Medical Assistants are in demand at this time. Why? Because a doctor’s work load can greatly stess one out. A doctor’s focus and well being greatly affects how she performs her work as a medical practitioner. It is then the role of Medical Assistants to help out the doctor’s in any other things the doctor might need to do. They do administrative duties. assistants answer telephone calls, they are the ones to greet the patients before consultation, they are tasked to update a patient’s file so as to keep accurate records. They are also assigned in filling out forms for insurance, they schedule appointments and arrange a patient’s admission to the hospital. They aslo can perform small clinical duties. They take vital signs or prepare the patient for examination and testings.

When you are applying for a job it is greatly important to read the entire application form before you actually start answering them and filling them out. it is essential that you carefull read the instructions and follow them. A properly completed application form is crucial to your job hunt because this the first chance to sell yourself and your skills to the employer. employers usually go through the information written on the filled out form before deciding who to schedule for an interview. Everybody, and employers are not immune with the tendency to judge
an application as a mirror of the particular person applying for the job.

Some tips in filling out the form

Firstly, greet the receptionist politely when submitting an application.
Answer the form honestly according to your capabilities.
Use black or blue ball point pens.
Have your fact sheet in hand.Write clearly and legibly.
Fill out the form neatly and properly.
Apply for a specific position.
Dont leave blanks.
Write ‘N/A’ if the question does not apply to you.
Explain gaps in your work history.
Sign and date your application.
Hand the application to the correct person.

Prepare yourself a day before to make sure you get to your interview on time. Find out exactly where the company is located so you will where you have to go. Know who you must ask for once you are there. Get good directions, look on the map and make sure you know the best route. Anticipate possible traffic jams in going there. parking time etc. Ask for the full name and position of the person you will be seeing and a contact number in case you need to call. Put all this information into a folder to take with you. research the company you are prospecting to apply in. Prepare your portfolio. Make sure it is well written. review them if possible to check for possible typo errors. Practice your answers and possible questions to them. Dress for the work. Office attires come in handy. Make a big difference. Come prepared so you can be confident and in control.

Often, Medical Assistants are seen as generalists who are involved with many aspects of the medical profession but do not specialize in them.

A detailed overview of the activities of a Medical Assistant is given here:

Administrative duties:
General administration which includes day-to-day activities and other tasks. These include:

• Communication �” both internal and external and office correspondence.
• Patient welfare - maintenance of patient records, insurance forms, scheduling appointments, arranging for hospital admission.
• Billing and bookkeeping.
• Maintain medical and drug supplies.

Clinical duties:
Clinical duties require discreet manual dexterity and visual acuity. A Medical Assistant has to support the medical practitioner with the following:

• Recording vital signs.
• Preparing patients for examination, explaining treatment procedures to patients.
• Assisting the physician during the examination.
• Instructing patients about medications and special diets.
• Preparation and administration of medications.

Laboratory tasks:
Laboratory tasks include:

• Collection and preparation of laboratory specimens.
• Performing basic laboratory tests on the premises.
• Draw blood, prepare patients for X-rays, take electrocardiograms, remove sutures and change dressings.
• Disposal of contaminated supplies and sterilization of medical instruments.

Questions to Ask Employers during Interview

1. What is your nurse/patient ratio?
2. Do you have 8/10/12 hour shifts?
3. Can you explain the scheduling process?
4. Do you have self scheduling or how is the scheduling done for the unit?
5. Do you offer a Baylor program?
6. What are the current challenges that your company faces?
7. Why did the last person leave the position?
8. How long has the position been vacant?
9. What were the results of the last survey?
10. When is the next survey scheduled?
11. Is call required for this position?
12. If so, what are the call requirements?
13. What would be my primary challenges if I were selected for this position?
14. What is your management style?
15. How often are performance reviews conducted and what is your process?
16. How does this organization feel about continuing education?
17. How does the administration view nursing in terms of importance to the hospital?
18. How much independence do nurses have in being creative problem-solvers?
19. Are nurses allowed to suggest areas for research to improve patient care? If so, are they allowed to design and carry out research projects with other professionals?
20. Can you give me an example of something you like, and dislike about working for this company?
21. What unique challenges has this unit faced over the last year? (i.e. successes, failures, etc.)
22. What sets this organization apart from it’s competitors?
23. How long is the orientation phase and what can I expect?
24. Will I work with one preceptor throughout or will I have several different preceptors?
25. Can the orientation phase be lengthened if I feel I need more time? If my preceptor feels I need more time?
26. How much of the orientation phase will be spent on the shift I will be working?

Source: hospitalsoup.com

31. What are the major training and development needs of the people in your department? How did you identify them? What are you doing about them?
32. Are there any techniques you have found useful in identifying particular subordinates’ needs and potentials? Tell me how they worked with a particular person.
33. What do you do differently than other managers? Why? Examples?
34. What is the farthest you’ve had to bend your standards in order to succeed?
35. What job duties would you like to avoid if at all possible?
36. Describe a time in which you weighed the pros and cons of a situation and decided not to take action, even though you were under pressure to do so?
37. All of us have been in situations where we assigned work to other people and they didn’t do what we intended. Can you tell me about some of those? What were the circumstances and how did you handle it?
38. Have you ever had problems in getting your subordinates to accept your ideas or department goals? What approach did you use? How effective was it?
39. Have you ever needed cooperation from groups that did not report to you? What did you do to gain cooperation? What were the satisfactions and disappointments?
40. Is there a trait or characteristic about you that you find is frequently misunderstood, that surprises you when you find out that people think that about you?
41. What 3 things do you hope to accomplish in your first year?
42. What do you expect of those who report to you? If candidate responds with a one word answer (for example saying, “support” you can probe further by asking the candidate to describe three behaviors that she/he would view as being supportive.
43. If you had an unfavorable plan (i.e., budget) to implement, what would you do to get the managers’ buy in and support?
44. With the current nursing shortage, what are two solutions you would like to see put in place?
45. What kind of support do you offer managers, directors and front-line staff, knowing the stress of the nursing shortage and the increasing acuity of our patients?
46. Tell us about a high level innovative idea/change that you implemented. Was it or was it not successful?

Source: hospitalsoup.com