CV Physiotherapist: Example and Template
This is what a convincing CV for physiotherapists in a practice, rehab clinic or acute care hospital looks like - with licences, specialised further training and measurable treatment outcomes.
Currently 126 open Physiotherapist positions in Switzerland, across 13 cantons, 11 of them from the last 7 days. Physioswiss advertises the most.
CV example — two-page template
This template is editable straight away — or upload your existing CV and it is carried into this layout automatically.
What qualification and licences do I need as a physiotherapist in Switzerland?
You need a Bachelor of Science FH in Physiotherapy, a cantonal professional practice licence and - for billing under the compulsory health insurance - a ZSR number as well as two years of work under professional supervision.
The standard path in German-speaking Switzerland is the three-year Bachelor's degree at a university of applied sciences, for example at ZHAW in Winterthur, BFH in Bern, HES-SO in Geneva, Lausanne or Fribourg, or SUPSI in Landquart and Manno. Always state the full title, the institution and the year of graduation in your CV, for example 'BSc Physiotherapy FH, ZHAW Winterthur, 2014'. Those who obtained their degree abroad should additionally state recognition by the Swiss Red Cross (SRK) or the registration entry in the healthcare professions register - this is the first question HR managers check.
For practical work you need the professional practice licence of the canton in which you work, as well as a GLN. If you want to bill under the compulsory health insurance either in your own practice or as an employed professional, Art. 47 KVV requires two years of practical work in a practice or a hospital/rehabilitation department under professional supervision. You then receive the ZSR number via SASIS AG. Those who additionally offer complementary methods should state their EMR registration.
Do not place this information at the end, but directly in the header of the CV below your contact details. A line such as 'Professional practice licence Canton of Zug, GLN in MedReg, own ZSR number' answers three questions of the practice management at a glance and sets you apart from applications lacking this information.
How do I present my professional experience as a physiotherapist convincingly?
Describe the setting, patient groups and case numbers for each position and prove your impact with assessment values rather than general lists of duties.
An acute hospital, an inpatient rehab clinic and an outpatient practice require very different competencies. Therefore, write two lines of context under each position: size of the organisation, specialist focus, team size and your treatment volume, for example 'outpatient practice with 6 therapists, around 9'500 treatments per year, focus on orthopaedics and sports physiotherapy'. This allows the reader to immediately assess whether your experience fits the advertised position.
Then quantify your results using the metrics common in the profession: number of patients treated per day, share of postoperative cases, changes in NPRS, Oswestry Index, QuickDASH, KOOS or Tinetti score, time to return to work or sport, MTT area utilisation or waiting time for a first appointment. Phrases like 'treatment of patients after surgery' say nothing, while '11 to 13 patients per day after hip and knee replacements, Tinetti score up by an average of 5.3 points per stay' says a great deal.
Your further training belongs in its own block, not scattered throughout the running text. Manual therapy, dry needling, MTT, Vodder lymphatic drainage, Bobath, McKenzie, pelvic floor rehabilitation or sports physiotherapy are the points practices filter by. State the provider and year, and mark ongoing courses with 'in training, completion 2026', so it's clear which competency is already available today.
How long should the CV be and is a photo needed?
Two pages are the standard, a professional photo is still common in Switzerland, and licences, languages and availability always belong on the first page.
Keep the CV to a maximum of two pages, even after ten years of professional experience. Describe the last two to three positions in detail, and summarise older positions into one line with role, employer and period. Continuous dates in the month/year format are expected in Switzerland; briefly and factually explain longer gaps, such as maternity leave, further training or time abroad.
A professional portrait photo in the top right is still common in Swiss applications and, in a profession with close patient contact, is more of an advantage than a risk. In the header, add place of residence, citizenship or type of permit, category B driving licence if home visits are part of the workload, as well as your availability and desired workload. Practices often look for 60 to 80 percent - being transparent about this saves both sides a round.
Attach references, diplomas and course certificates as a separate PDF and list them in the CV only by title. Two referees with role and phone number, ideally a referring physician and a former supervisor, are more credible than the note 'references upon request'. Only comment on salary if asked; realistic ranges for employed physiotherapists lie, depending on region, experience and role, roughly between CHF 75'000 and CHF 95'000 per year.
Where Physiotherapist are hired in Switzerland
How the 126 open positions are spread across the cantons.
Figures as a table
| Canton | postings |
|---|---|
| Basel-Stadt | 20 |
| Zürich | 20 |
| Bern | 9 |
| Aargau | 7 |
| Luzern | 6 |
| Thurgau | 4 |
| Schwyz | 3 |
| St. Gallen | 3 |
Which languages the postings require
Of 122 postings that state a language — in brackets, those requiring professional level.
Figures as a table
| Language | postings |
|---|---|
| German | 122 (122) |
| English | 3 (1) |
| French | 1 (1) |
Who hires Physiotherapist in Switzerland
Employers with the most open positions. Staffing agencies are excluded.
Figures as a table
| Employer | postings |
|---|---|
| Physioswiss | 113 |
| Luzerner Kantonsspital | 4 |
| CorpoSana Training und Therapie | 3 |
| Medbase Gruppe | 3 |
| ZURZACH Care Unternehmensgruppe | 1 |
| SRO AG (Spital Region Oberaargau) | 1 |
Full-time or part-time?
