PT informational interview

2. Interviewer: Logan Martin
Subject of interview: Amber Reeves
Amber is a part-time physical therapist in the
school system of Anderson school district 4
A phone interview was conducted on
3/26/15 and the questions and answers
were as follows

3. Question: What training or
education is required for this
type of work?
Answer: Now it’s a doctorate, but
I went to Auburn 3 years and
graduated with masters in PT

4. Question: What personal qualities or
abilities are important to being
successful?
Answer: You definitely need to have
good people skills, you cannot be
afraid to get close to people, and
there must be some independence

5. Questions: How do people find out about
job openings in your occupation?
Answer: I had worked in different school
districts and at AnMed Health, so I made
connections. Otherwise you have to
continue to talk to people to hear about
openings or continue to check online.

6. Question: How did you get this
position?
Answer: A job opening came open in
district 4 online and so I had to
interview for the position

7. Question: What are some common
career paths?
Answer: Another common career is
occupational therapy, which is what
many of my co-workers do

8. Question: What types of training do
companies offer persons entering
this field?
Answer: None, there are no required
trainings however you can go on
your own and get education on 6
different specialties

9. Question: Are there internship or
volunteer opportunities ?
Answer: You can volunteer easily but
most internships are found in
hospitals and outpatient facilities. I
actually went to Florence and
worked in school there .

10. Question: What areas of knowledge
are most important for
advancement in this field?
Answer: You need people skills and
obviously you need to know about
anatomy

11. Question: What degrees?
Certification?
Answer: You can do the specialties
and get teaching certificate if you
wish to. Otherwise now you need a
doctorate which is mainly for the
research and funding

12. Question: If you were starting out again,
would you do anything differently?
Answer: Probably not I loved MUSC. I’m
glad I went to different places for clinics
and it was so rewarding working with
kids. If I had to do something else I
would probably be a vet .

13. Question: What do you do on a typical day
in this position?
Answer: Go in and see maybe 7 out of 13
kids. During the day I will oversee those
with disabilities during their daily activity
in the school. There is also teacher and
classroom education that the beginning
of the year

14. Question: What are your alternative
career paths?
Answer: Could teach, do at home
visits, could join with many
different agencies and do early
intervention therapy

15. Question: How many people do you
supervise and to whom do you
report?
Answer: I’m a district employee so I
report to the special- education
director but work under all the
principles

16. Question: What part of this job do
you find the most challenging or
satisfying?
Answer: Most challenging is
adapting to the students and
getting participation day to day .
However, that is what makes it
satisfying is seeing the change.

17. Question: What are the positive/negative
aspects of working in this field?
Answer: It is enjoyable, you work with a lot
of different people, and there is
flexibility. You don’t see a quick change
but it is rewarding because you are with
children. I do wonder about when I get
older what I will be able to do when I
can’t get down in the floor and play with
kids.

18. Question: Would you rather work for
a smaller or a larger company?
Why?
Answer: Honestly, I like it the way it
is

19. Question: Is there a demand for
people in this occupation?
Answer: Yes, they are always looking
for people in the school system and
there will always be a need for
therapists

20. Question: What are the problems you
see working in this field?
Answer: People are always worried
about reimbursement in outpatient
clinics

21. Question: How does you job fit into
the organization or department?
Answer: Since I work with the school
system they call me in and I float
from school to school

22. Question: What is the “corporate culture”
here, i.e. is it formal, informal, ect.
Answer: We work autonomously, but it is
fairly informal. Most people come in
early and stay late r than the kids but
that aspect is up to you. I t is laid back
and is not productivity driven which is
nice.

23. Question: What are the toughest
challenges you face in the organization?
Answer: Paperwork with Medicaid in
school system. You are working for a
larger corporation but I am the only one
in the school system.