How to hire medical assistants effectively
Medical Assistants are allied healthcare professionals who work full-time in clinics, hospitals, and physician’s offices on clinical and other administrative tasks such as scheduling appointments, measuring patient’s vital signs, collecting medical history, and maintaining inventory. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for medical assistants will grow by 14% in the next decade. This increase in medical assistant recruitment is because of the rise in the aging population seeking medical care, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. As the medical assistants perform routine clinical tasks and administrative duties, an increased workload is imposed on them, causing them to retire early or leave the workforce due to burnout. While hiring medical assistants, it is paramount to address these concerns to ensure a long-term hiring strategy.
What is the importance of Medical Assistants, and why should your facility hire only qualified providers?
As the first point of contact for patients, the role of medical assistants is critical in any healthcare setting. As mentioned above, medical assistants majorly perform two duties, i.e., administrative and clinical tasks. The administrative responsibilities will include maintaining patient records, billing, and scheduling appointments. By efficiently handling these tasks, medical assistants minimize delays and administrative errors, improving practice efficiency. When you hire medical assistants who are well-versed in using advanced technologies for electronic patient record-handling processes, your facility can streamline patient care delivery models.
Medical assistants also play a significant role in supporting physicians and other allied healthcare professionals. By having a diverse team, facilities can enhance patient satisfaction and team dynamics. The medical assistants also facilitate patient education and perform clinical tasks such as checking patients’ symptoms, administering medications, etc., with utmost care. Hence, it is important to have qualified medical assistants to ensure better patient care and operational efficiency.
Essential qualities to look for when hiring a Medical Assistant
When you hire medical assistants for your facility, it is essential to consider various aspects, such as professional qualifications, soft skills, and technical expertise, to guarantee that you are hiring the right talent. Here is a quick checklist of the essential qualifications and qualities to look for when hiring medical assistants.
- Professional competency is the most essential factor to consider when hiring a medical assistant. Verify the candidate has completed a post-secondary program and attained a medical assistant certification from a relevant institution. Also, check for the licensure guidelines of your state to avoid any future regulatory concerns.
- As medical assistants interact closely with patients and their caregivers, they must have good communication skills to explain procedures and address patient concerns.
- Organizational skills can be a plus for medical assistants as they will be dealing with the administrative tasks related to the facility.
- Other soft skills such as compassion, empathy, flexibility, integrity, and problem-solving ability are also substantial for the work of a medical assistant.
- Technical expertise and the mindset to learn can be extremely helpful in adapting to the evolving healthcare sector.
How do you conduct an effective Medical Assistant interview?
Many times, facilities fail to hire medical assistants because of not having a structured interview process to select the right talented candidate. Some effective strategies can be followed to hire suitable medical assistants for your facility. This structured interview process acknowledges all the aspects of the medical assistant’s skill sets and the essential qualities mentioned above. An effective interview for medical assistants can be conducted in three phases:
- Pre-interview phase: You must conduct an adequate background study on the medical assistant job market, the pay scale, and the technical expertise to be sought in the candidate. By analyzing these parameters, an efficient job advertisement can be crafted to attract top talent. Always make sure that the job description clearly describes the duties performed by the medical assistants at your facility.
- Interview phase: At the time of the interview, thoroughly check the medical assistant’s certifications, qualifications, license, and other skillsets of the candidate to ensure that you are hiring the right medical assistant for your facility. If necessary, behavioral interviews can be done to check the interpersonal skills of the candidate. It is also equally important to check for the cultural fit of the candidate as well while recruiting.
Post-interview phase: The post-interview phase is mainly about building a long-term hiring strategy to improve staff retention and reduce turnover rate. Proper policies and measures must be executed in the facility to create a supportive work environment. Providing flexible shifts, additional perks, and salary based on market standards will help to retain the right medical assistants for your facility.
Recruitment strategies to hire Medical Assistants
As we discussed above, building a long-term hiring strategy is essential to retain the recruited talent and overcome the medical assistant shortages. Here is a glance at some of the important recruitment strategies.
- Expand the mediums through which you recruit. Try associating with medical assistant staffing solutions providers, such as MedSquirrels.
- Provide a supportive work environment by implementing flexible shifts and emphasizing work-life balance.
- Ensure the cultural fit of the hired medical assistant.
- Provide career advancement opportunities such as cross-training and continuing education.
- Promote diversity and inclusiveness.
- Develop employee referral programs.
- Offer competitive salary and benefits.
- Implement employee recognition and reward policies.
Medical Assistants and patient satisfaction: building strong relationships
Facilities can invest in better long-term patient care by building strong, satisfactory relationships between medical assistants and patients. This improved patient satisfaction not only increases the reputation of the facility but also fosters a supportive care environment for the patients. This is especially beneficial in the case of long-term care of patients like the elderly or continuous-illness care patients. The following steps can be implemented to improve patient satisfaction and build a strong patient relationship.
- Actively listen to the patients and show empathy and compassion in overall interaction.
- Clearly explain the symptoms and provide proper advice as necessary.
- Maintain a positive and supportive attitude while interacting with patients.
- Respect the privacy and confidentiality of the patient information shared.
- Provide timely and accurate care in case of emergency.
- Follow up on the progress of the patient’s condition regularly.
- Seek feedback from patients on the care received.
With these steps, a good rapport can be built between the patients and the medical assistants to foster a positive healthcare environment.
Competitive compensation packages for Medical Assistants
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual pay of a medical assistant was $42,000 in 2023. They work in various settings, such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, physician’s offices, and specialized clinics. Medical assistants working in outpatient care centers earn comparatively higher salaries. Framing a competitive compensation package for medical assistants involves providing a well-rounded and comprehensive set of benefits along with salary. The comprehensive benefits can be monetary benefits such as referral bonuses, performance incentives, etc, and non-monetary benefits such as clear career progression paths and learning opportunities. By investing in these areas, you not only attract and retain talented medical assistants but also enhance their job satisfaction and performance.
Hiring Medical Assistants: legal and regulatory considerations
It is crucial to ensure that all legal and regulatory guidelines are followed to avoid future complications or implications for your facility. Here are some of the considerations you need to address when you hire medical assistants.
- Understand the scope of practice and detail it well in the job duties.
- Ensure the candidate satisfies all the license requirements to practice in the state where your facility resides.
- Thorough background verification for criminal or drug abuse history.
- Provide detailed training on the safety standards practiced in the facility.
- Ensure the license is renewed regularly.
- Verify the credibility of the medical assistant’s qualifications and experiences shown in the candidate’s resume.
Conclusion
Hiring medical assistants is a substantial investment in your healthcare facility’s efficiency and patient care quality. As a primary healthcare professional, adequate efforts must be made to hire well-qualified medical assistants for your facility. By understanding the role, defining your needs, crafting a detailed job description, and following a structured recruitment and onboarding process, you can find a skilled medical assistant for your facility. It is evident that this can be a time-consuming and complex process, but fret not; you can collaborate with an experienced medical assistant staffing solutions provider to hire the best talent for your facility while fulfilling all the above requirements.
MedSquirrels is a healthcare staffing platform that handles end-to-end clinical manpower recruitments. With our AI-based staffing platform, we can help you attract and hire top medical assistants based on your job specifications. From sourcing potential candidates to interviewing and onboarding them along with full compliance and credentialing checks, our platform can significantly reduce your time and efforts when you hire medical assistants. In addition to this, our staffing platform also offers cost savings while ensuring that your hired providers get competitive pay! Our platform achieves this by eliminating staffing agency markups, and it only charges a flat fee and the payroll costs of the hired worker. Book a demo today to learn more about the various hiring plans available at MedSquirrels.
