Physiotherapist CV Example & Template
A complete two-page CV for a band 6 musculoskeletal physiotherapist moving from an NHS outpatient service towards a band 7 post, followed by what NHS and private-sector shortlisters check first. Use the structure, replace the figures with your own caseload data, and keep your registration details exactly as they appear on the register.
Last reviewed October 2026
Example Physiotherapist CV
Rachel Okafor
Senior Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, HCPC registered
Bristol, UK
Profile
HCPC-registered physiotherapist with six years in NHS musculoskeletal outpatients and an acute orthopaedic ward. I run a mixed caseload of spinal, shoulder and knee conditions, supervise junior staff and students, and use outcome measures to show whether treatment is working. Ready for a band 7 clinical lead post with responsibility for waiting-list flow and service quality.
Experience
Band 6 Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist
Mar 2022 – Present
Severnside Community NHS Trust · Bristol
- Manage a caseload of 22 new patients a week across spinal, shoulder and lower limb conditions, with a first-appointment wait held under 6 weeks.
- Introduced PROMs (MSK-HQ and PSFS) at first and last appointment; 71% of discharged patients now show a clinically meaningful improvement.
- Designed a six-week group exercise programme for chronic knee pain, run for 14 cohorts, cutting repeat one-to-one follow-ups for that group by 30%.
- Supervise two band 5 physiotherapists and two student placements a year, and delivered a monthly in-service session on lumbar radiculopathy.
Band 5 Rotational Physiotherapist
Sep 2019 – Feb 2022
Avonmouth University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust · Bristol
- Rotated through orthopaedic, respiratory on-call, neurology and outpatient placements, completing competencies for each within the planned four months.
- Mobilised 12 to 15 post-operative hip and knee replacement patients a day on the orthopaedic ward and set discharge goals with the MDT.
- Contributed to a falls-reduction audit on two medical wards; completion of mobility assessments within 24 hours of admission rose from 58% to 84%.
- Covered weekend respiratory on-call after sign-off, assessing and treating patients with chest infections and post-surgical complications.
Education
BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy, 2:1
2016 – 2019
University of the West of England
Dissertation: adherence to home exercise programmes after rotator cuff repair.
Skills
Musculoskeletal assessment and clinical reasoning · Manual therapy · Exercise prescription and rehabilitation · Acupuncture · Spinal red-flag screening · Outcome measures (MSK-HQ, PSFS, Oswestry) · Group and class delivery · Student and junior supervision · Clinical audit · SystmOne and EMIS notes · Patient education and self-management
Registration
- Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) registered physiotherapist
Courses
- Clinical Educator course for student supervision, 2023
- Independent prescribing course, applied for 2026 intake
Why this Physiotherapist CV works: what shortlisters check first
HCPC registration, visible on page one
Physiotherapist and physical therapist are protected titles in the UK, so you must be on the HCPC Register to use either. Put it in your headline or the first lines of the profile, not at the bottom. Managers will check the register themselves, so your name and details need to match it. Never write 'registered' if your registration is pending.
Banding and the right clinical area
NHS posts are written to a band, and the person specification lists the experience for it. Say which band you work at and show evidence of the next one: complex caseloads, supervision, audit, service improvement. Lead with the setting that matches the advert, whether that is MSK outpatients, neuro rehab, respiratory, paediatrics or community.
Caseload numbers and outcomes
Patients seen per week, waiting time, discharge rates, follow-up rates and outcome measure results all read better than a list of conditions. You hold most of this data already through your service or your PROMs. One or two results per job are enough, as long as they are real and you can explain them at interview.
Teaching and supervision
Hospitals and community teams need clinicians who can look after students and junior staff. Mention student placements, in-service sessions and any educator course, with numbers. For band 7 and above, shortlisters look for leadership evidence such as rota management, audit ownership or a service change you carried through.
Private practice and sports roles read differently
Private clinics want a clinical edge and the ability to build a caseload: your specialist courses, your approach to manual therapy and exercise, and how patients stay engaged over a course of treatment. Sports teams look at pitch-side experience and relevant courses. Match your first page to the type of employer.
Key skills recruiters look for
How to write each section of a Physiotherapist CV
Profile
Three or four sentences: registration, years and setting, the conditions you treat most, and what you are looking for next. Skip adjectives like 'passionate'. A shortlister should know your band, your specialty and your level of independence from the profile alone.
Experience
List each rotation or post with the band, the Trust and the dates. Then give three or four bullets that show caseload, a result and something beyond treatment, such as audit, teaching or a new group class. Keep routine tasks like writing notes out unless it is your first job.
Education and courses
Give the degree, university and classification, then post-registration courses with the year. List specialist courses that match the job, such as acupuncture, injection therapy, vestibular rehabilitation or independent prescribing. If a course is in progress, say when it finishes.
Skills
Keep the list to your real clinical skills and the systems you use: SystmOne, EMIS, Rio, Cerner. Put the specialist techniques the advert names near the top. Generic skills such as communication belong in your bullets as evidence.
Supporting statement
NHS applications are scored against the person specification, often through NHS Jobs. The supporting statement matters more than the CV. Take each essential criterion in order and answer it with one concrete example from your caseload.
More example bullet points
Strong Physiotherapist CVs lead with measurable impact. Here are examples of the kind of bullets that make recruiters stop scrolling:
Managed caseload of 30+ patients per week across musculoskeletal and neurological conditions
Designed post-ACL reconstruction protocol adopted as department standard, improving return-to-sport rates by 25%
Led falls prevention group program reducing fall-related admissions by 30% in residential care setting
Relevant certifications
Common Physiotherapist CV mistakes
- Leaving your HCPC registration off the first page, or listing it as 'registered' without making clear it is current.
- Describing duties like 'assess and treat patients' with no caseload size, outcome or result.
- Naming a technique you have only observed, which a panel can test in minutes at interview.
- Ignoring the banding in the advert and sending the same CV for a band 5 and a band 7 post.
- Adding patient details, dates of birth or anything that could identify a real patient.
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How to tailor your Physiotherapist CV for each application
Every Physiotherapist job posting is different. The skills they prioritize, the seniority they expect, the setting — all of it shapes what your CV should emphasize. A CV that gets an interview at one employer can miss at another, even for the same job title.
The fastest way to tailor your CV is to paste the job description into NextCV. The AI reads the posting, maps it to your experience, and rewrites your bullets to match what the employer is scanning for. 1 free preview, no signup required — you only pay when you want a clean PDF download. Sign up free for 3 more.
Physiotherapist CV FAQ
Do I need to be HCPC registered to work as a physiotherapist in the UK?
Yes. Physiotherapist and physical therapist are protected titles, and the HCPC says anyone using one must be on its Register. Employers check it, so write your registration clearly on the first page and keep it up to date.
How long should a physiotherapist CV be?
Two pages is standard in the UK. Newly qualified physiotherapists can often fit one page with placements. Senior clinicians should keep the first page for registration, profile, current post and key results, and use page two for older roles and courses.
Should I include student placements on my CV?
If you qualified within the last two or three years, yes. List each placement with the setting and what you did, in one line each. After a couple of years in post, replace them with a short line saying you completed placements across the core areas.
What skills should a physiotherapist put on a CV?
Name your assessment and treatment skills, the outcome measures you use and the clinical systems you know. Add specialist courses such as acupuncture or independent prescribing if you have them. Show communication, leadership and teaching through examples in your experience bullets.
How do I move from band 5 to band 6 or 7 on paper?
Show you already do part of the next role. For band 6, that means a complex caseload, running a group and supervising students. For band 7, add audit, service improvement and leading others. Use the person specification wording for each point.