Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) - PRN
Posted Jul 10, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a patient with cognitive impairment you worked with. How did you adapt?
What they are checking: Experience across physical, cognitive and psychosocial impairments named in the posting.
Tell me about a time a patient didn't want to participate. What did you do?
What they are checking: Motivating patients by tying activities to what they care about.
What drew you to occupational therapy?
What they are checking: Whether they connect the work to quality of life and daily activities, the purpose the posting states.
What would you do
A patient is too tired to do the planned activity. How do you modify the session?
What they are checking: Adapting interventions within competency and the patient's goals, as the posting describes.
What changes in a patient would make you stop and contact the OT before continuing the plan?
What they are checking: Knowing the COTA's scope and when a plan change needs the therapist.
This is a PRN role. How do you get up to speed quickly when you step into a patient's care you haven't seen before?
What they are checking: Efficient chart review and handoff skills for an as-needed position.
How do you include family in teaching home exercises or adaptive equipment use?
What they are checking: Caregiver training so gains carry over after discharge.
About the work
Walk me through a treatment session you'd run with a patient working on dressing after a stroke.
What they are checking: Practical skill in grading activities toward self-care goals within the OT's plan.
How do you communicate with the supervising occupational therapist about a patient's progress?
What they are checking: Clear reporting back to the OT, which the posting names as a core duty.
What makes a good therapy note, and how do you keep documentation accurate when you're busy?
What they are checking: Documentation that supports both care and billing.
How do state licensure rules shape what you can and can't do as a COTA?
What they are checking: Awareness of practice-setting and licensure limits on the assistant role.
Practice this interview out loud.
Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Sanford Health from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.
Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Sanford Health.