How to interview a virtual medical assistant: five things to listen for

1. A commitment to getting better

Ask: “Tell me about something you got better at in your last job. What did you change?” Listen for a specific change they made, not a general claim that they work hard.

2. A willingness to learn

Ask: “What was the last tool or system you had to learn? How did you learn it, and how long until you were comfortable?” A good answer names the system, the steps they took and how they checked their work. If they have not used your EHR, how they learn matters more than whether they know it.

3. A team player

Ask: “Tell me about a time you helped a teammate or covered for them.” A remote assistant works on your team, so listen for how they talk about colleagues.

4. English at the task

Give them a task and ask them to talk it through: “A patient messages that they cannot reach the office and want to change an appointment. Walk me through what you do.” Listen for clear, calm English at the pace of a real call, and for the initiative to speak up. A candidate who stays quiet in English during an interview will not be easier on the job. If many of your patients speak Spanish, hear part of the exchange in Spanish too: our candidates speak both languages, and hearing it yourself tells you how they sound to a patient.

5. Commitment to the role

Ask plainly: “Do you have any plans in the next twelve months, such as studying, a residency application or moving, that could affect this job? Do you have another job now, and what hours? Could you commit to at least a year?” Listen for plans that interfere with the role, and for another job whose hours overlap yours, where someone would work in both places at once.

What to do with the answers

Match the questions to the work you need. For insurance, ask how they would check a patient’s eligibility before a referral. For quality, ask which quality measures they have worked with and in which tools. An Experienced candidate has done this task, or similar work, in US healthcare, so they should answer with specifics.

Candidates who do not clear our testing and the recruiter interview never reach you, and the CV, voice introduction and interview scorecard come to you before you spend a minute interviewing. The medical assistant role page says what the role handles and what we ask you for.