Physical Therapy Job Interview: 10 Questions You Need To Ask

Feb 8, 2017

DPT Students

Preparing for your Physical Therapy Job Interview

So you just landed your first physical therapy job interview, congratulations! Now it’s time to start preparing. Here is a list of things you need to do to set yourself up for success.

Visit the Clinic Website

Perhaps one of the more important things you can do to prepare for the interview is to do your research on the clinic. What type of atmosphere does the clinic portray on its website? What is the mission statement? What types of treatment philosophies are emphasized? What core values are suggested on the page? Having a basic understanding of what the clinic is all about can help you get a step ahead on what to expect for the interview.

What to Wear

Never ask the employer what you should wear to the interview. Go to their website and see what the other therapists are wearing in their picture. If it’s a sports performance clinic and all the therapists are wearing a polo shirt with khakis, you don’t need to show up in a suit and tie. Adopt the overall feel of the clinic in your outfit.

Practice Interview Questions

I’m not suggesting that you have answers to questions scripted or anything of that nature. However, you do want to have several answers in mind for some of the more typical questions you could expect to get.

Let it be a Conversation 

As best you can, try to calm your nerves beforehand by taking some deep breaths so that you can relax in the interview. Your employer wants to see if you are personable and can hold a conversation. As a physical therapist, you’re going to be talking to patients all day everyday. You need to be able to interact with all sorts of different people in a positive way regardless of personality, gender, race, age, cultural beliefs, etc. Show your employer that you are a positive person to be around and that you are easy to get along with.

Ask Questions

You are interviewing them as much as they’re interviewing you. You want to make sure this clinic is the right fit for you. Take the latter portion of the interview as an opportunity to have all your questions answered. Specific questions you need to ask are listed below.

Questions You Should Ask at Your Physical Therapy Job Interview

This interview may be the only opportunity for you to ask your employer questions before committing to a job. You want to use this opportunity to ensure you’ll be happy at the clinic you’re interviewing for. Physical therapy clinics often operate very differently and it’s important you understand the day to day operations so you can decide what fits you the best. Here are ten questions I would encourage you to ask your future employer.

1. How Would You Describe the Overall Clinic Atmosphere?

   • Give the employer an opportunity to highlight what he/she believes is the selling point of the clinic. This will give you some insight as to what the employer values as a business owner. Use this question to start a conversation about what the owner sees as the strength and possible weaknesses of the clinic overall.

2. How Long is Each Patient Slot?

   • This is extremely important. You need to know how often you will be expected to transition from one patient to the next. Also be sure to inquire about double bookings. Do therapists ever get double booked and if so, how often?

3. How Many Patients Will I be Responsible For Seeing Each Day?

   • This will give you an idea of what will be expected out of you as a therapist. If you are expected to see >20 patients in an 8 hour work day, you’re going to have that many more notes to complete. Each clinic is a business and needs to see patient to make money. However, the owner should value patient care above anything else because quality one-on-one time with the physical therapist is what will keep patients coming back to see you. You want to be sure you’re not going to get overworked or burned out as a new grad.

4. Is There Time Scheduled for Documentation?

   • Most clinics don’t set aside much time (if any) as scheduled documentation time because it isn’t billable time. However, you want to have an idea of how much time you’ll have to document. Ask when other therapists document. Are most of the therapist taking home stacks of notes or staying an hour late every night to finish documentation? You may also want to inquire about which EMR system the clinic uses because there are definitely differences between different EMR systems as far as usability.

5. What is the General Patient Population?

   • Not all outpatient orthopedic clinics have the same patient population. Ask about the general patient population of the clinic so you can make sure you will be working with the population you want to work with. If you’re more interested in working with athletes and 80% of the clinic’s referrals are Medicare patients, you may want to check out some other clinics. Perhaps you really want to specialize in ACL rehabilitation. You’ll need to ask and make sure that the clinic has a good percentage of referrals from orthopedic surgeons. Be sure to get a general idea of the patient population at the clinic.

6. Does the Clinic Use PT Aides?

   • This can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your treatment style. Physical therapy aides can be very helpful for time-efficiency in the clinic. They often offload many duties from the treating staff and allow for more one-on-one time between patients and therapists. However, aides can also be over-utilized and take away from the patient-therapist interaction. The patients are coming to physical therapy to be treated by a physical therapist. Be sure that you ask if the clinic utilizes aides and in what manner.

7. Does the Clinic Offer Mentorship?

   • As a new grad, perhaps you are interested in available mentorship programs. Some clinics offer structured mentorship programs where time can be blocked out from the schedule in order to reflect and discuss patient care with an appointed mentor. Other clinics may just have experienced therapist that are willing to help you out as needed but without a structured time slot. By this time in your career, you should have an idea of how you learn best and what type of mentorship would suit you best.

8. What Traits and Skills Do I Need to be Successful Here?

   • Let your employer tell you what he/she values in a therapist. If the first thing said is “time-efficiency” or “independence,” it may not be the best place for a new grad. You want to be at a clinic that values patient care, individual growth, and most of all, teamwork. Teamwork is perhaps the most important ingredient of a successful outpatient clinic.

9. What is the Compensation Package?

   • It’s okay to ask about money, this is a job after all. There are good ways to go about asking these types of questions, and there are not so good ways. Don’t ask directly about salary at your interview unless the employer brings it up. You’ll get a verbal or written offer with that information later. You should be asking about benefits though. Is there a bonus structure at the clinic? If so, what type of bonus structure and how often are the bonus goals met? Does the company offer medical and dental insurance? Are they paying the premiums in full or are you expected to pay a portion? Is there a 401k matching plan and when will you be eligible? What is the matching percentage? How much money is offered for continuing education purposes? These are all things to consider inquiring about prior to accepting a position.

10. Is There Potential for Individual Growth?

    • If you know you’ll be happy coming to work, treating your patient, doing notes, and going home, then this question may not apply. Alternatively, if you have the desire to be more than just a staff therapist, now is the time to ask. Perhaps you want to someday become a clinic director. Maybe you want to take on some responsibility with clinic marketing or advertising. Maybe you would like to someday help the business expand by opening another location. Just because you lack experience, doesn’t mean you need to wait to inquire about eventually expanding your role. With that said, don’t expect to be jumping into those roles right away. Your main concern as a new grad should be gaining experience treating patients. Once you prove your ability to provide exceptional care to patients and show your value to the clinic, then you can think about taking on new roles. But if you have the desire and drive to someday be more than a staff therapist, show that during the interview.

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions about how to best prepare for a physical therapy job interview or would like to know more detail about what you should be asking your employer, feel free to contact me directly through our contact page. Best of luck!