What to Look For When Hiring Your Next Medical Assistant

Adding a medical assistant to your health care team comes with benefits. But finding a high-quality medical assistant isn’t always as easy as it sounds, especially when you’re looking for a candidate with diverse experience and knowledge.

Here are a few qualifications to look for when hiring the right medical assistant for your practice.

Certifications

In addition to a degree from an accredited school, the American Association of Medical Assistants is a reputable organization that ensures a medical assistant has the knowledge necessary to perform their role. In addition, if your state requires that medical assistants be licensed, education from a credentialed school is an important consideration.

Experience

Direct patient care experience includes knowledge regarding measuring patient vitals, administering injections, and working with patients. Prior patient care experience help reduce the length of onboarding and training before joining your medical team.

Administrative Skills

Skills like knowledge in scheduling and maintaining electronic medical charts can help your practice maintain compliance. Even office skills like ordering and replenishing supplies can keep your practice running smoothly. Customer service is a priority as well, and not only from a patient standpoint, but professional interaction with insurance companies and pharmacies can ensure you’re fully leveraging your medical assistant position.

Soft skills

Although it can be a little more difficult to assess, soft skills such as problem-solving and effective communication can give a medical assistant the ability to successfully navigate fast-paced environments with minimal direction. Also, if the candidate possesses a high degree of teamwork and work ethic, it can ensure that they’ll positively impact patient experience at your facility.

Adaptability is also an essential quality to consider when hiring a medical assistant. You want to feel confident that the candidate can transition between patient care and administrative roles in a fast-paced environment.

Arbor Associates

If you work in health care, education, behavioral health, health care administration, or one of the many caring professions, the staff at Arbor Associates can help your organization. The recruiters at Arbor will do more than find you a bunch of candidates; we’ll find you the right candidates who are qualified for the position. Reach out with your staffing needs today!