JobsAdvocate Health

Physical Therapist (PT) - Acute Care and Emergency

Advocate Health · Elgin, IL

Posted Sep 19, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 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.

Behavioral

Tell me about a time you had to make a quick decision about whether it was safe to mobilize a patient in the ICU or ED.

clinical judgment and comfort with risk in a fast-moving, medically complex setting

Tell me about a time a patient's condition changed suddenly during a treatment session. What did you do?

reaction under pressure and awareness of when to stop treatment and escalate

Tell me about a time you disagreed with a physician or nurse about a patient's readiness for therapy. How did you handle it?

interdisciplinary communication skills and diplomacy in a hierarchical medical setting

Tell me about a time your caseload became unmanageable. How did you communicate that to your team or site leadership?

self-awareness about limits and whether they escalate proactively instead of quietly falling behind

Tell me about a patient encounter where the compassionate thing to do and the efficient thing to do were in tension.

how they hold empathy and productivity standards together rather than sacrificing one for the other

Technical

Walk me through how you would evaluate a patient who was just referred to you in the emergency department, someone you know almost nothing about yet.

whether the candidate has a real acute/ED evaluation process versus outpatient habits that don't transfer

How do you decide what equipment to order and what home program to write when you have very little time before a patient is discharged?

practical discharge planning skills under acute-care time pressure

How comfortable are you documenting and charting in EPIC, and how do you keep up with documentation when you have a full caseload?

EMR familiarity and realistic expectations about productivity and billing compliance

What's your experience treating patients in the emergency department specifically, as opposed to inpatient units?

whether ED experience is real or just adjacent acute-care experience

How do you approach infection control and safety precautions when moving between different patient rooms and units in one day?

attention to protocol and consistency in a high-exposure clinical environment

Situational

A patient's family is pushing hard for discharge home, but you don't think that's safe based on your evaluation. What do you do?

how they balance patient/family advocacy against clinical safety and team communication

Describe how you'd supervise a physical therapy assistant or a rehab tech on a patient you're still responsible for.

understanding of delegation boundaries and accountability under supervision requirements

This role covers evening shifts until 7:30, one weekend day every four weeks, and holiday rotations. How do you feel about that schedule, and what has your experience been working evenings or weekends before?

honesty about schedule tolerance and whether they've actually sustained this kind of coverage before

Practice this interview out loud.

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The full job description

As published by Advocate Health.

