How would you respond to a physician who is being rude to the office staff who are your subordinates?

Being able to work well together is crucial in a medical office. As a medical office manager, the office staff are your immediate subordinates. However, the physician who is the medical director is the highest supervisory position within a clinic. When issues arise between office staff and the medical doctor, the medical office manager often acts as the go-between. The interviewer wants to know that you feel comfortable handling these types of situations and that you can do so with confidence and professionalism.

"For me, personally, being rude is never an option. As the medical office manager, my responsibility is to oversee the office staff and make sure that things run smoothly. Part of that responsibility is communicating well with the physicians. If I found out that a physician was being rude to one of my staff, I would ask for some time to discuss the issue with the physician and ask the employee to share his/her view of what happened. Resolving issues using professionalism and tact gets a lot further than allowing conflict to continue or escalate."