Physical therapist interview questions

What this hire must get done

Write the scorecard before you interview, then hire against it. Set the bracketed targets from your own numbers.

What to tell candidates before the interview

Say the hard parts plainly. People who wouldn't stay drop out early, and the ones who stay knew what they signed up for.

• Say plainly that they may be the only PT in the building, covering inpatients, swing bed patients and outpatients in one day, with [your PTA, aide and OT staffing].
• Give the posted schedule: [weekday hours] and weekend swing bed coverage on [your rotation], and how weekend days are paid.
• Explain that notes and plans of care are audited against Medicare's documentation rules by [your audit process], and that notes are due [the same day].
• Say which checks come after an offer, and when: the license or compact privilege, [your background check, run when your state's fair-chance rules permit] and the federal exclusion list.

How to run the interview

1. Same questions, same order. Ask every candidate the questions below and the same follow-ups. It is the only way to compare people fairly.
2. Two interviewers. An owner or manager and someone who does the work. Take notes on what the candidate says, not on how you feel about them.
3. Score right after each answer. 5 sounds like the strong answer, 3 like the mixed one, 1 like the weak one. Use 2 and 4 for answers in between.
4. Rate alone, then compare. Compare candidates question by question, and talk only after everyone has scored. Big gaps are worth a conversation.

1. Situational · Patient safety

   Halfway down the hall on a walk, your swing bed patient turns pale and sweaty and says they feel faint. What do you do?

   It shows whether they stop and get help, or push to finish the session.

   Follow-ups

   • How do you get the patient down safely if you're alone in the hall?
   • Who do you get, and what do they need to hear from you?
   • What do you change before the next session?

   5Strong

   Stops at once, gets the patient seated or lowered safely with the gait belt, calls for help and stays with them. Gets the nurse or a rapid response as policy says. Charts what they saw and who they told, and talks with the nurse and provider before the next session.

   3Mixed

   Stops, gets the patient safe and calls the nurse, but the note says only that the session ended early, without what they saw or who they told.

   1Weak

   Pushes on to the chair at the end of the hall, or sits the patient down and leaves to find help.

2. Behavioral · Patient safety

   Tell me about a fall or near fall involving one of your patients. What happened, and what's different in how you work now?

   Falls happen in rehab. You want the PT who reports them, helps find the cause and changes something.

   Follow-ups

   • How quickly did you report it, and to whom?
   • What did the review find?
   • What do you do differently now?

   5Strong

   Reported it right away through the event process, took part in the review without getting defensive, and names a change they made, like how they set up the room, how they guard, or what they now tell nurses about a patient.

   3Mixed

   Reported it and helped the review, but the lesson is general, like "be more careful", with no change they can name.

   1Weak

   Blames the patient, didn't report a near fall, or can't recall one.

3. Situational · Discharge recommendations

   The team wants a swing bed patient home on [Friday]. Your measures show they still need hands-on help getting off the toilet, and family can come only in the evenings. What do you recommend?

   Discharge timing often turns on the PT's call, and this shows whether the candidate gives an honest recommendation with options the team can act on.

   Follow-ups

   • Which measures would you show the team?
   • What would have to be true for Friday to work?
   • Who do you talk to, and what goes in the chart?

   5Strong

   Shares objective measures and what they mean at home. Lays out options, such as equipment, home health therapy, evening family training or more days here, and says what would make Friday safe. Talks with the patient and the case manager, and charts the recommendation and the risk.

   3Mixed

   Gives an honest recommendation backed by measures, but leaves the equipment and family training plan for the case manager to work out.

   1Weak

   Signs off to meet the date, or says "not safe" without measures or options.

4. Technical · Skilled need and notes

   A swing bed patient's progress has stalled for [a week]. How do you decide whether they still need skilled therapy?

   Stopping too soon and carrying on without a reason are both problems, and the chart has to explain the choice.

   Follow-ups

   • What would tell you the patient needs your skill, not just practice with an aide?
   • What does Medicare say about patients who aren't improving?
   • What would your note say?

   5Strong

   Finds why progress stalled and retests with objective measures. Asks whether the patient still needs a therapist's skill, or a home or nursing program the PT designs and teaches. Knows a stall alone doesn't end skilled care. Changes goals going forward, never back-dated, and charts why.

   3Mixed

   Makes a sound call and knows a lack of progress alone isn't the test, but the note says "continue plan" without the reason.

   1Weak

   Keeps going because the patient enjoys it, or stops only because progress slowed.

5. Behavioral · Skilled need and notes

   Describe a time a payer, auditor or manager questioned one of your notes or plans of care. What did you change?

   Every PT's notes get questioned sometime. You want the one who changed how they write, without touching the old record.

   Follow-ups

   • What exactly was missing?
   • What did you do about the note that was questioned?
   • Show me how you'd write that goal now.

   5Strong

   Names the gap, like goals with no measure or notes that didn't show their skill. Left the original note alone, adding a dated late entry only where policy allowed. Changed a habit, and can write a measurable goal on the spot.

   3Mixed

   Names the gap and changed the habit, but the goal they write on the spot is still hard to measure.

   1Weak

   Blames the payer, or edited the original note to pass the review.

6. Situational · Supervising assistants

   Your PTA says a swing bed patient you evaluated last week seems weaker today and asks whether to change the plan. You're in the outpatient gym with a full schedule. What do you do?

   It shows whether the candidate keeps the clinical judgment with the PT while still backing up the assistant.

   Follow-ups

   • What do you tell the PTA to do right now?
   • When do you see the patient yourself?
   • Who else needs to know?

   5Strong

   Tells the PTA to keep to the current plan, hold the session if the patient seems unsafe, and tell the nurse now so nursing can check for a medical change. Sees the patient as soon as possible, moving an outpatient if needed, then updates the plan and charts it.

