How to prepare for your medical scribe job interview

By Alex Natividad

Medical scribe job interviews can be daunting. If you do not have medical scribing experience, your best chance is to make sure that you are prepared for and reflected upon the following questions and can answer effectively. Below is an article and list of questions written by Alex Natividad, a ScribeConnect scribe who recently graduated from USC and is planning on attending medical school:

What are some of the key questions asked in a medical scribe job interview?

Jobs interviews vary from industry to industry, and from company to company. But there are certain questions that typically stand out when companies, clinics, or healthcare organizations look for medical scribes. Acing these questions does not guarantee that you will win the job offer, but it does prepare you to impress your hiring manager. The following 4 questions are some of the most often asked questions in a scribe interview.

• What past volunteer and work experience do you have? (especially if it’s in healthcare).
• What are your future plans and goals?
• How will this job help you achieve your goals?
• What skills make you a good fit for this job?

For more questions and answers about medical scribing, see our FAQ section here.

What past volunteer and work experience do you have? (especially if it’s in healthcare)

It is important that the hiring manager is aware of any prior experience that can make you an asset. Through this question you can show that you have skills such as teamwork, leadership, multitasking and time management.

What are your future plans and goals?

Being a medical scribe is usually considered a stepping stone onto a healthcare career such as a physician or physician assistant. This question will help the hiring manager know that you are serious about healthcare and patient care. Furthermore, it demonstrates that you have a passion for healthcare and helping the sick, with a goal-oriented mindset that’s important in the medical scribe field.

How will this job help you achieve your goals?

This question is similar to the previous one. They want to be assured that you have plans to pursue a career in healthcare and/or that you are willing to learn about healthcare and medicine. Medical scribe training can be rigorous, stressful, and time-consuming. Because a lot of time and effort is invested into new scribes, it is important to show that you are serious about the commitment to becoming a medical scribe.

What skills make you a good fit for this job?

This is a question where you can illustrate what skills you have such as organization, efficient typing, the ability to interact and communicate effectively, and the ability to adapt and perform well under pressure or in a stressful environment. They want to be reassured that you will be a good fit in a sometimes stressful environment that involves many of these skills.

Which company value stands out the most to you?

This is a question that is sometimes asked. It can demonstrate that you researched the company and therefore have interest in working there. It can also be used to demonstrate that you value their particular company in relation to others. Be sure to look at the company’s website for their core values.

About the Author

Alex Natividad is a scribe working for ScribeConnect at Adventist White Memorial Hospital Emergency Department. Alex recently graduated from USC in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. and Cinema and Television for Health Professions. Scribing is a relatively unknown position that provides many benefits to scribes and immense job satisfaction. This article hopes to help aspiring pre-health students help obtain a scribe position.

See our current list of scribe openings in your neighborhood here, or join our ScribeConnect platform.