Medicine is one of the most sought-after professions in this world. Not only the pay is bright, but also the medical practitioners gain huge respect from the general society. Hospitals and similar medical centers hire some of the best medical professionals that cater and attend to their patients. These medical institutions appoint a medical practice manager whose primary responsibility is to manage, supervise and maintain the decorum of the institution. They hire staff, negotiate contracts, maintain the supply of equipment, handle all the employee grievances, resolve labor issues, etc.
It is a challenging job and you need to have complete all-around knowledge of finance, supervision, human resources, administration, policy development, etc. A medical practice manager gets a lucrative salary for his or her efforts. The interview sessions for this position are quite tricky as questions are deep and require thorough preparation. Candidates can ace their interview sessions by reading the best and frequently asked questions. A set of 21 such questions is mentioned below:
21 Best Interview Questions To Study
The Beginning Of An Interview Session
1. Tell Me Something About Yourself?
An interview session begins with this interview question. Prepare a good speech and cover all the vital elements, that are necessary to be shared.
Sample Answer
Sir, I am XYZ from ABC City. I did my schooling at XXXX school and owing to my good grades, I got an admission into prestigious AAAA College, from where I completed my graduation. Further, I also did an M. B. A in management from BBBB College along with a six-months of paid internship in medical practice management. I am a vivid reader of books, and love to play basketball and tennis.
2. How Will You Purchase Medical Supplies In Bulk Quantities At Competitive Rates?
This question tests your practical working knowledge.
Sample Answer
Sir, the best way to purchase quantities is by floating item-rate tenders in the open market. I would prepare a list of all the requirements along with their market rates. Post this, I would accept bids and choose the compatible supplier who will fulfill the conditions mentioned in the tender. Scrutiny of all the accepted bidders can be made and the lowest supplier can be chosen.
3. What Is Hyperkeratosis, Osteoporosis and Pellagera?
Being a medical practice manager, you have to have an excellent command over medical terminology and have an understanding of basic biology. There will always be questions from this sphere.
Sample Answer
Sir, all of these are diseases and illnesses that are caused due to the deficiency of different Vitamins. Further,
| Name of disease | Symptoms | Caused due to deficiency of |
| Hyperkeratosis | It is a skin-related disease. The outer layer of the skin thickens, due to uncontrolled overgrowth of Keratin. | Vitamin A |
| Osteoporosis | This is a bone disease, in which bones lose their density and become more prone to fractures, due to loss of strength. | Vitamin D |
| Pellagra | It is a brain-related disease, in which human memory is weakened. | Vitamin B3 |
4. What Do You Mean By Broca’s Area and Wernicke’s Area?
Being a medical practice manager, you have to have an excellent command of medical terminology and have an understanding of basic biology. There will always be questions from this sphere.
Sample Answer
Sir, these are:
| Name of the area | Use |
| Broca’s Area | This part is responsible for all the motor speeches. |
| Wernicke’s Area | This part is responsible for all the sensory reception and interpretation of speech. |
5. Assume That There Is A Mass Strike Of Employees Over The Monetary Issues, Primarily Wages and Salary. How Will You Resolve It?
Being a medical practice manager, you will be supposed to handle and manage all the employee-related issues.
Sample Answer
Sir, employees grieve and complain over their monthly payments. If the issues are not handled in the first place then it can lead to mass strikes and even resignations from employees. Communication is the best way to resolve these issues. I will have a long, session-wise, and well-directed conversation with the union leader so as to understand their demands comprehensively. I would carry and pass their demands to the management after making a presentation. Post this, I would try to break even and try to crack a deal.
6. Managing An Inventory Of Consumables and Medical Supplies Is Necessary. How Can You Manage Stock Levels?
This question checks your practical working knowledge.
Sample Answer
Sir, for a medical institution, a steady supply of consumables and other medical requirements is quite necessary and is of prime importance. In order to do so, I will take the help of inventory management software, and would monitor the supply levels on a daily basis. Further, I would derive an optimal order quantity and level of buffer stock.
7. How Do You Handle The Complaints Of Disgruntled Patients?
This question tests your complaint handling ability and approach.
Sample Answer
Sir, the satisfaction of patients is necessary for a medical institute to achieve success and remain profitable. It is common for patients to become discontent at hospitals. Hence, in order to manage this issue, I always use my active listening skills and try to understand the problems of the patients completely. Post this, I analyze and think critically so as to develop an amicable resolution. I extend it to the patients and usually, they agree, with a few negotiations.
8. As A Medical Practice Manager You Have To Perform Several Duties. Can You List Some?
This question checks how well you understand your profession.
Sample Answer
Sure, sir, These are:
- Hiring employees and staff members so as to conduct business operations
- Oversee billing, housekeeping, and accounts section of the medical institution
- Ensure that all the employees are committed and are performing duties to the best of their abilities
- Engage in business development works and negotiate contracts with vendors.
9. What Are Your Weaknesses?
This is a common interview question and is asked in almost all the interview sessions held across the world. The best way to answer this question is by scrutinizing your personality and noting down your weaknesses that do not impact the primary requirements of this job.
