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The Dave Kittle Show
How To Interview, Hire PTs & OTs for Your Private Practice
Ep. 139
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Are you struggling to find the right PTs and OTs for your private practice? How do you evaluate the practical skills in an effective approach that can help you identify the top talent and build a strong team and ensure long-lasting relationships with your team members and avoid hiring mishaps that could harm your practice?
In this week's The Dave Kittle Show episode, Dave Kittle goes solo to share his wealth of experience in the private practice world on how to interview and hire Physical Therapists (PTs) and Occupational Therapists (OTs) for your private practice in 2023 and the key steps in building a team that supports your vision and contributes to your practice's success. He will discuss the interviewing process of potential candidates for your team: what works, what doesn't, and how making the process detailed and thorough can set you up for long-term success with your private practice.
In this episode, he will touch on such topics as:
- The Initial Touch Point: The significance of an initial touch point with potential candidates, whether it be through a personal encounter, website querying, or LinkedIn message.
- The 15 Minute Phone Screen: The importance of an initial brief phone call to ensure you and the candidate are on the same page.
- The 60 Minute Zoom Interview: A more in-depth interview over Zoom to evaluate the candidate's core values and experiences.
- The In-Person Evaluation: The second interview, an in-person evaluation where the candidate diagnoses and treats a common condition seen in your clinic. This provides vital insights into the candidate’s practical skills.
- The Evaluation: The need for potential candidates to evaluate you or a member of your team during their interview. This process is an echo of the models we followed during school when we had to evaluate our professors.
- Role-Play: Using role-plays such as letting the candidate evaluate you for possible conditions to see their methods in practice.
- The Feedback: The importance of giving and receiving feedback on the candidate's evaluation process. When and how to provide feedback, whether on the spot, via call or via email, depending on the circumstances.
- Checking the Credibility: Stressing the vital need for checking references and speaking with three references before moving forward with any candidate. The value in taking the time for this step in the interview process to weed out people who may not take the work seriously.
- Long-Term Process: Prolonged and thorough hiring process results in the potential for stronger and longer-lasting relationships with future team members, leading to a stronger team.
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