How to Hire a Medical Assistant

With employment opportunities for medical assistants growing, it's important to know how to hire a medical assistant.

Job opportunities for medical assistants are expected to increase 34 percent between 2008 and 2018 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. These assistants play an integral role in the healthcare team since they perform tasks such as recording medical histories, taking blood pressures and weighing patients. This frees up nurses and physicians to focus more on providing quality care for a patient. To ensure they get the right person for this position, it’s important for medical facilities to know how to hire a medical assistant.

Instructions

1. Advertise the position. Place a job advertisement in the local classifieds or on popular career websites such as Monster or CareerBuilder to advertise your medical assistant position. Contact instructors or advisers for students in medical assisting programs at local community colleges and technical schools. Encourage them to pass on the job openings to their students who are preparing to graduate from the program.

2. Check for education and experience. Review resumes and applications to learn which applicants have received training or worked as a medical assistant. Look for applicants who attended school, but got experience working as a medical assistant through internships, externships and part-time jobs.

3. Conduct interviews. Select two or three of the top applicants, and set up a time to interview them in person. Question them about their education and experience as well as their personal skills and traits. Determine which applicant would be the best person for the job based on their experience and how well they’ll fit in with current employees of the medical office. Check references before extending a job offer, or perform an online review of the person to ensure they aren’t lying or being unprofessional in their personal lives.

4. Complete the paperwork. Require the new medical assistant to complete the paperwork to be an employee. This is usually a W-4 form, I-9 form and state tax forms. Set up a time for the new employee to take a drug test if that is a condition of employment. Complete any benefit forms offered by the medical group such as health insurance, 401K plan or life insurance.

5. Provide orientation. Assign a mentor or supervisor to the medical assistant to provide an overview or orientation to the job and the facility where she is now employed. Teach her the policies and procedures for completing tasks and interacting with patients. Educate her about healthcare and patient privacy laws. Understand that the training and orientation process can take several weeks or months before medical assistants feel comfortable with their jobs.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Medical Assistants

Resources

• Internal Revenue Service: W-4 Form
• Internal Revenue Service: I-9 Form