How to Answer: Talk about a time where you had to involve the family or caregivers of a patient you were working with? In what capacity did you have to involve them?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Physical Therapist job interview.
16. Talk about a time where you had to involve the family or caregivers of a patient you were working with? In what capacity did you have to involve them?
How to Answer
Working with patients that are rehabilitating sever injuries, it is very important to include any family members or caregivers in the rehabilitation process. The interview will be looking for specific examples where you involved the family of a patient and how you effectively communicated with them throughout the process.
Written by Heather Douglass
Entry Level
"In knowing that the rehabilitation process for any patient involves their life outside of our clinic, I wouldn't hesitate to involve any caretakers or family members in a patient members rehab process. Educating the family members on the importance of the rehabilitation process is vital to any patient."
Written by Ryan Brunner
Answer Example
"Working as a PT in a hospital setting, I've been able to work with many patients who were on extended stays for spinal cord injuries. For one young man with a family, I invited his wife to our inpatient therapy sessions while he was hospitalized. While with me, she was able to see the types of exercises I was utilizing and learning why each was important in her husband's rehab process. I stressed to her how important these things would be once he returned home in a few weeks to continue his progress. As I was able to follow up with outpatient sessions down the road, his progress made it clear that the spouse was working with the patient at home which brought a smile to my face."
Written by Heather Douglass
Experienced
"Having specialized on workers compensation cases for a long time, my time with patients can often be very limited so it is important for me to involve family members in the rehabilitation process. For spouses of injured workers, they want their loved one to be able to return to work in a healthy and happy manner and involving them in the educational process is vital. I've become particularly skilled in spotting the patient that wants to milk out the rehab process to stay off of work and for one particular person, involving the spouse in the process helped make him realize that rehabbing and returning to work was the most imp"ortant thing for his family."
Written by Ryan Brunner