc.), in an effort to stay connected to patient care and exercise their observation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills as a PT clinician. Taking a year off can be very detrimental to passing the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE), which is required for PT state licensure (if the individual doesn't take the exam immediately after graduation), as well as detrimental to their overall skill set as quality physical therapists.

Do you want to know more?

List of sports physical therapist skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a sports physical therapist resume and required skills for a sports physical therapist to have include:

Physical Therapy
Patient Care
Rehabilitation

Injury Prevention
PTA
Primary Care

Treatment Sessions

Updated January 8, 2025

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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Sports Physical Therapist Skills

Updated January 8, 2025

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