Tell me about a time you had to deal with significant changes in your workplace. How did you manage those changes?
"During my years in college, I worked at a large grocery store as a cashier. After working there for one year, the company purchased a new touchscreen register system that replaced the old system I was familiar with. Knowing how much more efficiently and accurately I would be able to work when the changes came, I was happy when the announcement was made to our team of cashiers. Of course, others were not as happy as they'd have to learn a new system. For me, knowing how much the new system would help our work process made it easy to embrace the change. Moving forward, I fully understand how the healthcare world needs to embrace change on a regular basis and you'll find that I'm a person that can help lead change management among my peers."
"While I was in college, I worked in a medical office for extra credit. The corporation purchased some new equipment that was expected to help cut our time documenting significantly. When my manager announced that the new purchase was made and new equipment would be arriving in two weeks, I was shocked to see that many of the teammates reacted so negatively to that change. They were not happy that they would have to learn new equipment and were closed-minded in their perception of how the new technology would impact their routines. My manager appreciated the fact that I was the positive member of the team was able to calm my teammates down and help them see the good that would come once we all were trained on how to operate the new piece of equipment."
In any healthcare setting, change is inevitable. Technology, processes, leadership, laws, and organizations change on a regular basis and with change at a high level comes changes in work processes. For this question, it is important to stress how you are open to change when it makes the end results better for not only the patient but for those who work with you. As a medical office manager, you should be able to recognize changes that are needed and be prepared to address them with employees and provide any training necessary. Talk about a specific change you had to endure in the workplace and express how you embraced the change.
"In my previous employment roles, I have been a part of many changes that affected my day-to-day duties on the job. I have always embraced the technological changes and work process advancements because, in the end, they make our jobs easier, safer and better for the individual patients. The biggest change that I had to endure was an organizational merger when a private hospital I was working for merged with a larger health system. During this merger, my day-to-day work was flipped upside down from new computer systems to work on, a new work location, new leadership structure and a change in pay and benefits. With a focus on the end in mind and how great it was going to be to work for a much larger and well-established employer, I was able to be a positive influence on my team for helping others embrace the change and see the light at the end of the tunnel while changes were happening."
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