Occupational Therapist cover letter example
A strong occupational therapist cover letter helps you show a clinic you can help a patient regain the independence to manage their own daily life. This example shows what that looks like in practice, and the guide below walks through how to write your own — what to include, how to format it, and the mistakes to avoid.
Jordan Ellis Occupational Therapist Austin, TX | (555) 123-4567 | jordan.ellis@email.com Dear Alina Petrova, I'm writing to apply for the Occupational Therapist position at Harborview Rehabilitation Center. Helping someone regain the ability to manage their own daily life after an injury or illness is genuinely meaningful work, and it's what I've focused on for the past four years. In my current role I manage a caseload of stroke and orthopedic rehabilitation patients, and I introduced adaptive equipment training into our discharge planning that reduced 30-day readmission related to falls by measurable numbers within our unit. I'm licensed and hold an OTD, comfortable with cognitive and physical rehabilitation approaches, and I always design a treatment plan around what matters most to the patient's actual daily life, not a generic protocol. I'd welcome the opportunity to bring that same patient-centered approach to Harborview. Thank you for considering my application. Sincerely, Jordan Ellis
How to write a occupational therapist cover letter
Healthcare hiring managers screen for licensure, patient-care judgment, and reliability before anything else — a strong occupational therapist cover letter proves all three, then show a clinic you can help a patient regain the independence to manage their own daily life.
Your resume lists your credentials and clinical history; the letter's job is to show the judgment and bedside manner behind them — a specific situation you handled well, in your own words.
Follow these steps to write yours.
1. Lead with your license and one patient-care example
State your license or certification clearly near the top, then open with one concrete example of care you provided and the outcome — not a general claim of being compassionate or dedicated.
2. Show you work well within a care team
Reference how you collaborate with physicians, other clinicians, or support staff, and how that teamwork affected a patient outcome. Healthcare hiring managers are screening for someone who fits their unit's workflow, not just an individual skill set.
3. Close with your credentials and availability
Restate your license or certification status, note any relevant availability (shifts, on-call, per diem), and invite a conversation. Keep the sign-off professional and brief.
Key skills for a occupational therapist cover letter
- Licensed OT (OTD/MOT)
- Stroke & orthopedic rehabilitation
- Adaptive equipment training
- Cognitive rehabilitation
- Discharge planning
- EMR documentation
- Patient-centered care planning
Formatting tips
- Keep it to one page — save clinical history and certification detail for your resume.
- State your license, certification, or registration status clearly near the top of the letter.
- Use a single-column, ATS-safe layout with a standard, professional font.
- Match the header and formatting to your resume so the application reads as one package.
- Export a text-based PDF unless the employer's application system requests another format.
ATS tips
- Use the exact license, certification, and specialty terms from the occupational therapist posting (e.g., "BLS," "ACLS," "RN") rather than paraphrasing them.
- Spell out acronyms at least once so both parsers and non-clinical HR staff can follow.
- List certifications and equipment experience as plain text — avoid icons or graphical skill ratings.
- State license numbers or verification details only if the posting specifically requests them.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Claiming to be compassionate or dedicated without a specific example that proves it.
- Burying your license or certification status instead of stating it clearly near the top.
- Describing duties instead of a specific patient-care outcome relevant to the occupational therapist role.
- Disclosing identifiable patient details — describe situations generally to protect confidentiality.
- Sending an identical letter to every posting instead of matching it to the facility's setting and patient population.
Frequently asked questions
Should an OT cover letter mention license and degree?
Yes, clearly — state your license status and degree (OTD, MOT) directly, since licensure is a hard requirement for practice.
How do I show patient-centered care in writing?
Describe a specific way you tailored a treatment plan to a patient's real daily life goals, rather than describing your general treatment philosophy.
Should I mention readmission or outcome data?
Yes, if you have it. Readmission reduction or functional outcome improvements are concrete, credible evidence of OT program effectiveness.
Pediatric, geriatric, or general OT — does the letter differ?
Yes, somewhat. Match your examples to the population the posting serves — pediatric OT emphasizes developmental milestones, geriatric OT emphasizes independence and fall prevention.