You’ve graduated from your medical assisting program, passed the certification exam, and now you’re lining up interviews - congratulations! The next step is preparing for your interviews with hiring managers. You can find questions that interviewers usually ask medical assistant candidates, but is there anything you should ask them? At the end of the interview, typically you have an opportunity to ask the interviewer questions. These are some of the questions you should consider asking, and why these are important to you.
1. What are the Expectations for New Medical Assistants at 30, 60, and 90 Days?
Typically, in a corporate environment like a hospital or outpatient clinic and also in most medical offices, these are evaluation milestones for new hires. Your supervisors will evaluate your performance at these points for different criteria.
For example: at 30 days you may go through training and be expected to know how to check in patients and prepare exam rooms, at 60 days you may be expected to know how to administer EKGs and other basic diagnostic tests, and at 90 days you might be expected to know everything about how the office runs and do all your responsibilities.
It’s important to know the expectations for your performance and milestones so you know how you are progressing. This shows the interviewer that you are serious about the position.
2. Can You Tell Me About the History of the Medical Office / Hospital and Mission?
Healthcare companies of any substantial size will have a founder, a company history, and a mission statement. This question shows you are interested in the overall purpose of the medical facility, and it can give you insight into how the facility runs.
3. What Does a Typical Day at Work Look Like?
This question will give you insight into what type of responsibilities you’ll be tasked with each day. Every type of medical facility is a bit different with the types of clinical and administrative tasks you’ll be required to do. You’ll want to hear the details of the routines you’ll do as a medical assistant. What do you do before the office opens? What time do you need to arrive each day? How many patients do you see per hour? Get all the details so you know what the job is like.
4. What is the Career Advancement Path for This Position?
Most people who become a medical assistant want to know there is room to grow and advance in their career. What are the next steps in your career after becoming an entry level medical assistant? Can you become a lead medical assistant or office manager? What opportunities will there be within this medical facility or company?
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5. Are There Any Required Duties NOT Listed on the Job Description?
Employers that are in a more corporate setting may not tell you everything that you might be expected to do in the future, after you’ve accepted a job offer. For example, if they have other facilities in the region, you may have to travel between different locations for staffing coverage. Private practice offices with one location are less likely to do this, but you should still ask this question for clarification. It’s better to walk into a job offer with full disclosure of what responsibilities you’ll be expected to perform.
6. How Are Employee Reviews Conducted, and By Whom?
Employee reviews are also important to understand, and these might be conducted differently in a small private practice office as opposed to a large hospital network. The closer the organization is to a corporate structure the more likely it is that some of these employee reviews will be conducted by HR or a manager. In a medical office, employee reviews may be conducted by an office manager. Typically, these reviews also line up with the timelines in the first question, 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days. Management will want to evaluate whether you are meeting the expectations they have for medical assistants. If you are not meeting expectations at the 90 day mark, they may make a plan to help you meet expectations. This is something you should strive to avoid. It’s important to know what your employer expects from you and meet those goals in a timely manner.
7. What Kind of Benefits Do You Offer?
An important part of any medical assisting job offer is the benefits. What are the health benefits? Do you have a 401k? How long will you have to wait to receive the benefits? Find out the details about the entire compensation package for this position.
8. Can I Shadow Other Medical Assistants?
Shadowing is when a candidate comes in and observes the workday of workers and is able to see what a typical day looks like. It can be illuminating to see how a given medical office runs in the real world. This also gives you an idea of the daily routine, allows you to ask questions, and lets you decide if the is a job offer that you want to accept.
Are You Ready to Become a Medical Assistant with Campus Sacramento?
If you’ve made a decision to become a medical assistant, Campus Sacramento has a Medical Assisting program to help you become certified. We offer day and night schedules that will help you find the right fit for your busy life. Our Admissions team can help you answer any questions about start dates, financial aid, or curriculum. Reach out or call us at 888-675-2460 for more information!