Prepare for Any Physical Therapy School Interview Question

Do you have a physical therapy school interview coming up? Are you worried about what questions the interviewers are going to ask? How about how you're going to respond? What if I told you I had a secret tool that would help you answer any question the interviewers could throw at you.

What is that tool?

The Story Collection Box

This tool consists of seven different stories from your past that will be sure to help you answer any physical therapy school interview question. When gathering these stories, remember to collect stories that highlight your strengths, leadership, and different characteristics that show what an excellent physical therapist you will be. 

Here are the seven stories you should collect:

1. Two stories where you were the “problem saving hero.” This means, situations that happened when you saved the day.
2. One story on interpersonal relationship. Describe a time when you came to a positive result. For example, maybe you have good empathy skills and because of this, you were able to empathize with a patient and they felt heard.
3. Two stories of times you messed up and what you learned from it.
4. Two stories in the PT clinic:
   1. One story telling when you had a difficulty and how you overcame it. For example, conflicts with co-workers or boss.
   2. One story telling when you had a “high moment.” The moment when you realized, “This is why I want to be a physical therapist. 

So you now have a full Story Collection Box. How are you going to pull from there to answer your interviewer's questions?
Follow the P.A.R. Method.

P.A.R. Method -- Problem, Action, and Result Method

Here is an example of a response you could give using this method by using a story from your Story Collection Box. Here, I will be using an interpersonal story:

Interviewer: Tell me about a time when you had a difficult patient and what did you do to overcome it?

Your response: 

1. There was a time I was showing a patient how to perform bridges. (Problem) She was not understanding what I was trying to say and I got frustrated. I noticed her increased agitation. (Method) So, instead of naturally inclining to match her agitation, I took a professional route and thought about what I could do personally to help the situation. In a calm demeanor, instead of explaining through words, I started demonstrating through my body. This is when I noticed the patient understanding through my movement and her temperament lessened. (Result) This is when I understood that everyone has a different learning style, and it was my job to seek to understand and meet the patient at how they learn best. 

I hope these tips will help better prepare you for your physical therapy school interview!

To get a free downloadable copy of a worksheet to help you create your own Story Collection Box, click this link!

Building Your Story Collection Box

To hear these tips more in-depth, check out this video.

Prepare for ANY Physical Therapy School INTERVIEW QUESTION