Occupational Therapist Interview Preparation Guide

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Adaptive Occupation is a use of technical aids and technology, in combination with consultation and education to teach client's different ways for performing their task.

Auxiliary aids are devices used for the client who has communicating disabilities, and aids used are assistive listening devices, taped texts, closed caption decoders on televisions and qualified interpreters.

Sensory defensiveness is used to define child's behavior in response to sensory input, reflecting severe over-reaction to a particular sensory input.

Accessibility audit is a review of the access and inclusion practices of the place of public accommodation from a physical and policy perspective.

This one can be difficult as you have to think how you come across to others but is much the same as selecting your strengths and weaknesses but in the scenario of team-working.

This question is almost always asked in any interview regardless of the field. This question actually is the best one for answering because it grants you the opportunity to sell yourself as long as you are able to tell them you are easily adaptable to the team/culture and that you not only can perform the job, but will do it with spectacular results.

When nursing home are dealing with people suffering from strokes, diabetes, high blood pressure then they need OT. They will meet patient three to six times per week after an injury, assessing his needs, prescribing appropriate equipment's and training them how to use it.

☛ Dealing with unsatisfied patient
☛ Difficulty in communicating with mentally challenged patient
☛ Daily maintaining living facilities for patient
☛ Developing living and work skills
☛ Adapting to a new environment and people if travelling abroad
☛ Language barrier with locals and patient

Dynamic splint is made of plastic material to support and immobilize bone or to support stretched muscles. It can be used in various ways like

☛ To correct or prevent deformity with tightening joints or muscles
☛ Stop weakened muscles from over strengthening
☛ Strengthening weak muscles
☛ To gain better range of motion before surgery
☛ Provide an even muscle balance when there is an imbalance

The systems that supplement or replace communication by gesture or voice among people is referred as augmentative or alternative communications.

The role of the occupational therapist in injury management is

☛ Using specialized assessments to determine the functional requirements of various task, and clients capacity to return to work
☛ Giving knowledge to clients for safe work practices
☛ Modifying the work environment keeping employees health and safety in concern, and thus minimizing the injuries
☛ Coordinating and designing graded return to work programs

This is a question that might as well be asking, "What are your good and bad qualities?" Obviously, your friends would say all your positive attributes. That ones a no-brainer! But, exposing your weaknesses and being able to spin it is an art. Maybe your enemy would say you were obsessive compulsive when in fact, you just truly have a divine eye for detail.

It may require

☛ Assistive device for ambulation like walker
☛ Dressing aids
☛ Bathroom equipment's
☛ Mobility and transfer device
☛ Electrical stimulation system
☛ AFO
☛ Wheelchairs
☛ Cane and Crutches

These questions are examining your motivation for the post, and have the potential to highlight your strengths as well as your hopes from working within the post.

Documentation done by occupational therapist includes

☛ Screening: It includes details like client information, referral information, medical history, etc.
☛ Evaluation: It includes evaluation and re-evaluation report
☛ Intervention: It includes intervention plan, contact report note, transition plan and progress report
☛ Outcomes: It includes discharge or discontinuation report

☛ Attention span and stamina
☛ Adapting towards new activities
☛ Play skills
☛ Need for personal space
☛ Reactions to touch or other types of stimuli
☛ Basic motor skill like balance, posture and manipulation of small objects
☛ Aggression and other types of behaviors
☛ Interaction between child and carers

This can be tricky, but the real question is how you see OT as having a positive impact and is this positive for the hospital or client or both.

"Dyspraxia" is a disorder, where a person's motor skill (locomotive movements) gets hampered. It can affect daily activities of a person like holding pencils to brushing teeth. Dyspraxia is classified into four categories.

☛ Ideomotor Dyspraxia
☛ Ideational Dyspraxia
☛ Oromotor Dyspraxia
☛ Constructional Dyspraxia

☛ Learn how to self-regulate
☛ Learn how to delay gratification
☛ Express feeling in more appropriate ways
☛ Engage play with peers
☛ Learn how to concentrate on work
☛ Learn to develop social interaction with adult and peer
☛ Learn body awareness

Occupational therapist can be helpful in numerous ways

☛ Help them to study new ways of doing things following illness or injury
☛ Make them adapt appliances that can help them to perform their daily task easily like wheelchairs or toilet seats or provide special bath
☛ Make changes in their living environment to undertake their usual occupation
☛ Try to minimize the pain or discomfort due to illness or physical inability
☛ Boost their confidence level in social situations

These three questions are targeted at identifying whether you meet the needs of the department in terms of the skills you can bring and offer - it is important to recognise what these are but not to forget that you will also have weaknesses. Identify your weaknesses but turn it into a positive - say you need to work on this skill or that actually whilst it is a weakness it can also be a strength because....

The preventive occupational therapy intervention with stroke survivors are

☛ Abnormal changes in postural alignment
☛ Pain related with immobility or abnormal joint alignment
☛ Injury due to falls
☛ Depression following stroke
☛ Aspiration during eating, feeding and swallowing

Occupational therapist can work with

☛ Mental health services
☛ Physical rehabilitation
☛ Learning disability
☛ Primary care
☛ Research posts
☛ Environmental adaptation
☛ Care Management

These examine how you deal with situations, both expected and unexpected. How do you act under pressure - it's okay if your previous experiences proved to be the 'wrong way' but identify that you need to change this.

☛ Tell me about your most successful occupational therapy. How did you manage to help you client?
☛ Recall a time you created excellent rapport with a client's family. How did you do it?
☛ What previous work have you done as an occupational therapist?
☛ What other relevant experience do you have?
☛ Of your placements which did you enjoy the most and least? Why?
☛ If you do group work, what is the largest number of clients you have worked with?
☛ What supervisory structures are you accustomed to?
☛ How organised are you when it comes to paperwork?
☛ Have you ever had to deal with a distressed or hostile client?
☛ Have you ever had to deal with a complaint from a client?
☛ How do you approach client confidentiality?
☛ What do you like best about being an occupational therapist?
☛ What is the role of an occupational therapist play in a multidisciplinary team?