The Interview

Spring is in the air!  For alot of you 3rd year PT students, that means graduation is just around the corner and you’re likely in the midst of interviews for your first PT job out of school.  For some, this is your first formal job interview ever.  Don’t fret – school has, no doubt, prepared you well for this moment.  Some solid preparation, a dose of diligence, and a little confidence will go along way in ensuring that you feel good about your interview.

How Should I Prepare?  

Doing some research on the company is always a good thing.  You will want to be able to articulate why you think they are a good match for you and what you are looking for in a future employer.  You should ask questions that specifically pertain to what they do and what they offer.  For example, when a candidate not only expresses interest in outpatient orthopaedics and manual therapy, but also an Ortho Residency Program, I know that they have done their research on TAI and are really motivated by what we can offer with regard to their professional development.

Make sure to arrange a day, time, and place that will work in your schedule.  You want to ensure that you can be there on time (or a little early) and not arriving with the stress of traffic or a tight timeline hanging over your head.  Also, even though our company is relatively casual, I always prefer when candidates dress appropriately – business casual attire shows your professionalism and respect…for yourself and your future employer.

Be ready to talk about yourself and what drives you.  More than anything, I like to use the interview as an opportunity to get to know someone better.  It’s impossible to do this in one visit, or even a few visits, but the more I can learn about how a candidate thinks and works, the better I know if that person might be a potential fit for our company. 

What Can I Expect? 

Interviews will vary from place to place.  Doing your research on the company may help you better determine what to expect.  And feel free to ask the person with whom you will be interviewing as well – while he/she will not provide you with all of the questions in advance , more often than not, they will be happy to share interview format  or structure at the least.

The trend in a lot of industries is to ask  behavioral-based questions (sometimes referred to as the “STAR format”: Situation, Task, Actions Taken, Results).  The goal here is to dig into your behavioral trends – how do you make decisions, work with others, develop processes, etc?  Regardless of the format, all interviewers are going to ask questions to ascertain a level of clinical competence and personality-match.  The best thing you can do is be yourself and have a conversation.  Truly listen to the questions being asked and answer them as authentically as possible.  This sounds obvious, but it’s not uncommon to interview someone who relays “canned” answers or never really answers the questions at all. 

What’s Special About a PT Interview?

Again, this is going to depend on the company and the setting of the employer, but I think that Physical Therapy is unique is that we work with and around people on a daily basis.  In many industries nowadays, you can work full-time without ever engaging with another human being face-to-face or even by phone.  Our field not only requires it, but the success of what we do relies on our ability to listen to and meet the needs of people and their bodies.

I appreciate getting a sense of a person’s individuality.  I am always looking for real people, who can relate to other real people in a meaningful, caring, competent, and fun way.  I often put my patient “hat” on during interviews.  As a patient, when my therapist is genuine and kind and motivating and smart, it makes me want to work harder…and continue coming back.  Think about this while you’re interviewing.  Why did you go into PT?  Who was that role model who inspired you to endeavor upon this journey?  Now don’t attempt to replicate him or her, but take what you loved about them and make it your own.

Good luck…I hope to be interviewing with you soon

The Importance of Breath

We all know that the breath brings oxygen into the body but do you also know that the breath helps balance our body chemistry? When breath is dysfunctional, our body chemistry changes. Symptoms may be subtle at first, but the effects of even slightly altered body chemistry can have significant negative effects on long-term health.

BreathWorks Overview

Therapeutic Associates recently started a new specialty program called BreathWorks that looks specifically at breath and the role that it plays in a person’s musculoskeletal and emotional function and wellness.  Many people suffer from over breathing (when the body expires too much CO2) and other breathing inefficiencies.  This Program is intended to benefit a wide variety of people, including those with chronic pain, Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, athletes and performers, and even those battling with emotional disorders like depression and anxiety.  

How It Works

Our BreathWorks therapists (three PTs and a PTA who work at TAI clinics in Portland, OR) conduct an initial evaluation to study your current breathing pattern and determine if you can benefit from a care plan to restore a more efficient pattern.  The evaluation includes the utilization of a Capno Trainer (a machine that measures expired CO2 and is further used to observe and train balanced breathing).  If you are determined to be a candidate for this kind of work, your care plan would include a combination of meditation, therapeutic exercise, and manual therapy – all guided by our expert clinicians. 

Accessing the Program 

If you are interested in participating in a BreathWorks evaluation, contact David Deppeler, PT, OCS, FAAOMPT at davidd@taiweb.com.  Arrangements may be made for those outside of the Portland metro area for an evaluation.

TAI is proud to be at the cutting edge of this study and work.  If you have questions or would like to share information about your own work or research with regard to breath in physical therapy practice, please comment or email me at ldillon@taiweb.com.