9 Common Interview Questions for Entry Level Healthcare Jobs
April 16, 2019 | Career Blog
If you are looking for a position in the healthcare industry, it would be smart to know some common healthcare interview questions and to prepare solid answers for them. This will boost your confidence going into your interview and help you to leave a good impression on those considering you for the position.
Maybe you are just entering the field, or maybe it’s just time to look for a new job. Either way, it is always a good idea to plan for what’s next. We want to help you get ahead of the game! Keep reading for 10 common healthcare interview questions to plan for.
Common Healthcare Interview Questions and How to Answer
1. Tell me something about yourself.
Stay focused on the task at hand. Instead of going into details about your personal life, tell them a little about your background and what got you interested in the medical field. Take the opportunity to share some accomplishments that you made that inspired you to continue in this line of work. If you are new to the healthcare field, this is the perfect opportunity to talk about something in your personal life that sparked your interest in healthcare.
2. How much experience do you have?
Tell them where you have worked before, for how long and how that will prepare you for this job. Do some research and see if there are any ways that your past experience creates a connection to the company that you are applying for. For example, “A professor (include their name) I took a class with used to work for this clinic and always talks about it highly.”
3. What computer skills do you have?
Before you go to your interview, make a list of the different types of software that you have learned to use so that you can remember to name them when you are asked this question. Not having a lot of experience with software will not break your opportunity. However, having that experience will be beneficial, because you will require less technical training. Because of this, most employers like when candidates have experience using electronic health records (EHR) software.
4. Do you have experience with medical billing and coding?
If you do indeed have experience in this area, you will understand how valuable it is. Each insurance company has its own requirements and intricacies, so the more experience that staff has the better. If you have little experience here, still try to provide an encouraging answer. “I took an introductory online course in medical billing. We learned about the different types of billing systems and how to process claims for private insurance companies as well as Medicaid and Medicare.”
5. What is your process for following HIPAA protocol?
Healthcare protocols are important to any position at a clinic or hospital — from reception to physician. The interviewer will want to know that you are aware of important protocols, so be sure to go over the importance of patient privacy and the rules pertaining to it within HIPAA.
6. Have you ever taken patient histories and vital signs? How about working with prescriptions?
Depending upon the size of the clinic, this may be a part of your patient intake responsibilities. If you had any of these responsibilities in a previous job, hopefully you already included that on your resume. No matter what, the interviewer will want to know if this is something you are comfortable doing and how much you actually know about it.
7. Are you certified in CPR, First Aid, and AED?
These are also examples of things that should be included on your resume. Make sure to check that all of your certifications are still valid before you go to your interview. Even if you do not have a clinical role, these types of certifications can help demonstrate that you are serious about entering an administrative role in healthcare in particular.
8. Describe a difficult situation you encountered in this medical field and how you handled it.
You will be asked at least one or two scenario questions so that the interviewer can get an idea of your problem-solving skills and your attitude toward the work. Try to think of an appropriate situation that you can be completely honest about. Use an example that proves that you are able to handle things professionally and with courtesy and try to relate it to the job at hand. For example, if you are interviewing for a receptionist position and you don’t have experience, you could talk about a time in which you demonstrated customer service skills in a stressful situation.
9. Why are you applying for this job?
Make sure that you do research on this company and know the things about it that would be a good draw for someone like you. Employers like to know that you actually care about them and aren’t just trying to get a job wherever you can. Also, simply include why you like working in this type of role and what your hopes are for the future to show them that you plan on sticking around.
Allegiance is Here to Help
Need assistance finding a position in healthcare? Allegiance Staffing can help. Contact us today to learn how we can better prepare you for healthcare interview questions, as well as find a job that fits for you in the industry.