Talk about a recent problem that you faced as a Physical Therapist. How did you go about solving the problem?
"During my internship, I was given a lot of freedom to work with patients without my supervising therapist present. I had a patient that was rehabbing a sports injury to their knee who had recently been in a car accident. During the accident, the patient had felt some neck pain but had not had it treated. Once the patient had consulted me regarding the neck pain, I was unsure how to handle the situation moving forward. I explained to the patient that I wanted to get the expertise of my superior and they were very understanding. After speaking with my supervising therapist, we made the recommendation for the patient to see their primary care doctor for the neck pain. In situation like this as a new Physical Therapist, I won't hesitate to seek the advice from my colleagues."
"I recently had a patient I was working with that suffered from a mental illness on top of their physical injury. After my first session with the new patient, I realized that they would be more demanding of one on one time when in our office rehabbing. Knowing that at most times I am working with multiple patients, I spoke with my manager about the demand for time that this particular patient would have. Being a patient centered therapist and clinic, we made the decision to set aside separate one on one scheduling time between the patient and myself."
For this question, the interviewer is looking to assess your problem solving skills and your people skills. Be sure to think of a situation where you took on a challenge, used critical thinking and got a great result out of the situation. The interviewer will be looking for you to learn something from the situation moving forward as well.
"The most difficult problem I faced recently was working with my schedule to get two walk-in appointments in between scheduled patients. I made a point to explain to the walk-ins that I would do my best to get them in but they may have to wait a bit. The fact that I was up front with the possibility that they could wait made them understand why they had to wait a bit longer than normal. After communicating with my team, another therapist was able to help out with one of my regularly scheduled appointments and we made the situation work."
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
I remember having a male patient who was always indolent and in a lethargic state, and I couldn't understand why until I spoke with his wife and was told that he was taking medication due to his aggressive behavior. So, then I talked with his doctor that prescribed his medication and we agreed to reduce his dose to see if that was the reason of his low levels of energy etc. And so we did and a couple of days later you could see literally a different person, more active and communicative, and it was that point that he was starting to have improvement in his strength, stamina and level of mobility and function. "
Rachelle's Feedback
It's wonderful that you noticed this behavior and inquired; rather than just doing the basics and moving on. This example shows a willingness to go over and above for your patients. Well done!
"I had a male patient who was always indolent and in a lethargic state. I couldn't understand why until I spoke with his wife, who said he was taking medication due to his aggressive behavior. Then, I talked with his doctor, who prescribed his medication, and we agreed to reduce his dose to see if that was causing his low energy levels. A couple of days later, you could see a different person, more active and communicative. From this point, we began to see improvement in his strength, stamina, and level of mobility and function."
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