Personality Interview Preparation Guide

Personality has to do with individual differences among people in behavior patterns, cognition and emotion. Different personality theorists present their own definitions of the word based on their theoretical positions.

The term personality trait refers to enduring personal characteristics that are revealed in a particular pattern of behavior in a variety of situations.
Individual differences in personality have many real life consequences.

I feel that the main cause of my stress comes from feeling out of control or dis organized. I would try to set aside allocated time in the morning to organize my list, liaise with the MDT and set a list of goals that I need to achieve throughout the day. By identifying causes of stress I would hope that this would allow me to think of strategies to cope with these. One stress factor at a previous job was that I felt frustrated that I couldn't see the patients due to them being seen by nursing staff in the morning. I dealt with this by liaising with the nursing staff and asking when would it be a good time to see Mr.Jones. "Perhaps I could see him after he has had his wash, which would mean his pain killers would have a chance to work. Would this suit you.

Energetic, hardworking and flexible. I love being on the go and people often comment on my high energy levels. This can be my biggest weakness as I want to be involved with everything going on (such as Boardmasters/Special Olympics). At university this often left me tired because I wasn't getting enough rest however I have learn't to slow down and now have at least one free day a week to recover. I am extremely flexible and have no family ties or commitments which means I can fit around the team and I'm always happy to work children holidays to help out.

I attended PSITCC a year ago which opened my eyes to a whole new level of team working. We were allocated into teams of 4 and took turns in leading moulages (clinical scenarios). I felt my strength was as a leader and I worked hard to give clear instructions to administered CPR and a defibrillator. This also involved a lot of scenarios where I was require to work under direction which I received positive feedback for.

As mentioned before I feel one of my weaknesses is that I try to do too much which I have already addressed by setting aside one day a week as a complete break from physio (extra curricular). I also feel my lack of experience may be a weakness and for this reason try to expose myself to as many learning environments as possible and regularly attend CPD evenings, practice clinical scenarios with friends and volunteer at local sports clubs.

When mobilizing a gentleman for the first time post ACL surgery he began to feel unwell. As I began to bring the chair in he fainted and hit his head on the wall. At this point I called for help to the nurses station (unresponsive- 7pm at night). I administered the crash call (as protocol).

Team working is important to provide holistic care and to enable effective treatment. If you have asked a patients back ground you are more likely to take adequate precautions. For example post menisectomy: Asking the nurse When did they last have pain relief? Have they been up to the loo? Have they eaten? Were there any complications in surgery? As a physio obviously you need to read the notes but the nursing staff often know up to date information on the patient which are all vital in how you will carry out your treatment.

I think a physio needs to have good assessment skills. If you can highlight a patient's problems and pain pathway of their symptoms you can target these specifically I feel you will be more likely to succeed in treatment. I also feel you need to be empathetic yet firm with treatment. My most successful treatments/increased compliance with exercises have been when I have explained the condition and the relevance of why you are asking the patient to do those exercises(so I guess also good communication skills).

I would hope my friends describe me as outgoing, loyal and fun. They often say they are surprised at my adventures at the weekends which have involved volunteer physio for local sports teams and walking holidays in Wales. I enjoy being outside and being involved it outdoor activities. I do feel that I am loyal if a friend needs me and will often drop other activities to check they are ok.