How would you handle a situation where a patient you had been working with requested another therapist or a move to another therapy clinic?
"Having never been in this situation, I would want to know why the patient had requested another therapist and use that as a learning situation. If the reason was due to any interactions that I had with the patient, I would want to know. If it was for personal reasons from the patient, I have pretty thick skin and would be able to handle the news with ease."
"In my current position, my manager informed me that a patient I had been working with for a couple of months on a knee injury had requested another therapist in the clinic and my manager had granted the request. In talking to my manager, the patient had requested another therapist due to the fact that I had not granted her permission to rejoin her summer golf league that she participated due to the possibility of her impeding her progress in the healing process. To appease the patient, my manager granted her request to the patient but also let the patient know that the new therapist would be following the same protocol as I had in her treatment."
During the career of any even great therapist, they may have experienced a time where a patient requested another therapist to work with them. The reasons for why the patient did so are important to find out. The interviewer is looking to see how you would handle this situation and how you would go about finding out why the change was requested. Learning from a situation like this is of critical importance. If it has happened to you in your career, don't hesitate to talk about a specific situation rather than a hypothetical situation.
"Fortunately, I've never had a patient request this at this point of my career. If it were to happen, I would first review all of my interactions with the patient to see if there was anything I could see that may have sent the patient to another therapist. If not, I wouldn't hesitate to talk to the source from who I found out the patient was leaving. If it was the patient directly, I would ask for their reason why they are leaving. If it was from my manager, I would if they knew the reasons why. This would be a great learning situation that I could use for future patient interactions."
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Anonymous Answer
Although I have never been in a situation like this, I would first discuss it with my manager or/and the patient in order to know the reasons behind the request. After knowing the reason, if there was something I could do in terms of making modifications in the patient's treatment plan or schedule, then I would be able to adapt to it. If there wasn't anything I could really do, then I would respect my patient's request, and I would wish him the best and a speedy recovery.
Rachelle's Feedback
Your answer shows a lot of self-awareness (first, what can I do better?) and also a genuine care for your patients (wishing them the best).
"Although I have never been in a situation like this, I would first discuss it with my manager or/and the patient to know the reasons behind the request. After knowing the reasons, if there were something I could do in terms of making modifications in the patient's treatment plan or schedule, then I would be able to adapt. If there weren't anything I could do, then I would respect my patient's request, and I would wish them the best and a speedy recovery."
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