Medical Scribe Interview Tips

[CuriousGeorge88]

Hi everyone,

 

I have a job interview for a medical scribe position in a few days and I was wondering if anyone had any interview tips that they would like to share.

I've been waiting a long time for this type of HCE and I'm really nervous that I may blow it. :sweat:

 

I am HORRIBLE at interviews and need all the help I can get.

 

Questions:

1. What kind of questions do they typically ask?

2. Are the interviews intense (in your opinion)?

3. What type of person are they looking for?

 

 

Thanks for your help. :smile:

[ToppDog]

1. They will ask typical interview questions for any job in a medical setting, with some specific to scribing.

 

2. I seriously doubt it. That will depend on the interviewer.

 

3. Someone who can type fast, knows medical terminology well, & looks & acts professional.

 

Any other requirements will depend on additional job expectations, not all scribes purely scribe. Some are MA's or LPN's etc who do duties related to their titles in addition to scribing.

[Guest]

Hey!

I was a scribe before PA school and my interview was really chill so I am not sure how it will compare to yours. I was in the exact same situation as you. I had 2 scribe interviews and was really nervous. I got the better job (better hospital, hours, and pay) but didn't get the other, worse option.

 

Show that you are TRULY passionate about it and that you have full availability. Say holidays are not a problem at all. Don't make yourself look like a know-it-all or that you don't think scribing is a real job. You won't believe how many people don't take it seriously. One guy started working with us and didn't want to chart anything! The other never showed up for work! Just put yourself on the lowest level possible and show respect to your interviewer and everyone who you might have to interact with in ER.

 

If you care, the interview for scribing job I didn't get involved an UNEXPECTED group interview where you had to make yourself stand out, stupid patient-doctor-scribe roleplaying games, and and unexpected test on information they showed us in power points earlier. Such BS! I was not impressed.

[Will352ns]

^^^This^^^

 

Do not....DO NOT...hint that the job is somehow a stepping stone. You are applying to be a scribe....not getting HCE for PA school. Know it, love it, embrace it...scribing is your thing and you want to be a great scribe.

 

Good Luck

[Guest]

^^^This^^^

 

Do not....DO NOT...hint that the job is somehow a stepping stone. You are applying to be a scribe....not getting HCE for PA school. Know it, love it, embrace it...scribing is your thing and you want to be a great scribe.

 

Good Luck

 

Totally. I remember them asking me I wanted to go to med school or PA school. If they ask you that you could say something like what I said: "PA school but I am not sure when I will apply yet. I just want to work for now."

[beattie228]

Totally. I remember them asking me I wanted to go to med school or PA school. If they ask you that you could say something like what I said: "PA school but I am not sure when I will apply yet. I just want to work for now."

 

 

Completely agree. Using vague timelines will only work in your favor. If asked about your future plans I'd say something like "I'm interested in a medical professional program later on down the road, but for now I really want to experience what it's like to work with a healthcare team." If you're not asked, I would advise to err on the side of caution and just not mention your future plans. It's understood most scribes aren't doing it for a career, but the interviewer is not interested in your future plans. He/she has a position to fill and is looking for someone who will make everyone's life a bit easier.

 

My two cents to you would be to make sure the program(s) of your choice accept scribe as HCE. Scribe is considered HCE at some places, and others won't touch your application if that's the only experience you have. I'm certainly not knocking the scribe profession, but you'd hate to find out what you thought was HCE doesn't count at the program you're interested in.

[PAorBUST]

I used to be one of the people conducting the interviews and the intensity of the interview is pretty proportional to how long the site has been established. At the beginning they'll take just about anyone, but more established sites are extremely hard to get into. At the interview they want to make sure you are sociable but professional, as you have to be a part of the "ED team" and communicate regularly with the medical staff while still getting your work done. When I interviewed people I wanted to see how much they knew about what the scribe job entails (i.e. typically no hands on contact with the patient, work holidays/nights) and how flexible they are with the schedule. The interviewers also want to make sure that the medical field is your "passion"... the ER can get pretty crazy and if you're not interested in medicine you won't survive. I agree with the above posts about setting a vague timeline on when you're going to apply, the training process is pretty expensive so they want to keep you around as long as possible (working as many shifts as possible).

 

I know it's easier said then done, but relax. They want to see how you work under pressure so sometimes they'll grill you to see if you can handle it and roll with the punches.

 

Good luck! Feel free to PM me -- I worked in the upper management of one of the top scribe companies for a couple of years prior to PA school.

[CuriousGeorge88]

Thanks for all your help, you guys! I got the job!! :=D:

[Will352ns]

Well done.

[Lemon Bars]

OOO boy I guess I blew it when I applied for scribe positions. I was completely honest about wanting to gain HCE for PA school. One position I didn't get and the other I haven't heard from yet. Why am I so open and honest all the time - I need to learn to play the game I guess.