How the positions are advertised.
Figures as a table
| Workload | postings |
|---|---|
| Vollzeit / plein temps | 124 |
| Teilzeit / partiel | 2 |
The CV in full
To read through and reuse.
Simon Wyss
Physiotherapist BSc FH, focus on musculoskeletal rehabilitation and MTT
Physiotherapist BSc FH with 10 years of experience in acute hospital, inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient practice. Focus areas are musculoskeletal therapy according to the Maitland concept, medical training therapy and return to sport and work after knee and shoulder surgery. Has led a team of 6 therapists since 2021, is responsible for tariff and quality matters (tariff 7301, EMR, ICF documentation) and personally treats patients 24 hours per week.
What sets me apart
Musculoskeletal specialisation with assessment discipline: Consistently works with standardised outcome measures (NPRS, Oswestry Index, QuickDASH, KOOS, Y-Balance Test) and documents every course of treatment on an ICF basis - as a result, extension requests to health insurers have been approved without further queries in 9 out of 10 cases.
Building and managing MTT offerings: Designed a medical training area with 12 devices, standardised training plans across 3 progression levels and increased utilisation of the MTT area from 40 to 78 percent within 14 months.
Tariff and billing expertise: Confident in physiotherapy tariff 7301 as well as in distinguishing between KVG, UVG, IV and MV; reduced the invoice rejection rate from 6.2 to 1.4 percent by training the team on session flat rates, surcharges and medical prescriptions.
Interface with physicians and employers: Provides structured interim reports to referring orthopaedists and GPs as well as workplace assessments with Suva case managers - 82 percent of accompanied cases achieved full work capacity within the forecast timeframe.
Key achievements
Return-to-sport pathway after ACL reconstruction. Developed a 9-step pathway with strength and jump test battery (LSI threshold 90 percent); 64 patients accompanied over 3 years, average return to competitive sport after 8.5 instead of 11 months.
Reduced waiting times and no-show rate. New scheduling logic with 25- and 40-minute slots plus SMS reminders reduced waiting time for a first appointment from 12 to 4 days and the no-show rate from 7.8 to 2.1 percent - additional revenue of around CHF 46'000 per year.
Documentation quality project. Introduced a SOAP and ICF documentation framework at the rehab clinic, trained 22 employees in 4 workshops; internal file audits rose from 71 to 96 percent compliance.
Experience
Senior Physiotherapist — Physiotherapie Seematt AG, Zug, since 03/2021
Outpatient practice with 6 therapists, MTT area of 180 m2, focus on orthopaedics, sports physiotherapy and pelvic floor; around 9'500 treatments annually.
- Personally treats around 380 patients annually, 24 hours per week, of which 45 percent are postoperative knee and shoulder cases.
- Increased MTT utilisation from 40 to 78 percent, generating CHF 120'000 additional annual revenue.
- Reduced the rejection rate of Medidata invoices from 6.2 to 1.4 percent through team training on tariff 7301 and prescription review.
- Leads 6 employees, supervises 2 ZHAW interns annually and organises 10 internal training sessions per year.
Physiotherapist, musculoskeletal rehabilitation — Rehazentrum Alpenblick AG, Walenstadt, 08/2017 - 02/2021
Inpatient and outpatient musculoskeletal rehabilitation with 90 beds, interdisciplinary teams of physicians, nursing, occupational therapy and social services.
- Cared for 11 to 13 patients per day in individual and group therapy, including hip and knee replacements and spinal surgeries.
- Introduced a SOAP and ICF documentation framework and increased the compliance rate of internal file audits from 71 to 96 percent.
- Led 4 weekly groups for back training and gait training with 8 participants each; Tinetti score improved by an average of 5.3 points per stay.
- Reduced the average length of stay for own case group by 1.8 days through early assistive device assessment.
Physiotherapist, acute hospital — Regionalspital Rietbach AG, Canton of St. Gallen, 09/2014 - 07/2017
Acute hospital with 140 beds, rotation through surgery, internal medicine and intensive care, including weekend and on-call duty.
- Mobilised 14 to 16 postoperative patients daily, including around 300 hip and knee replacements per year from the first postoperative day.
- Learned and applied respiratory therapy and secretion management in the ICU; supported around 120 cases annually after thoracic and abdominal surgery.
- Completed the 2 years of practical work under professional supervision required by Art. 47 KVV as the basis for a later own ZSR number.
- Developed a fact sheet on gait training with walking sticks, introduced in 3 departments with over 40 nursing staff.
Education
Bachelor of Science FH, Physiotherapy — ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Winterthur · 2014
Vocational Baccalaureate, Health and Social Care — Kantonsschule Sargans · 2010
Manual therapy, Maitland concept course series Level 1-3 (SAMT) · 2018 · Dry Needling DN1-DN3, David G. Simons Academy · 2019 · Medical Training Therapy MTT, physioswiss recognised · 2017 · Sports Physiotherapy SPT, sportfisio swiss · 2021