Are you a student or new graduate preparing to launch your physical therapy career? In this episode of The FOX Five, FOX Rehabilitation's Senior Clinical Practice Leader of University Relations and Site Coordinator of Clinical Education, Jovanni Cifaloglio, PT, DPT, GCS, LSVT, shares five essential things every student should know before stepping into their first job. From identifying your clinical interests and values, to understanding the importance of mentorship, growth opportunities, and realistic expectations, Joe offers thoughtful advice rooted in his own journey with FOX Rehabilitation. He breaks down the questions you should be asking yourself—and your future employer—to make sure you find the right fit, both professionally and personally. Most importantly, he reminds new grads that they don’t need to be experts on Day One but instead should embrace the learning process that comes with clinical practice. Whether you’re about to graduate or mentoring the next generation, this episode is packed with insight you won’t want to miss.

Jim: Welcome to The FOX Five, the show that explores FOX Rehabilitation through an original list created by a FOX colleague. That FOX colleague today is Senior Clinical Practice Leader of University Relations, Site Coordinator of Clinical Education, and physical therapist, Jovanni Cifaloglio. Joe, welcome back to The FOX Five.

Jovanni: Don’t forget geriatric clinical specialist, too.

Jim: Jovanni, you’ve been on The FOX Five before. You know the drill. What is your FOX Five today?

Jovanni: My FOX Five today is Five Things a Student Should Know About Themselves Before Finding Their First Job.

Jim: I like this. This is kind of a deep edition of the FOX Five.

Jovanni: That’s right. We’re going to be very reflective on this one.

Jim: All right, what is Number One?

Jovanni: Number One for the students out there before finding your first job is: know your interests.What types of patients did you enjoy working with during your student clinical rotations? Do you like orthopedic patients? Neurological? Cardiopulmonary? Do you like working with pediatrics, young athletes, adults, or geriatrics? That’s the best one to work with.

Jim: Yeah.

Jovanni: And then, also think about the physical setting you want to be in. Do you want to be in an outpatient office that has all the bells and whistles, all the equipment, everything for you to work with? Do you want to be in an inpatient setting where it’s more medically based? Or do you want to be in the home, where you’re able to keep it super practical—working on the patient’s chairs, steps, or walking up and down their driveway?

Obviously, being at FOX Rehabilitation, what really spoke to me as a student—and I was fortunate to know it then—was that I loved working with older adults. I loved keeping it very practical within their homes.

So, you want to know where your interest lies so that you enjoy going to work every day.

Jim: Nice. Solid. So, what is Number Two on your FOX Five?

Jovanni: Number Two is: know what you value. Are you someone that really wants that one-on-one care with each patient you work with? Or are you happy having two to three patients at a time and jumping from one to the next? Do you want to do every single treatment with your patient, or are you comfortable sharing your patient with a few different PTs? You need to know what you value and, obviously, get that information from a potential employer before you decide where to develop as a new grad clinician.

Jim: It’s almost as if you work in University Relations. Oh, wait—that’s because you do! This is good! This is a solid FOX Five and we’re only up to Number Three.

Jovanni: So, moving to Number Three—which goes more into university relations—do you want mentorship? We hear it so often: as a new grad, mentorship is important. And if it is, you need to really understand what type of mentorship program is being offered. Is there structure to it? Because, to be honest, a lot of places know mentorship is a buzzword that new grads love to hear, but you want to make sure they can follow through on that program. That’s something great we offer at FOX. I came in as a new grad and went through the mentorship program. Later, I mentored new grads as an experienced PT.

We have a week-by-week agenda and checklist that the regional director oversees to make sure the new grad is holding up their end and the mentor is holding up theirs. We shadow each other’s treatments. We review documentation. We answer clinical questions together. It’s a great opportunity to hone your clinical skills.

Another cool thing with FOX is that new grads don’t start with a full caseload. You have about two months until you’re up to a full caseload. That gives you time to develop, build the relationship with your mentor, and lay a strong foundation before going full-time.

Jim: Students considering FOX should know you’re never thrown into the deep end. You’re always given support, which makes us different from other employers out there.

Jovanni: That’s true. And it’s a misconception in more traditional settings, where you might assume that because other PTs are nearby, you can just ask for help, but as a new grad, you need time carved out in the day to sit down with your mentor and go through your long list of questions.

Jim: That brings us to Number Four on your FOX Five.

Jovanni: Number Four, are you interested in growth? And what kind of growth? Do you want to grow into management, quality assurance, sales, or university relations? Or do you want to focus your growth clinically—pursuing board certification, specialty skills, honing your craft, and focusing on patient care? We’re fortunate as physical therapists that we can branch out into many different avenues. But you really need to know what speaks to you. That will help you see where you want to be in a few years.

Jim: And if you’re interested in growth, there’s another episode of the FOX Five where Joe talks about how you can grow with FOX Rehabilitation. Check that out after this one. This one’s not done yet. Joe still has Number Five.

Jovanni: Number Five—and the most important one for all students and new grads coming out of school—is, know that you are not expected to be an expert physical therapist from Day One.

It’s easy to feel like you should know everything since you’re graduating with your doctorate, but that is not the case. Every experienced PT will tell you the same thing: you will have time to learn, develop, and become a better clinician. One day, you will be an expert clinician. You’ll be clinically excellent, but it takes time to get more comfortable, learn where you need to grow, and recognize what you’re already doing well to become a well-rounded PT.

Jim: That takes the pressure off.

Jovanni: Couldn’t agree more. With all the resources we provide here, you’ll get there, but it still takes time.

Jim: Well, Joe, good having you on The FOX Five. Don’t be a stranger—you’ll have to come back.

Jovanni: Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.