   3Mixed

   Has the PTA keep to the plan and tell the nurse, sees the patient later that day and updates the plan, but doesn't agree with the PTA afterward on what to report and when.

   1Weak

   Tells the PTA to use their judgment, or changes the plan by phone without seeing the patient.

7. Technical · Supervising assistants

   Before your first week here, how would you find out what our PTAs and rehab aides may do, and how you must supervise them?

   Rules for assistants and aides vary by state and Medicare adds its own, so the answer shows whether the candidate checks or assumes.

   Follow-ups

   • Where would you look first?
   • What help from an aide won't Medicare count as therapy?
   • How would you show an auditor that supervision happened?

   5Strong

   Reads your state's practice act and board rules, hospital policy, and Medicare's rules for each setting, outpatient and swing bed. Asks the board when unsure. Knows aides' help isn't billed as therapy and PTAs don't evaluate. Sets how they'll stay reachable and charts supervision as the rules require.

   3Mixed

   Reads the state rules and hospital policy and knows the limits on aides, but has no plan for showing that supervision happened.

   1Weak

   Says assistants can do anything the PT can, or that the rules are the same in every state.

8. Situational · Running three caseloads

   At [11] a.m. the hospitalist asks you to see an inpatient before a [2] p.m. discharge. Your outpatient schedule is full until [3]. What do you do?

   It shows how they rebuild a day around an urgent inpatient, and who they tell.

   Follow-ups

   • Which patient do you move, and how do you decide?
   • Who calls the outpatients, and when?
   • What if you can't get to the inpatient in time?

   5Strong

   Moves the outpatient who can best wait, asks the front desk to call them right away, and sees the inpatient in time. Tells the hospitalist when they'll be there. If it can't be done, says so early so the discharge isn't decided without the PT's input.

   3Mixed

   Sees the inpatient in time, but tells the front desk only once the moved outpatient is already in the waiting room.

   1Weak

   Ignores the request until the schedule clears, or tells the team to send the patient without an evaluation.

9. Behavioral · Teaching staff and families

   Describe a time you changed how nurses or aides moved a patient on your unit. How did you know the new way stuck?

   Most transfers happen when the PT isn't there, so this shows whether they teach in a way that lasts.

   Follow-ups

   • How did you teach it?
   • What did you do when someone went back to the old way?
   • How did you check on later shifts?

   5Strong

   Showed it at the bedside, had each person practice, posted the steps where staff would see them, and checked with evening and night staff later. Met pushback with respect and found out why.

   3Mixed

   Showed it and had staff practice, but didn't check whether the evening and night shifts were using it.

   1Weak

   Told staff once, or wrote it in the chart and assumed they'd read it.

10. Situational · Teaching staff and families

    A family member who'll be the main helper at home is nervous during the first practice, and the transfer goes poorly. What do you do?

    Family members often do transfers alone at home, so this shows whether the PT can build their skill and be honest when they're not ready yet.

    Follow-ups

    • How do you rebuild their confidence?
    • How do you know when they're ready?
    • Who needs to hear if they won't be ready by the discharge date?

    5Strong

    Stays calm and kind, breaks the transfer into steps, and has them practice with the PT guarding until they can do it and explain it back. Gives written steps, charts how they did, and tells the case manager early if they won't be ready.

    3Mixed

    Schedules more practice and gets them ready in time, but charts only that training happened, not how the family member did.

    1Weak

    Lets the family member try it alone next time to build confidence, or tells the team they're fine without checking.

Work exercise: chart review and discharge plan

Hand finalists a made-up swing bed chart: a referral after [hip surgery], the PT evaluation, [five] daily notes and a home setup note. Plant gaps: goals with no measure, notes that say only "tolerated well", a week without progress and no reason given, a plan change the PTA made, and steps at home the goals miss. In [25] minutes they mark each gap, rewrite one goal and one note, then give their discharge recommendation to an interviewer playing the case manager. No hands-on transfers.

Use made-up materials, never real customer work, and keep it to the time shown. Follow your own safety rules for anything hands-on.

Reference check questions

Tell finalists you'll call a former manager, and get their permission first. Ask about what they did, not whether they were nice.

• When a patient's condition changed during a session, how did they respond, and how did nursing hear about it?
• When their notes or plans of care were audited, what did the audit find?
• Were their discharge recommendations in on time, and did they prove right once patients got home?
• How did they direct PTAs and aides, and would you trust them as the only PT in a department?

Questions to skip, and what to ask instead

Ask only what the job needs. Questions that touch age, health, family or pay history can break federal, state or local law, even when you mean well.

• SkipHave you had back trouble from lifting patients?

  AskDescribe the duties to everyone in the same words, [guarding patients in transfers and walks while supporting up to 50 pounds, kneeling and squatting], then ask if they can perform each one, with or without reasonable accommodation.

• SkipWith young kids, can you really do weekends?

  AskWeekend swing bed coverage is [your rotation]. Can you work that schedule?

• SkipWhat does the outpatient clinic pay you now?

  AskWe pay [the salary or hourly rate, and how weekend days are paid]. What would you need to say yes?

Common mistakes when hiring a physical therapist

• Hiring for the gym alone

  A strong outpatient PT may never have guarded a frail patient's first walk after surgery or written a swing bed plan. Ask about acute care and swing bed work directly, and let the chart exercise show the rest.

• Judging notes from the interview

  Candidates describe their notes better than they write them. A made-up chart, marked up in front of you, shows whether their documentation would survive a Medicare review.

• Leaving supervision rules to the new PT

  Give them your state's rules for assistants and aides and your own policy on day one. Agree in writing on how supervision will work and be charted before they direct anyone.

Physical therapist interview FAQ