Band 5 Physiotherapy Interview Questions.
🙋♀️Do you have an upcoming Band 5 Interview? 🙋♀️
If you are not based in the UK or or you are looking to work in the private sector, this is what would be known as your entry level position. Your first job after qualifying as a Physiotherapist.
I imagine what you are eager to learn is:
What questions am I going to be asked? and What are the answers? Right?
This post will cover the main themes you will find during a Band 5 Interview and my tips for how to prepare your answers.
My No1 piece of advice (which is probably not what you want to hear) is;
Don’t focus on what questions will come up!
….Instead….
Focus on what qualities are required for a Band 5 Physiotherapist and how you are able to demonstrate them through your experience as a student and/or qualified Physiotherapist.
👀 Read 👀 to the end to grab a few of my FREE resources to help you in your Band 5 Interview Preparation👇👇👇.
Band 5 Physiotherapy Interview Questions:
1. Skills and Experience
2. Red Flags
3. Safeguarding
4. Communication and the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT)
5. Clinical Questions
**FREE RESOURCES **
1. Skills and Experience
More often than not an employer will start the interview with an open ended question. The question will be along the lines of:
‘What skills and experience do you possess that will make you successful for this role?’
There are numerous forms of this question and it is important to listen to any specific wording that may steer your answer in a certain way.
Ultimately they want to hear all about YOU!
This is the moment to show your prospective employer what makes you stand out from the rest. BUT don’t forget that it is also your opportunity to show that you have done your homework on the employer - you know all about the job role and company that you are applying to.
Points to Consider:
Employers’/Company Values
What type of experience/rotations/specialist areas that you could be exposed to in the role
Your fundamental skills: Communication, Teamwork, Time Management etc
Any unique experiences you have had during your training
2. Red Flags
Red Flags are used in Musculoskeletal assessments to alert the clinician to serious pathology.
During your interview, your prospective employer wants to know that you are going to keep their patients/service users safe.
They want to know that you are aware and able to identify Red Flags and that you know what to do when you do identify them.
Depending on the job role, this question could come in the form of contraindications to treatment.
Points to Consider:
Musculoskeletal Red Flags
Who would you escalate your concerns to?
How quickly would you escalate your concerns?
Contraindication to ward based mobility/ manual techniques for Respiratory and Musculoskeletal treatments.
3. Safeguarding
Leading on from the previous point, your employer wants to be confident that you are safe to practice.
This includes identifying when you think your patient, or a person or child close to them may be at risk.
Each place of employment will have their own specific safeguarding policy which you are able to reference. And there is usually some form of training to complement the policy.
The policy could range from notifying the police yourself in small clinics, to contacting the safeguarding team of the hospital or a designated member of your team for support.
At entry level, it is always important to seek senior support if you think that there may be a safeguarding concern and should be done immediately.
4. Communication and the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT)
The most important skill as a Physiotherapist is being able to communicate to both patients and colleagues.
As a student Physiotherapist you will have developed your communication skills whilst on placement.
Interview questions assessing your ability to communicate can come in many different forms.
What you need to ensure is that you have an example of a time when you demonstrated your excellent communication skills with a patient, family member and the MDT. They could be separate examples or one example that covers all 3 groups.
Points to consider:
What was the situation/problem?
Who did you communicate to?
Why did you communicate with them?
How did you communicate?
What was the outcome?
5. Clinical Questions
The clinical questions during a Band 5 Interview are often the questions most people worry about.
At Band 5 level the questions asked are likely going to be something that you will have encountered as a student Physiotherapist. If not, you can draw upon the experience that you have got to provide a sensible answer.
Musculoskeletal questions could include:
What assessment and management would you do for a wrist fracture or an osteoarthritic knee?
Respiratory questions could include:
How would you manage an on call situation or how would you manage a ward patient with an acute exacerbation of COPD?
Neuromuscular questions could include:
What would your initial assessment include of a person who has had an acute stroke?
It is likely that you have come across all of these situations (except on call) during your training. The best preparation you can do is to reflect on your past experience and how you managed different types of conditions. Make sure you understand what is required of a basic assessment in each area of Physiotherapy.
Things to consider:
What subjective questions would you ask or observe and what objective tests would you perform to formulate a safe treatment plan?
Would any contraindications change your management plan?
How would you create a treatment plan which aligns to the patients goals and needs?
My Conclusions for You
It would not be possible to create a full list of questions that may arise in a Band 5 Interview. Each hospital and clinic will have their own specifications they need a candidate to meet to work within their team. This post has covered many essential skills that would be expected of a Band 5 Physiotherapist in practice.
Even if the above ideas don’t come up in your Band 5 interview, it should get you starting to think critically about your experience so far.
*** When interviewing Band 5 Physiotherapists, the panel want to know that the person will put their patient’s first, be aware of their own limitations and know who to turn to for help and support. ***
I wish you all the best in your upcoming interviews and future careers!
Here are a few of my resources to help you:
Your opportunity to work with me!
If this is your first Band 5 Interview (or equivalent in non-NHS settings), you have had unsuccessful Interviews before or you are low in confidence in your Interview technique.
You need the Physiotherapy Interview Success Package.
My Physiotherapy Interview Success Package will give you the confidence to know that you are prepared for your Band 5 Physiotherapy Interview.
The Physiotherapy Interview Success Package is an effective way to use the limited amount time you have left to master your interview technique.
The Physiotherapy Interview Success Package is an investment in yourself and your future career so that you can be yourself in your Interview and stand out to your new employer.
What Questions have you been asked in a Band 5 Interview?
Share in the comments below 👇👇👇 to help our wonderful community of Physios🦸♀️ .
About the Blogger:
Hi, I’m Rebekah.
I’m a Physiotherapist with a passion to support others to get to where they want to be. I love to organise and plan which, comes in handy for my mission to empower others to achieve their Physiotherapy career goals.
