Ever considered how hiring the right office staff can affect your practice’s success?

Ask most physicians, and you will find a similar answer. Office staff is crucial to the financial, social and cultural success of your group.

If only it were as easy as advertising or asking around. The trouble is it’s difficult to find that right person. Instead of finding the staff member that can complete your office, an ineffective interview may result in the person that is bad for office dynamics and economics.

This article will discuss what you need to know before and during interviews to find that dream teammate.

Do you know what you need?

Think about it. Chances are that that you have been for some time. Perhaps your practice has grown, and your existing staff is overworked. Or perhaps you’ve instituted some new policies and procedures, and additional staff will be needed to make it work.

Ideally, you have reached the decision to hire staff after consulting with your current staff, especially your medical office manager. Now take it one step further. What will new staff be doing?

Before advertising or recruiting, it is essential to have a job description that is agreed upon by the office. To do this, think about your ideal candidate. What would you like help with? What kind of person will be able to help you with this? What qualities will the candidate need? What kind of experience will be needed to perform the office tasks you have designated?

Organizing your thoughts (and your manager's input) on these issues will guide your search. For example, if you are looking for someone with certain types of experience, perhaps you should advertise on health career boards, or send out some feelers within your personal network. If you are looking for someone with certain qualities and medical experience is not as necessary, you can cast a wider net. Consider newspaper classifieds, job boards, and more.

Finally, along with a job description, be sure to have some idea of salary in mind. If you prefer, this figure does not need to be advertised, but it will help narrow down candidates.

---

Online Nursing Degrees - programs available for continuing professional education (EarnMyDegree.com).

---