Occupational Therapy Clinical Skills Interviewing
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An occupational therapist’s responsibilities include:
General Occupational Therapy Job Interview Questions
While most job interviews consist of standard questions about character and work ethic, it’s a good idea to research the types of questions you might encounter for OT positions. Here are the most common questions to expect in an OT job interview, plus sample answers and tips for talking points.
1. Why are you interested in pursuing a career in OT?
Your interviewer will most likely ask this question to determine your level of seriousness and commitment to this particular position. An OT candidate may ultimately envision a creative career in the industry and may see the immediate position as just a stepping stone.
When answering, explain what you most enjoy about occupational therapy and describe the emotional connection that draws you to the field. Recount an experience that shows your desire to help others—one that also showcases the skills, knowledge, and professionalism you bring to the role.
2. What qualities and skills do you possess that will make you a good occupational therapist?
Since you probably will have listed your skills on your resume and cover letter, managers will ask this question to gain more insight. A good rule of thumb is to tailor your response to the requirements in the job description.
For example, if you would be working with people with disabilities, you might share an experience in which you improvised an assistive device for a patient. This would show the hiring manager your creative problem-solving abilities. Or if your clients will be children, you might share an experience that showcases your capacity to communicate with and engage young people.
3. How would you handle a situation with a difficult patient (or their family member)?
Once you’re hired, you will represent your employer. First, reassure the hiring manager that you will follow the facility’s training and guidelines.
Then, try to frame your response in positive terms. Explain how you would handle the situation, such as:
4. How do you deal with an overwhelming workload?
In this case, the interviewer will want to see how you manage a high patient caseload or a hectic day on the job.
When answering, assure the interviewer that you can remain professional and calm during stressful situations. Give examples of times when you’ve handled heavy workloads, such as taking on the work of an absent colleague, and your coping mechanisms for stress during busy days.
5. Tell me about a time you needed to advocate for occupational therapy.
This question will help the interviewer see your passion for the profession and enthusiasm for the position.
There are many ways to advocate for occupational therapy. For example, during your clinical rotations, you may have encountered a patient who was receiving physical therapy to help them regain mobility following an injury—but who also needed occupational therapy interventions to help them resume the activities that give their life meaning. If you recommended OT in this or a similar situation, that is advocacy.
6. Tell us about a time you feel you made a difference in someone’s life.
This is another OT interview question managers ask to get a sense of your passion for the job. Having empathy for patients is an important aspect of the OT profession, and your response can exude that quality.
In your answer, reflect upon a patient or colleague with whom you made a strong personal connection or who left a lasting impression on you.
7. What is your greatest strength—and your greatest weakness?
When interviewers ask this question, they want to see your transparency and your openness to growth and improvement. Discussing a weakness may take some thought, as you don’t want to dissuade the interviewer against hiring you.
Your response is an opportunity to highlight your achievements as an OT and how you’ll be an asset to the team. You can frame your weakness in terms of certain clinical skills you would like to further develop, such as skills you would need to practice occupational therapy in acute care or in the setting relevant to this job.
8. What is your experience in the “X” setting?
With this question, the employer wants to gauge your ability to hit the ground running in their work environment.
In your answer, demonstrate your readiness to perform in that setting and your willingness to adapt. You can list examples of when and how you worked in similar settings. Also consider related experiences that highlight your capabilities, such as volunteering or caregiving.
9. How would you establish goals for a patient?
Interviewers may ask this question to explore how you will set goals for each patient and monitor their progress.
Explain the steps you would take to set appropriate treatment goals, offer support when needed, and keep the patient engaged.
10. Tell me about a time when you felt proud to be an OT.
This is another question your interviewer may ask to gauge your passion for the profession.
Tell the interviewer about a situation that gave you a sense of accomplishment, such as a time when you advocated for occupational therapy, created an adaptive device, or helped a patient overcome a challenge.
11. Do you have any questions for us?
This is a common interview question that gives you a chance to learn more about the position and show your desire to be a team member.
It’s a good idea to prepare at least a few questions to ask the interviewer, so you can make sure the job aligns with your OT career goals.
Reflections on the process of becoming an Occupational Therapist
Hello readers After a couple of months trying to perfect my initial interviews, I think I’ve got it. Every department may have a different form to fill in and go into various amounts of depth, but the information gathering is roughly the same. You are trying to look at the patients pre-admission baseline in an attempt to discharge them at the level they were functioning at, pre problem/pre admission and decide how much rehab they need to get back to that level of function.
It’s one of the first tasks that you’ll get as an OT student. At first, as a nervous OT student, I went through the initial interview proforma like a checklist, sometimes hardly looking up from the form, rigidly sticking to the questions. I wanted to make this interaction like a semi-structured interview so I could engage with the client more. In my previous job as a careers adviser I used to interview young people aged 13-19. There was certain information I wanted to get but the important thing was to engage with them, so the information was richer, better, that they opened up to you and trusted you. If you’ve got teenagers, you’ll know getting them to talk is no mean feat.
