Medical Scribe Intervew

[Dr. Teddy]

I just had an interview for a medical scribe position at Florida Hospital. This is a big deal for me because this could be my first chance finally stepping into the medical field so I have been freaking out trying prepare for this interview. However, I have this really bad habit of being highly critical of myself to a fault and I believed I screwed up in the interview because of this weakness.

There were two interviewers which was the first thing that threw me off. Second, I stuttered a lot due to my nerves, though I did make direct eye contact to both interviewers. Third, they asked me three things to rate myself on scale of 1-10, medical terminology(6), handwriting(9), and grammar(9). I am especially upset about how I rated myself on medical terminology because I have already take medical terminology and anatomy and physiology before. I did state that I am a quick learner and could easily soak up the information, but I don't think that phased them. I am wondering if anyone on the other end of the hiring process could give me some tips and future advice as well as let me know if I could still have a chance of getting the job. Current medical scribes and anyone else who wants to post are welcome.

Thank you for taking the time to read this long post

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[absie107]

Current scribe here. At this point, since you've already had your interview, you can only sit back and wait to see if they hire you. It sounds like you are overthinking a lot of this, which is understandable to a point, but if you feel you were so critical of yourself during your interview that you couldn't project confidence, then maybe in the future you could do some practice interviews with people you know so that you can work on improving this. In terms of the interview you just had... What's the worst thing that could happen? They don't hire you. If that happens, the world will not have ended. If that happens, ask your interviewers politely what you could do to improve, take that to heart, and then either reapply down the road or look for other scribe/clinical positions in your area.

I used to conduct interviews at my site, and I was generally looking for people who were enthusiastic, flexible, fast learners, fast typists, and resourceful. Even if you knew NO medical terminology going in, as long as you were committed to learning, that was most important. I would think your interviewers may give you the benefit of the doubt and hire you, because frankly, you don't know how a person will do as a scribe based on their resume, or even their interview. Some of the most well-spoken, seemingly wonderful people in interviews made terrible scribes, and some people who were nervous/less talkative in interviews made great scribes. Best of luck to you.

 

[holdthemayo]

It's too late to do anything now, so take a deep breath and relax. For what it's worth, I was nervous and felt like I blew my interview for my scribe position as well. I normally interview very well, but for some reason I was really awkward. I didn't get the job. A couple of months later another position opened up and I got that one. Will that happen for you? I have no idea. The point is, it's too late to change anything and it may not be nearly as bad as you think it was.

If you don't get the job, chalk it up as a learning experience.

 

[The Best Psychiatrist]

Current medical scribe here.
The interview's over, don't sweat it. If you convinced them that you're a fast learner, communicative, and confident, you'll likely get the job. If not, you probably won't get the job. Which is fine, just apply for another medical scribe position. They're always open and hiring somewhere. I didn't get my first medical scribe position, due to overconfidence and not learning the required material fast enough.
What you need to work on is your interviewing skills. Whoever's hiring you will think "If he/she is too nervous for this interview, they'll likely be too nervous to communicate effectively when working alongside adult professionals". Plus interview skills will go a long way; it'll be needed for medical school and beyond.
Best of luck. You will learn A LOT as a medical scribe. Just don't slow the doc down.

 

[kwright26]

Do what you would do for any other interview. Send a thank-you email to the hiring person and see what happens. I thought I bombed both interviews I've had with my current scribe company and I was hired. I am self-critical just like you described and it led me to building my own system for keeping myself organized and efficient, and now I am a scribe trainer at my site. And if you don't get hired, apply again to some other sites. It's worth the persistence.

 

[oOKawaiiOo]

However, I have this really bad habit of being highly critical of myself to a fault and I believed I screwed up in the interview because of this weakness.

There were two interviewers which was the first thing that threw me off. Second, I stuttered a lot due to my nerves, though I did make direct eye contact to both interviewers. Third, they asked me three things to rate myself on scale of 1-10, medical terminology(6), handwriting(9), and grammar(9). I am especially upset about how I rated myself on medical terminology because I have already take medical terminology and anatomy and physiology before. I did state that I am a quick learner and could easily soak up the information, but I don't think that phased them. I am wondering if anyone on the other end of the hiring process could give me some tips and future advice as well as let me know if I could still have a chance of getting the job. Current medical scribes and anyone else who wants to post are welcome.

1) If youre being self critical to improve, then keep it up. If it affects your performance and confidence, then lose it. Life is already hard, dont make it harder for yourself.
2) Work on your confidence. Making eye contact and having fluent sentences are important. Practice. Practice.

I'm currently a scribe and came into this business with ZERO experience. What helped was that I was determined and motivated. There are plenty of videos and books that focus on building interviewing skills (e.g. Youtube)