Sample Answer
Sir, no one is perfect in this world and everybody has a few weaknesses. There should be no shame in accepting this. Sir, I am a person who is not detail-oriented and I do not gather a lot of information before initiating any particular project. Sometimes, this affects my performance. However, I am on course to remove this deficiency and have even joined an online professional development course of 3 months duration.
10. In The Field Of Medicine, “Quality” In Operations Matter A Lot. How Do You Interpret The Term “Quality”?
This is a word-based interview question and you are supposed to interpret the term “quality”. Share your own version of understanding and try to give a unique answer.
Sample Answer
Sir, In my humble opinion, “quality” is achieved when the employees are able to perform a task which leads to satisfaction of the clients and also matches the established benchmarks.
11. Describe About A Time When You Showed Commitment At Your Workplace.
This is a situation-based interview question that requires you to share a practical work experience.
Sample Answer
Sir, I am a loyal, dedicated, and committed employee and have numerous such instances. However, I would like to quote an instance from my previous tenure. I was told to work upon an additional urgent project at a very quick deadline. This increased my workload tremendously but I showed courage and accepted the challenge. For 2 months, I worked for more than 12 hours a day at my office, which shows my commitment levels towards the company’s projects.
The Middle Phase Of An Interview Session
12. What Is Your Ethical Team Culture?
Nowadays, most business organizations prefer to work in a team setup. They divide the employees on the basis of the nature of tasks, skills, and education level of the employees in separate teams. Through this question, an interviewer wants to know what are the various qualities or attributes that you expect your team members to have.
13. Managers Sometime Fail and Cut A Sorry Figure At Their Workplaces. How Do You Manage Your Failures?
Failures have a devastating impact upon the human mind and it crushes the confidence level of the employees. This affects their work severely, and ultimately the business organization becomes a victim. Thus, an interviewer always asks during an interview session about the various techniques and strategies that you follow to manage your work-related failures.
14. Working As A Generalist, All Your Skills Are Tested. What Can You Offer Us That Someone Else Cannot?
This is an advanced version of the “What are your strengths?” interview question. Through this question, an interviewer wants to know about your special skills and abilities that give you a competitive edge over the other candidates. The best way to answer this question is by reading the job description thoroughly and understanding the primary requirements. Post this, draft a perfect answer and showcase your importance.
15. Medical Institutions Usually Possess A Hectic and Stressful Working Environment. How Do You Manage Your Stress Levels?
Stress management is a common expectation of business organizations and you must answer this question positively. As an ideal response, just share a few techniques and strategies that you adopt to manage your stress. Deep breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, positive pep talk are common strategies adopted to alleviate stress levels.
16. What Motivates You To Work?
We all are motivated by a few personal factors that prompt us to work hard at our workplace. An interviewer is interested in knowing these factors for the purposes of personality evaluation and behavior assessment. Give a genuine reply to this question, which is logical.
17. Medical Practice Managers Are Supposed To Perform Several Tasks and Duties. How Do You Prioritize?
This question requires you to share your prioritization technique. Usually, employees prefer to arrange their tasks on the basis of time consumption and difficulty level of the tasks. This is an important question and you must adopt and follow a prioritization technique so as to be successful in an organization.
The Tail Of An Interview Session
18. Why You Chose Us?
Through this question, an interviewer wants to know about your level of commitment and seriousness towards the business organization. The official website of the company is the best source to prepare for this question and you must note all the historical achievements, accomplishments, and facts from there. Add your personal interests in your notes and prepare a perfect response.
19. What Are Your Salary Expectations?
It is common for the interviewers to ask about your salary expectations during an interview session itself. The salary that you will quote must be based on some diligent market research of the industry to which you belong. Identify a mean salary, and base your response on the same.
20. When Can You Start Working With Us?
This is a non-technical interview question and only your expected date of start is being asked for. This question in no way guarantees your selection, rather you have to only share a quote of your availability. Immediate starters are always preferred but you are requested to refrain from sharing any fake date of start.
21. Do You Have Any Questions For Us?
An interview session concludes with this question and whenever you encounter this question, be assured that your big day has ended and you can now go home. In order to make your ending perfect, always attempt this question and ask a few relevant counter questions, based on the model questions mentioned below:
Model Questions
- What are the various health incentives that are offered by the medical institution to its managerial employees?
- Is it the policy of the company to offer subsidies and concessional medical treatments, known as staff discount to its regular employees?
- What are some of the unique features of this medical institute?
Download the list of questions in .PDF format, to practice with them later, or to use them on your interview template (for Medical Practice Manager interviews):
References
- https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/wk/acm/2020/00000096/00000008/art00042
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=gtRJEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Top+21+Medical+Practice+Manager+Interview+Questions+in+2021+%5Bwith+Answers%5D+&ots=EeaZ9PTeiR&sig=aiv8G8Y0qPKcGD9xjKvlrYn1fY0
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Sandeep Bhandari is the founder of PrepMyCareer.com website.
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