FAQ Friday: Interview Questions

Q:  What questions should I ask during a travel contract interview? 

A:  Being prepared for your interview is definitely a great idea!

Each facility will interview their candidates differently.  Some may have very brief interviews that last 15 minutes, essentially to make sure you are clear on the position.  Other interviews may be upwards of 45 minutes to an hour.

Regardless of the length, this is your time to get to know the facility, as well as showcase your skills!

Remember to research the facility prior to your interview, as it may spark a few other questions.  Also, give yourself plenty of time before and after your interview in case it lasts longer than expected.

1. Confirm the schedule.  This is important because in some cases, the schedule may have been miscommunicated from the facility to the staffing company.  Also confirm if you will be working weekends and whether there is a rotation for weekend shifts.
2. What does the facility’s staff look like?  This is especially important for new graduates.  If there are other therapists on staff, there will be someone that can help answer questions in real time if something were to come up!
3. Is there a productivity standard?  If so, what is it?  For those who don’t know, this is basically the percentage of time you spend working throughout the day.  So, if the productivity rate is 85%, you are expected to see patients for 85% of the 8 hours that you are there.  This takes restroom breaks into account.  It is crucial to know the expectation.
4. What is the caseload?  You will want to know the expectation of how many patients you will be seeing each day.  The last thing you would want is to expect treating 8 patients a day, but the facility expects 16 per day.
5. Have you used travelers before?  This will give you a sense of whether or not they have reasonable expectations in place for travelers.  If they have never used travelers before, there will likely be growing pains.
6. What kind of documentation system does the facility use?  How much time do you get to document?  It is critical to know the documentation system you’ll be using.  It wouldn’t be great if they expected you to be proficient with the system, but you had no experience with it.  Granted, your travel company will usually have that information prior.

Current travelers, what else would you suggest?  Comment below!

Louis Teal is a Recruiter for the Aureus Medical Social Media Recruitment Team.