Band 6 Physiotherapy Interview Questions

Do you have an upcoming Physiotherapy Band 6 Interview? If you are not based in the UK this would relate to a mid level role with increased responsibilities. You would support colleagues both professionally and personally and assess and treat more complex patients/clients.

My philosophy on interview preparation is to focus on the themes expected to arise at the interview rather than specific questions. In my experience, focusing on specific questions can cause a meltdown in the interview if a question isn’t phrased in the same way that you rehearsed it. (Trust me - I’ve been there)

This post will cover the main themes you will find during a Band 6 Interview and my tips for how to prepare your answers.

Read to the end to grab a few of my FREE resources to help you in your Band 6 Interview Preparation.

Band 6 Physiotherapy Interview Questions

1. Skills and Experience

2. Complex Communication

3. Supervision of Colleagues/ Education of Students

4. Clinical Questions

5. Service Development

1. Skills and Experience

I covered this question in my blog post ‘ Band 5 Interview prep’.

“More often than not an employer will start the interview with an open ended question. The question will be along the lines of:
‘What skills and experience do you possess that will make you successful for this role?’
There are numerous forms of this question and it is important to listen to any specific wording that may steer your answer in a certain way.
Ultimately they want to hear all about YOU!
This is the moment to show your prospective employer what makes you stand out from the rest. BUT don’t forget that it is also your opportunity to show that you have done your homework on the employer - you know all about the job role and company that you are applying to. ”

It doesn’t matter what grade of job you are applying for, the principle is the same. Talk about your relevant experience, what you know about the employer’s values and vision and how your skills apply to the role.

Points to Consider:

Employers’/Company Values
What type of experience/rotations/specialist areas that you could be exposed to in the role
Your fundamental skills: Communication, Teamwork, Time Management etc
Any unique experiences you have since qualification that set you apart
Any service developments that you have taken part in.

2. Complex Communication

As a more senior member of staff, you will be expected to be able to adapt your communication to difficult situations.

Difficult conversations can happen with patients, family members or colleagues so don’t forget to reflect on conversations you have had.

This question could include your ability to identify all the things included in ‘Red Flags, Safeguarding and Communication and the MDT from B5 Interview questions’. It could also be included in 3. Supervision of colleagues👇.

Points to Consider:

When have you been involved in a difficult conversation?
Have you reflected on your experience?
Have you changed your practice as a result?
Has there been a situation where you have needed support to communicate with a patient eg. interpreter service/ using written communication?

3. Supervision of Colleague/Education of Students

An important part of a Band 6 Role is that you begin to supervise colleagues and educate students. Often prior to applying for a Band 6 role, you may have started to practice this with less experienced Band 5 colleagues and students that are learning within your department.

You need to be able to identify when your colleagues need not only clinical support but also pastoral support and what action you need to take. You need to be able to provide constructive feedback and have difficult conversations.

Points to consider:

What experience do you have of supporting colleagues/students?
What would you do if you were told the person you were supervising had made an error?
What support do you think that you would need to supervise a colleague?
Have you ever acted up to support Band 6/7 colleagues?

4. Clinical Questions

If you are ready to move up to the Band 6 level, the clinical questions during a Band 6 Interview should be ones that you will look forward to.

As you have likely worked in the area that you are applying for, you can use your real life experience to draw upon when answering the questions.

You must think about what the question is asking, do they want to know what assessment and management you would do? Are they asking what your differential diagnosis is?

More often than not the clinical questions will be about the usual patient cohort that you will be expected to see. They will be checking that you know how to do a basic assessment and have an understanding of complications, risks and benefits of intervention and be able to demonstrate patient centered decision making.

See Band 5 Interview Questions for some ideas - think about how you would answer that question differently now, compared to when you were a new graduate.

Points to consider:

What subjective questions would you ask or observe and what objective tests would you perform to formulate your diagnosis?
What options are there when forming a management plan?
Would any contraindications change your management plan?
How would you create a treatment plan which aligns to the patients goals and needs?

5. Service Development

Finally, my favourite part. As a Band 6 Physiotherapist, you will be expected to become more involved in team leadership and service development. Often in the job description it says you will act up for the Band 7 if required. This can be very daunting as currently you are a Band 5/entry level.

Service development is important to be involved with from the start of your career. As Physiotherapists we have agreed to life long learning and to always aim to improve to provide the best care for our patients.

Service development doesn’t have to be a big thing. You may have supported one of your senior colleagues in their project or made a small change which has had a positive impact on the team. You may have even suggested something that the team tried and it didn’t work. It is all useful information and we can learn from each situation. The likelihood is that you have made a positive change and didnt realise that what you have done is a service development.

Points to consider:

What projects have you taken on to improve the way your team works/ care for your patients/clients?
Have you reflected on the situation?
Are there any needs you can see in the job role that you are applying for? And how could your idea make a difference to the team and the patients/clients?

It would not be possible to create a full list of questions that may arise in a Band 6 Interview. Each hospital and clinic will have their own specifications they need a candidate to meet to work within their team. This post has covered the themes that are likely to arise in a Band 6 Interview that are different to the Band 5 interview - covered in this post.

The above ideas are to start to get you thinking critically about your experience so far, what has gone well? When it hasn’t gone well, what did you learn? How did you change your practice? What would you do in the same situation next time?

When interviewing Band 6 Physiotherapists, the panel wants to know that the person will support their colleagues, consider the needs of the patients, strive to improve the service and know when to ask for help.

As a Band 6, you will not be expected to know everything, it is important that you still ask for support and guidance to develop in your career.

I wish you all the best in your upcoming interviews and future careers!

Here are a few of my resources to help you:

The main differences between Band 5, 6, 7 & 8.

5 Tips for Physiotherapy Interviews

How to identify your Strengths and Weaknesses for a Physiotherapy Interview

Don’t forget to download your free Physiotherapy Interview Checklist 👇

- FREE PDF PHYSIOTHERAPY INTERVIEW CHECKLIST

What questions have you been asked in your recent Band 6 Interview?

Post below in the comments to help the senior Physios of the future! 👇👇👇