But how can I keep the information that I need to ask the patient/client in my head? As a learner, your head is buzzing with all new information and it’s easy to forget what you’re meant to be asking the patient and just blurt out “where’s your toilet? Is it upstairs or downstairs?”
Well I’ve found a way of doing it, and dear reader, as a thank-you for reading my OT waffle, it’s here for you to try it and please let me know what you think. It may not work for everyone and I have honed this with the older adult physical health population. I’ve worked it like a story/narrative (borrowing an idea from Kawa river but not the concept). It’s easy to remember what you should be asking (hopefully) and it lets me get an idea of function and people’s habits as well as helping the client picture their routine so the information is richer. This means your eyes are off the paper and onto the client and it’s easier to develop rapport with the person.
Before you start: • Introduce yourself, your role, what OT is in your context and get consent. • Ask them what they prefer to be called • If they are an older adult, I like to establish if there is an ear that they prefer me to talk in if their hearing is impaired. • I also make a point of washing or cleaning my hands in front of them • Establish their type of residence: if they live in a house, bungalow, or a flat. If there are stairs, how many rails and if their toilet of bathroom is upstairs or downstairs. • Establish if they have carers, how many and how many times per day they call and at what times. • If they walk with a walking aid. • Who do they live with • Do they have lifeline or other falls alarm system
I call this my Home and Habits interview (the name should jog your memory what you should be asking about).
“I want to find out a usual day in your life before you came into hospital/had the fall etc. Imagine you wake up in your bed at home. Are you able to get in and out the bed by yourself? Do you have any equipment round the bed to help pull you up?
OK, so you walk (with your zimmer/delta/walking stick etc) to your bathroom. You’re now going to get a wash. Do you usually have a bath, shower or a strip wash? Do you have any equipment that helps you get a wash?( You can elaborate here depending how they normally get clean e.g. shower chair, grab rails, perching stool, walk in shower, bath board etc)
Right, so you’ve had your wash. Are you able to get dressed yourself?
So you walk to the toilet, are you able to get on and off the toilet by yourself? Do you have any equipment or grab rails that help you? Do you have a commode in the house? Where is it?
You go downstairs to the kitchen. Are you able to prepare your meals yourself? Do you eat your meals in the kitchen or somewhere else? (you are looking to find out if they need a kitchen trolley here if they eat their meals in the living room). Do you make hot drinks for yourself? Staying in the kitchen, who does your laundry? Who does your cleaning? Who does your big shop?
You walk to the living room, Do you sit in an armchair or on the sofa? Are you able to get in and out the armchair/sofa by yourself? Do you have any equipment to help you? (You’re looking for chair raisers or a riser/recliner here).
Let’s now go out of the house. How many exits do you have? Which ones do you use? Do you have any steps or grab rails to that door? Do you use a different walking aid outside? You may find that they tell you that they don’t go outside very often.
Lastly, do you have any other equipment that makes life easier for you?. Any other grab rails that we’ve not spoken about?”
If someone does have carers hopefully at the different points at the interview they may say: “the carer does that” so you can establish what the carers do to assist.
I hope this helps you get to grips with collecting a subjective history from the patient. Feel free to add/subtract anything to your imaginary walk around the house that you need to collect (e.g.do they take medication by themselves, pets,owner/occupier or rented property).
Please bear in mind that I’m newly qualified and this works in my situation. I haven’t got the benefit of experience, so be kind! But I’ve found that this works for me, while I gain much, much, more experience.
UPDATE: 21/12/14. Found this really helpful resource from OT discussions blog.
FAQ
What are some OT questions to ask?
- What can you be doing outside of therapy? …
- Does your therapist have any specialized training in treating your condition? …
- Has research been published in the past five years to support your treatments? …
- How much will treatment cost? …
- What are your alternatives to OT?
How do you answer OT interview question?
How do you explain occupational therapy to a client?
- Know your audience. …
- Use simple vocabulary. …
- Define the term “occupation.” Often a person misunderstands what occupational therapy is because they assume that the word “occupation” refers solely to a person’s job. …
- Describe where OTs work. …
- Describe our clientele. …
- Make it personal. …
- Provide examples. …
- Describe our value.
What are some current issues facing the field of OT?
- 1 – The Medical Field is Emotionally Stressful. …
- 2 – Occupational Therapy is a Physically Demanding Job. …
- 3 – Institutional Barriers May Prevent Desired Results. …
- 4 – Long Work Hours Are Common. …
- 5 – Learning New Techniques and Technology.
