Inpatient Occupational Therapist - Casual
Posted Sep 15, 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 time a child was medically fragile and you had to modify or stop a session. What did you watch for?
What they are checking: Whether they can read vital signs and lines safely in an acute setting and know when to stop.
Tell me about a time you saw a way to improve how your therapy team worked and acted on it.
What they are checking: Whether they take responsibility for improvement as the posting asks, not only for their own patients.
What would you do
As a casual therapist, you may be called in to cover patients you have never met. How do you get up to speed quickly?
What they are checking: Whether they can pick up a caseload from notes and handoff efficiently without missing key safety details.
A parent wants you to push their child harder than you think is safe. How do you handle it?
What they are checking: Whether they can respect family hopes while holding a clear clinical line on safety.
How do you work with nursing and physicians to fit therapy around procedures and rest?
What they are checking: Whether they coordinate with the care team instead of working in isolation on a busy inpatient unit.
How do you engage a child who is scared, in pain, or simply does not want to do therapy today?
What they are checking: Whether they can use play and choice to get participation from children who are having a hard day.
About the work
How do you adjust an occupational therapy evaluation for a newborn versus a teenager on the same day?
What they are checking: Whether they can move across neonatal, pediatric and adolescent development as the posting expects.
How would you set goals for a child in the hospital when you know the stay may be short?
What they are checking: Whether they can focus therapy on what matters for discharge rather than long outpatient-style plans.
What feeding, splinting, or positioning work have you done with hospitalized children?
What they are checking: Whether they bring specific inpatient OT skills that apply to the children this hospital treats.
How do you document a session so the next therapist and the medical team know exactly where the child stands?
What they are checking: Whether their notes support continuity of care, which is especially important with casual staff.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Children's Wisconsin.