16 Interview Questions to Prepare You for a Medical Office Administration Role  

Anyone who sits through multiple interviews for similar positions is bound to hear the same handful of questions reoccurring in slightly different forms. Hopefully, these experienced interviewees will also note the many benefits that come with anticipating commonly asked questions and being better prepared to answer them. 

But what are the best questions to use in preparation for an interview for a medical office administrator position? Read on to learn more about the medical office administration career path and the specific interview questions that might aid you as you interview for positions in this field. 

What Is a Medical Office Administrator? 

Even the most clinically advanced of doctors may have no idea how to run a medical office. This is where medical office administrators come in. In short, medical office administrators are responsible for ensuring the smooth and efficient daily operations of a medical practice or facility. 

What Does a Medical Office Administrator Do? 

The specific duties of a medical office administrator might include managing patient charts and records, handling billing and insurance matters, transferring lab results, scheduling patient appointments, taking patient histories and comments before appointments, working the front desk, answering incoming phone calls, and generally facilitating communication between patients and medical professionals. 

Medical Office Administration Interview Questions 

If you’re interested in pursuing a career as a medical office administrator, you will have to interview for the position. Here are 16 questions you will likely encounter during the interviewing process and some brief advice on how to answer them. 

1. As a medical office assistant, how do you ensure that you’re following ethical guidelines when working and interacting with patients and patient information?

While providing your answer to this question, be sure to demonstrate a firm understanding of the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. 

2. How would you rate your skillset with basic mathematics related to accounting? 

Be concrete in your response by citing all academic mathematics and accounting coursework you’ve taken as well as professional positions in which these areas were a primary concern. 

3. Give me an example of when you experienced a challenge with patient billing and how you solved it. 

This is a perfect example of a critical incident question, which asks respondents to provide an account of a real-life situation they’ve encountered. Try to come into the interview with a personal narrative that showcases your critical-thinking skills, your ability to stay calm under pressure, or your adherence to best practices in terms of customer service. 

4. What is your experience with diagnostic testing and preparing patients for various medical exams? 

Again, specificity is essential when answering this question. If you lack a tremendous amount of experience in this area, you may want to use this as an opportunity to share a story about an on-topic critical incident during which you performed well. 

5. Describe a time when you dealt with a difficult patient and how you handled it. 

This is a critical incident question (or, in this case, prompt) that you will want to anticipate. Choose to share a story that showcases your empathy, professionalism, and conflict-resolution skills. 

6. Why do you want to work for our medical office? 

This question highlights the supreme importance of researching your prospective new employer before showing up for an interview. Use this question to highlight one or more positive characteristics unique to the organization that spoke to you during your research.

7. Describe your experience working with electronic medical records (EMR). 

To let your interviewer know that you are proficient in electronic medical recordkeeping, bring up the specific software platforms with which you are familiar. 

8. Please go over your proficiency with office administrative tasks. 

While it is always important to be as specific as possible with your answers, this question requires a broad list of skills in areas that might include recordkeeping, billing, scheduling, and communication, as well as the ability to operate and maintain office equipment that might range from copiers to fax machines. 

9. Describe a time you had a disagreement with a coworker and how you handled the situation. What was the outcome? 

This critical incident question gives you a tremendous amount of latitude to showcase an incident that demonstrates your problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills. While a healthcare office-related story may be preferable, feel free to choose any story from your past that showcases your abilities in these areas. 

10. What is your method for keeping an office budget? 

Cite your established academic and professional accounting experience, showcasing your knowledge of basic budgeting calculations and principles. 

11. How do you build relationships with patients so that they feel calm and at ease when coming in for a visit? 

Acknowledge that many patients experience very real anxieties and fears, even for very ordinary doctor’s visits. Then present a few tactics or outline your general approach to handling these situations. 

12. Please go over your experience taking patient medical histories and vitals. 

Taking patient medical histories is often an essential daily function of a medical office administrator, so you should have plenty of experience to share in this area.

13. What is your primary goal when providing patient care? 

Although discussing compassion and customer service is key here, this question is also meant to test your knowledge of available services and your ability to communicate effectively. Therefore, you should carefully consider your knowledge of medical products and services, as well as your ability to deliver verbal and written information. 

14. How would you describe the main responsibilities of a medical office assistant? 

Think about the spectrum of administrative, technical, and customer relations processes that you must perform every day when answering this question.

15. Explain how you would handle a patient scheduling conflict. 

Begin answering this question by acknowledging that you understand how problems of this kind might occur. Then proceed with an answer highlighting your problem-solving, decision-making, and diplomacy skills. For example, you might want to start by calling all double-booked patients to apologize, explain, and determine who might be able to reschedule for a later time. 

16. Please describe a time when you needed to show outstanding professionalism in the workplace. 

This open-ended critical incident prompt gives you massive leeway when it comes to generating a response. Try to come into the interview with a good story in mind. 

Becoming a Medical Office Administrator 

To find success in the field of medical office administration, you’ll need to back up your interviewing skills with essential technical and general business skills that range from patient billing and customer service to specific medical terminology and technical literacy. 

Learn More Today 

To acquire the knowledge and experience necessary to work as a medical office administrator, you should complete a quality training program through a reputable educational institution. The medical office administrator online program at MedixOnline draws upon more than 50 years of dedicated healthcare training to offer small group classes and one-to-one faculty support.