Healthcare Interview Preparation Guide

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The delivery of modern health care depends on groups of trained professionals and paraprofessionals coming together as interdisciplinary teams.

Primary care refers to the work of health professionals who act as a first point of consultation for all patients within the health care system. Such a professional would usually be a primary care physician, such as a general practitioner or family physician, a licensed independent practitioner such as a physiotherapist, or a non-physician primary care provider (mid-level provider) such as a physician assistant or nurse practitioner.

Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in human beings. Health care is delivered by practitioners in allied health, dentistry, midwifery (obstetrics), medicine, nursing, optometry, pharmacy, psychology and other health professions. It refers to the work done in providing primary care, secondary care, and tertiary care, as well as in public health.

Community rehabilitation services can assist with mobility and independence after loss of limbs or loss of function. This can include prosthesis, orthotics or wheelchairs.

A health system, also sometimes referred to as health care system or healthcare system is the organization of people, institutions, and resources to deliver health care services to meet the health needs of target populations.

The health care industry incorporates several sectors that are dedicated to providing health care services and products.

The key to answering this successfully is to incorporate your own career goals into the facility's purpose and mission. An appropriate answer might sound like this--I am impressed by Dr. Smith's work in the cardiology field; I have a strong interest in pediatric cardiology and wish to use my experience to mentor others by accepting a leadership position.

Since working in healthcare can be stressful, it's important to prove to the interviewer that you can handle stressful situations. The best way to answer this question is to give examples from a previous job where you handled a stressful situation well. In addition, you might want to mention ways you cope with stress in your everyday life. For instance, maybe you practice yoga, meditate, or lift weights.

There's bound to be a lot of competition for the healthcare positions you're applying for, so take some time to think about specific assets you have that can set you apart from other applicants. Share any awards or achievements, your future goals, and how you would be a positive addition to the facility. The main idea here is to point out your best qualities and job-related experiences in such a way that you'll stand out from the crowd.

Discussing money is always a bit tough. Be sure to do some research before you walk into the interview, and have some idea of the kind of salaries people with your level of education and experience typically make. Also, consider quoting a salary range instead of a set amount. That way, you will present yourself as having some flexibility and a willingness to negotiate. A sample answer may look like this--As a LPN for 5 years, I feel my salary should be in the $40,000-50,000 range.

It is interpreting that takes place in healthcare settings of any sort, including doctor's offices, clinics, hospitals, home health visits, mental health clinics, and public health presentations. Typically, the setting is an interview between a healthcare provider (doctor, nurse, lab technician) and a patient (or the patient and one or more family members). See comment above.

An individual, who has been assessed for professional skills, demonstrates a high level of proficiency in at least two languages and has the appropriate training and experience to interpret with skill and accuracy while adhering to the National Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice published by the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care.

A bilingual individual is a person who has some degree of proficiency in two languages. A high level of bilingualism is the most basic of the qualifications of a competent interpreter, but by itself does not insure the ability to interpret. A bilingual employee may provide direct services in both languages but, without additional training, is not qualified to serve as an interpreter.

Recognition of ethical issues, knowledge of ethical standards (a code of ethics) and ethical decision-making.

Ability to anticipate and recognize misunderstandings that arise from the differing cultural assumptions and expectations of providers and patients and to respond to such issues appropriately.

Knowledge of commonly used terms and concepts related to the human body; symptoms, illnesses, and medications; and health care specialties and treatments in each language, including the ability to interpret or explicate technical expressions.

Department of Health and Human Services Guidance to Federal Financial Assistance Recipients Regarding Title VI Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination Affecting Limited English Proficient Persons describes various options available for providing oral language assistance including the use of bilingual staff, staff interpreters, or contract interpreters…The guidance stresses that interpreters need to be trained and competent, though not necessarily formally certified, and discourages the use of friends and family members, particularly minors, as interpreters.

General proficiency in speaking and understanding each of the languages in which the applicant would be expected to work. (If multiple languages are involved, it is essential that the applicant's ability in each language be assessed, especially those in which the applicant may have more limited proficiency.)

A qualified interpreter is an individual who has been assessed for professional skills, demonstrates a high level of proficiency in at least two languages and has the appropriate training and experience to interpret with skill and accuracy while adhering to the National Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice published by the National Council on Interpreting in Health Care.

Many hospitals and health care organizations have an Interpreter Services Manager who is responsible for seeing that qualified interpreters are being provided by their organization. If there is a complication, the Compliance Office should be contacted.

In popular usage, the terms "translator" and "translation" are frequently used for conversion of either oral OR written communications. However, within the language professions, translation is distinguished from interpreting according to whether the message is produced orally (interpreting) or in writing (translation).

Bilingual staff are often used to interpret, without any assessment of their skills. In a recent study, a total of 840 dual-role staff interpreters were tested for Spanish (75%), Chinese (12%), and Russian (5%) language competence. Two percent did not pass, 21% passed at basic level, 77% passed at medical interpreter level. Staff that passed at the basic level was prone to interpretation errors, including omissions and word confusion. Thus, about 1 in 5 dual-role staff interpreters at a large health care organization had insufficient bilingual skills to serve as interpreters in a medical encounter. Health care organizations that depend on dual-role staff interpreters should consider assessing staff English and second language skills.

A certified interpreter is an interpreter who is certified as competent by a professional organization or government entity through rigorous testing based on appropriate and consistent criteria. Interpreters who have had limited training or have taken a screening test administered by an employing health, interpreter or referral agency are not considered certified.

The term Quaternary care is sometimes used as an extension of tertiary care in reference to advanced levels of medicine which are highly specialized and not widely accessed. Experimental medicine and some types of uncommon diagnostic or surgical procedures are considered Quaternary care.

Secondary care is the health care services provided by medical specialists and other health professionals who generally do not have first contact with patients, for example, cardiologists, urologists and dermatologists.