Department: 37501 Advocate Sherman Hospital - Acute Care Rehabilitation Status: Full time Benefits Eligible: Yes Hou rs Per Week: 40 Schedule Details/Additional Information: • Experience working in the acute care setting is required (minimum of one year experience practicing in the acute care setting highly preferred). Prior experience working in an emergency department setting is a plus! • This full-time position is 5 days/week (Monday through Friday) and will require working 2 evenings per week until 7:30 p.m. (Mondays and Thursdays). • Position requires working one weekend day shift every 4 weeks. • Position requires working one summer and one winter holiday or weekend around a holiday (must work minimum of one of the 6 major holidays annually). • Prior experience with EPIC EMR is highly preferred but not required. • Individual must be flexible, reliable, collaborative, and a self-starter. Must be able to deliver high quality, compassionate, and empathetic patient care. Pay Range: $41.10 - $61.65 $5000 sign on for FULL TIME HIRE! Interprets physician referrals, as appropriate, and completes musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, cardiopulmonary, and/or integumentary evaluations utilizing appropriate methods. Establishes a plan of care and implements individual treatment based on evaluation results and functional goals and by utilizing appropriate techniques.  Monitors and evaluates outcomes and appropriately adjusts the individualized treatment plan based on the patient's response to treatment and provides status updates to physicians and other teammates. Identifies factors affecting patient's physical and psychosocial comfort and attends to these needs.    Plans for and completes patient discharge including providing written home programs, patient/family teaching, referral for community services, transition planning within the continuum of care and ordering equipment as indicated/appropriate. Communicates and collaborates with appropriate stakeholders to assist in achieving optimum care for the patient. Completes all required documentation following department policy and accreditation standards with appropriate co- signatures, including patient evaluations, progress notes, team conference reports, and discharge summaries as appropriate. Record patient care and progress of each patient assigned. Completes daily statistics, billing, and scheduling. Applies insurance guidelines regarding authorization and number of visits. Responsible for maintaining site/department established productivity standards.  Responsible for understanding and adhering to all billing and documentation policies, procedures, and timelines. Responsible for cleaning up after patient treatment, putting away equipment, and keeping area neat and orderly. Performs various manual techniques, patient positioning, transferring and transporting duties, which require lifting and pushing/pulling, while utilizing proper technique.  Demonstrates skill in use of modalities, exercise equipment and other devices that are available in area worked per department orientation checklist.  Demonstrates knowledge of indications and contraindications of modalities and exercise.  Promotes patient safety by participating in safety initiatives as requested and appropriately follows all safety and infection control measures pertaining to the general working environment. Participates in performance improvement activities designed to identify and resolve problems affecting patient care outcomes and to improve quality of care. Manages assigned caseload, informing site leadership of coverage needs and ability to cover; assists with coverage, based on department needs and regional needs Pursues professional growth through participation in continuing education courses, department in-services, and reading professional literature.  Orients new staff to clinical and department policies as requested. Participates in the evaluation process of co-workers by providing verbal or written feedback as requested.  May supervise physical therapy assistants following all applicable state and local compliance requirements.  Includes delegating patients to assistive personnel while providing direction, recommendations regarding treatment and ongoing supervision while maintaining responsibility for patient plan of care and goals.  May supervise physical therapy extenders (rehab aides/techs) in administering treatments to patients and will teach them appropriate techniques to perform with specific patients.  May supervise physical therapy students after completing one year of clinical experience. Minimum Job Requirements Education Doctorate degree in Physical Therapy from an accredited school or educational requirements commensurate with the date of graduation. Maintains continuing education requirements as mandated by applicable state professional standards . Certification / Registration / License Licensed Physical Therapist in the State upon which you work. Basic Life Support (BLS) for Healthcare Providers (obtained within 90 days unless department leader has determined is not required) by American Heart Association (AHA) Work Experience previous Acute care work preferred Knowledge / Skills / Abilities Intermediate computer skills Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organization skills Demonstrated organization, decision-making, and problem-solving skills Successfully completes all competency assessments/requirements pertaining to provision of patient care and consistent with site standards Team members will maintain annual educational requirements for hospital-based certifications (e.g. DNV, CARF or others). Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served.  Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-specific needs. Physical Requirements and Working Conditions Must be able to sit, stand, walk, lift, and squat throughout the workday Must be able to: lift up to 50 lbs. from floor to waist. lift up to 10 lbs. from waist to overhead. lift and carry up to 40 lbs. at waist height a reasonable distance Must be able to:  push/pull with 30 lbs. of force. perform a sliding transfer of 150 lbs. with a second person present Position requires repetitive use of hands: Simple grasping - 5-15 lbs. - 20% of the workday. Pushing/pulling - up to 75-100 lbs. - 10% of the day Fine manipulation of hands during massage and joint mobilization Must have functional use of senses to allow for effective communication Exposed to electrical and chemical hazards as well as blood and body fluids; therefore, must have ability to wear protective clothing as needed Position may require travel; therefore, may be exposed to road and weather hazards Operates all equipment necessary to perform the job #LI- REHAB #LI- Acute #LI- PT #LI- Sherman DISCLAIMER All responsibilities and requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only responsibilities to be performed by an employee occupying this job or position.  Employees must follow any other job-related instructions and perform any other job-related duties requested by their leaders. Our Commitment to You: Advocate Health offers a comprehensive suite of Total Rewards: benefits and well-being programs, competitive compensation, generous retirement offerings, programs that invest in your career development and so much more – so you can live fully at and away from work, including: Compensation • Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training • Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job • Incentive pay for select positions • Opportunity for annual increases based on performance Benefits and more • Paid Time Off programs • Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability • Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses • Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave • Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs • Educational Assistance Program Note: Eligibility for programs listed above may depend on your FTE or status (e.g., full-time, part-time, per diem, temporary, etc.); please ask a Recruiter for more information during an interview. About Advocate Health  Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States, created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois; Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama; and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health services nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs 155,000 teammates across 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations, and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to providing equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides more than $6 billion in annual community benefits.

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