14 Unique Questions to Ask When Observing a Physical Therapist
It can be a bit nerve-wracking when the time comes to find a place where you can acquire observation hours. However, it is (most of the time) a necessary component of the application process for many health professions. Asking important and thoughtful questions that align with your interests can help make the experience even more enlightening and teach you even more than you thought possible. There is a lot of information out there about questions to ask PTs, but I personally find them to be limited and not as valuable for me. In this post, I’ll discuss 14 unique questions to ask when observing a physical therapist while gaining your observation hours.
1. In your opinion, what are the hardest and easiest diagnoses to treat?
I think that this question is a great way to learn more about some of the lesser-known diagnoses that PTs can treat. I know that learning about this was one of the more eye-opening experiences that I had during observation. It gives you a bit more insight into the field, than what is traditionally known about physical therapy. It is also a great way to learn what the PT you are observing is passionate about treating and why.
2. How do you cope with not being able to help all of your patients?
This question is really important because it highlights some of the potential downsides of the field (really in any healthcare profession). I believe that when deciding on your career, you should be well-informed about both the positives and the negatives. I think it also gives pre-PTs an opportunity to learn how others cope with feeling like they weren’t able to help their patients, as well as it provides advice that you could utilize in the future as a clinician.
3. What aspect of PT school was the most helpful in your day-to-day life as a PT?
If you are looking forward to PT school or as someone who is currently in PT school, asking this question can really give you some perspective about pursuing an additional degree. As well as giving pre-PTs something to look forward to.
4. What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned during your physical therapy journey?
In this question notice that I said “journey”. Your journey starts from the moment you were introduced to physical therapy to the very end of your career. Even more, if you decide to become involved in the field without practicing as a clinician. Gaining some perspective about other PTs and what information they found to be helpful or exciting, is a great way to get to know the physical therapist in which you are observing.
5. What solidified your decision to become a PT?
Aside from this question being a previous prompt for the PTCAS essay section, I think this is also a great thing to know about yourself. When did it click for you that PT was the career for you (or even if it hasn’t yet and you are still actively waiting for that confirmation)? This is also an excellent way to learn more about the PT that you are observing and their experiences from before they began practicing.
6. What are your best patient stories?
This is the best opportunity to hear multiple stories about patient interactions and how your PT navigates them. These stories could range from inspiring, sad, funny, confusing, and so much more. Hearing patient stories and learning about how different people interact with their physical therapists could be eye-opening. Every physical therapist has patient stories, people are unique and everyone brings something different to each appointment. I think that that’s worth learning about early on.
7. How have your plans changed since PT school?
This question is a great way to learn about more opportunities that are at your disposal after PT school. Oftentimes, you learn about people working in different settings than planned, maybe they thought they would be working in pediatrics, but eventually found themselves pursuing travel therapy and really loving it. There are also some clinicians who decide to pursue residencies in specific subjects, and even some who decide to further their education and become instructors for other PT students. Some, after practicing as a PT for a while, decide that they want to immerse themselves in advocacy and legal rights within the physical therapy community. There’s a multitude of options and I believe that learning about this is a great way to further your knowledge about the field as a whole and how you might fit into it.
8. What do you love most about your job?
I think this could be considered one of the more “basic” questions, but I do think that it is still important when it comes to learning about why PTs love the profession. As a future PT, you want to hear about their love for the career and why they continue to pursue it. I think that hearing other people’s reasonings for loving physical therapy can unlock inspirations for you that you weren’t even aware of. I found it a lot easier to be able to clearly convey why I was interested in physical therapy once I had spoken to a multitude of people that gave me their own perspectives.
9. What are your interactions with other healthcare providers like?
I think that some pre-PTs might not think about how physical therapists interact with other healthcare providers, but it’s an important question to ask. This also heavily depends on what particular setting you are in, but learning about how and why physical therapists communicate with other healthcare professionals in different situations can be useful.
10. What are some hot-button issues in the field at the moment?
It’s important to ask these questions because you will be a part of a field that isn’t only about treating patients. There are also laws, policies, politics, and issues associated with the career. It is important to become aware of and understand some of the more important issues. These issues could still be going on by the time you are a practicing physical therapist yourself.
11. What is the most interesting thing you learned in PT school?
As someone who is currently in PT school or even if you are thinking about it, I believe that asking this question can really give you some encouragement to pursue an additional degree. Similar to question three, I think understanding some of the most important and noteworthy aspects of physical therapy school can be great to learn about early on. If you happen to be in PT school, then this gives you something else to look out for.
12. What is your favorite treatment modality?
If you know anything about physical therapy, you know that there are so many ways treatment can be administered. From dry needling, to blood flow restriction, to cupping, to manual therapy, there are so many treatment modalities out there and opinions about the effectiveness of each vary from therapist to therapist. If this is something that interests you, then I think it is worth asking your supervising PT about their favorites and why they like them. You might even find yourself agreeing with them in the future as a physical therapist.
13. How often do you keep up with research?
It is pretty common knowledge in the healthcare sphere that information is always changing and new research is always coming out. I think that it is important to know how often research can change and how ready PTs need to be to adjust their treatments based on new research.
14. What is your favorite body part to treat?
As a lover of anatomy, I think that it is incredibly interesting to ask a PT what body part they enjoy treating the most. Each body part requires different and personalized treatment plans, and it’s interesting to learn why one PT might enjoy treating one body part over others.
Those are 14 unique questions to ask a PT while observing! I hope you find these questions interesting and thought-provoking. Feel free to include your own questions down below, I would love to hear your thoughts! For more information about the different PT settings, check out my previous post: Top 12 Physical Therapy Observation Locations. Be on the lookout for more information about gaining observation hours!
Best of luck to everyone applying!
