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Physical Therapist, Children's Appleton Clinic

Children's Wisconsin · Appleton, WI · Part time

Posted Oct 1, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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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 home exercise program wasn't getting done. How did you find out why and what did you change?

What they are checking: Whether they treat family follow-through as a problem to solve together rather than a parent failing to comply.

Describe a child whose progress plateaued. How did you decide whether to change the plan, refer out or discharge?

What they are checking: Honest clinical reasoning about when therapy is still helping, which matters for families and for insurance.

Tell me about a time you worked with an OT or speech therapist on the same child. How did you avoid overlapping or conflicting goals?

What they are checking: Ability to coordinate across disciplines so families get one coherent plan rather than three separate ones.

The posting mentions program planning and development. What's one program or process you've helped build or improve?

What they are checking: Whether they contribute beyond their own caseload, which the job summary lists as part of the role.

Why pediatrics, and what about kids' therapy do you find hardest?

What they are checking: Whether their interest in a children-only system is genuine and whether they have honest self-awareness about the work.

What would you do

A four-year-old refuses to do anything you ask during the first visit and the parent is getting embarrassed. What do you do in that session?

What they are checking: Whether they can turn therapy into play and still get usable findings while keeping a stressed parent on their side.

The schedule here is Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Appleton clinic. How do you keep continuity for kids when you're only there part of the week?

What they are checking: Whether they've thought about handoffs, documentation and communication for a 24-hour role where colleagues cover the gaps.

During a session you notice bruising and the child's explanation doesn't fit. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they know they are a mandated reporter and will act calmly through the right channels without confronting the family.

A family speaks limited English and the interpreter is running late. How do you handle the visit?

What they are checking: Commitment to safe communication and family-centered care when it would be faster to cut corners.

About the work

This role covers inpatient, outpatient and clinic patients. Walk me through how you'd adjust an evaluation for a toddler with low tone versus a teenager after an ACL repair.

What they are checking: Whether they can scale assessment tools and handling to a child's developmental stage instead of using one adult-style template.

Which standardized pediatric measures do you rely on most, and when have you chosen not to use one?

What they are checking: Real working knowledge of tools like the PDMS-2 or GMFM, and judgment about when a score helps the plan.

How do you write goals so that a parent, a payer and another therapist would all understand what success looks like?

What they are checking: Whether their documentation is measurable and functional, which drives authorizations and coordinated care.

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The full job description

As published by Children's Wisconsin.

At Children’s Wisconsin, we believe kids deserve the best. Children’s Wisconsin is a nationally recognized health system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children. We provide primary care, specialty care, urgent care, emergency care, community health services, foster and adoption services, child and family counseling, child advocacy services and family resource centers. Our reputation draws patients and families from around the country. We offer a wide variety of rewarding career opportunities and are seeking individuals dedicated to helping us achieve our vision of the healthiest kids in the country. If you want to work for an organization that makes a difference for children and families, and encourages you to be at your best every day, please apply today. Please follow this link for a closer look at what it’s like to work at Children’s Wisconsin: https://www.instagram.com/lifeatcw/ This position will work 24 hours/week. Schedule: Thursday - 8 hours Friday - 10 hours Saturday - 6 hours Job Summary Provides direct patient care in Physical Therapy and performs other related duties to assure smooth, coordinated running of the department within the pediatric Inpatient, Outpatient, and Clinics. Identifies, diagnoses, and treats patients with a wide variety of disabilities. Participates in program planning, development and implementation. Participates in Quality Improvement. Counsels and instructs patients/families and medical professionals involved with the patient's rehabilitative needs, monitors patient progress, ensures that recommendations are followed. Maintains clinical records according to established procedures. May participate in outreach event coverage and education/mentorship of students/residents as appropriate. Essential Functions - Organizational Responsibilities: supports the mission and strategic objectives of the hospital; engages in activities which support teamwork and enhances the image of pediatric Physical Therapy and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin; takes responsibility to identify opportunities for improvement. - Participates in weekend/holiday on-call coverage rotation (Inpatient units only). - Developmental: Understands and satisfies the needs of the neonatal, pediatric, adolescent and/or adult patient in regard to their growth and development process and as pertains to physical functioning and development. - Patient Evaluation: Provides Physical Therapy evaluations and re-evaluations. Successfully completes required competencies. - Treatment: Provides physical therapy treatment on a continuing basis. - Case Management: Counsels and trains parents in the area of physical therapy and trains parents to incorporate treatment goals into the home environment. Actively participates in care management meetings. - Documentation: Maintains written records of patient status and progress. Documentation to include but not limited to evaluation and re-evaluation reports, daily treatment notes, plans of care, progress notes, discharge summaries and insurance authorizations. - Insurance/Authorization: Maintains up to date insurance authorization/ approval to treat patients. Works collaboratively with Financial Clearance to obtain authorizations. Submits all clinical requests in a timely fashion to ensure no lapse in care. Connects with insurance reviewers as needed to obtain authorization, perform peer to peer review etc. - Cost Containment: Maximizes use of equipment, supplies and time, participates in hospital efforts to control costs, and pursues third party reimbursement. - Discharge Planning: Makes referrals and monitors progress, by phone, letter, fax of all children evaluated or previously enrolled in therapy. Legacy Essential Functions - Accountability/Productivity: Maintains and contributes to individual and department productivity to support department/ system goals. Facilitates prior authorizations for treatment. - Program Development: Participates in needs assessment, program planning, development, implementation and evaluation. Participates in training and support of new team members. - Professional Development: identifies annual goals for own professional growth and the means by which to achieve them; aware of and works toward the accomplishment of OT/PT goals, participates in personal and department improvement. - Professional Development/Continuing Education: Supervises and trains students/residents. Provides in-service training to CHW staff. Lectures on topics related to physical therapy profession. Attends conferences for continuing education to keep informed of developments in the field as well as the needs of the department. - Personal Development Goals: Takes an active role in improvement measures, suggestions and activities related to clinical areas and core competencies. - Research: applies current research findings in practice; participates in data collection. - Community Outreach: supports community education and outreach efforts, including event medical coverage with outreach teams. Coordinate, develop and/or staff community outreach programs. Education: - Master's Degree or equivalent in Physical Therapy required Experience: - 1+ years clinical experience in the pediatric field or sports medicine field of Physical Therapy preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities - Knowledge of the principles of neonatal, pediatric and adolescent growth and development and child/family responses to fear, illness, injury and hospitalization. - Excellent interpersonal, oral and written skills to effectively communicate with patient, family and medical staff in a team environment. - The ability to represent the organization and serve consumers in a professional manner and promote a positive image of the organization and its services. Licenses and Certifications: - BLS-Basic Life Support Healthcare Provider - American Heart Association/American Red Cross/National Safety Council required - License PT-Physical Therapist (24) - State of Wisconsin required Patient Care Responsibility - Provides care appropriate to patient population and as described in applicable policies and procedures. Required for All Jobs: - This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that may be requested in the performance of this job. - Employment is at-will. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise. Children's Wisconsin is an equal opportunity / affirmative action employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for all employees. We treat everyone with dignity, respect, and fairness. We do not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status or condition protected by the law. Certifications/Licenses: BLS-Basic Life Support Healthcare Provider - American Heart Association/American Red Cross/National Safety Council, License PT-Physical Therapist (24) - State of Wisconsin

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