Here are some common interview questions for a Patient Care Technician:

• What experience do you have working in a healthcare setting?
  • I have worked as an EMT in patient transport and I currently work as a medical scribe. I have also volunteered as an assistant in the electrophysiology lab 2 semesters ago. I mainly did a lot of stocking and making sure all the rooms had supplies.
• What kind of personal care tasks have you performed in the past?
  • When I was working as an EMT, while I didn’t have many “emergencies” I did do basic care tasks on a daily basis like taking vitals, lifting and moving patients, and administering oxygen via a nasal cannula if needed.
• How do you handle difficult patients or situations?
  • Personally, I try to remain as calm and controlled as possible. Neither I, the patient, nor the situation is going to benefit from me losing my cool. Then I think the best approach with a patient is showing them empathy. They’re in a hospital because something is wrong and they’re most likely frustrated or upset because they’re not feeling well or want to be heard. So show them that you understand, are listening, and are willing to help. But also, I know when certain situations may be beyond my capabilities, so asking for help is also something I would do.
• What would you do if a patient was experiencing a medical emergency?
  • The first thing would be to alert their nurses. Then I would assess what’s wrong with them, and do my best with the BLS knowledge that I have until someone with higher qualifications came along.
• How do you maintain patient privacy and confidentiality?
  • Making sure not to speak about a patient's personal or medical history with anyone other than their care team. Making sure not to leave patient records out in the open.
• What is your experience with electronic health records?
  • I currently work as a medical scribe here so I know the basics of using Epic that VCU uses. If there’s anything else, I’m sure I can quickly learn and get the hang of it.
• How do you prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively?
  • I like scheduling and outlining my day. To-do lists are my favorite thing, whether if it’s in the notes app, stick note, or just a mental to-do list. It helps me keep on track and get what I need to do.
• Can you give an example of a time when you had to work as part of a team to provide patient care?
  • When I was working as an EMT, I was always part of a team in one way or another. I had a partner every day. Whenever I started the day, my partner and I would go through the patients for the day. We worked in transport, so 70% we already had a list of schduled transports so those we would go over, and what role we would play, what we would do. When we picked up and dropped off a patient, we had to make sure to communicate with dispatch all of our times. We would work with the facilities to recive the patients and then drop off the patient. I remember this one specific time, we had a very elderly patient we were transporting, in the middle of transport he started having difficulty breathing, and we had to put him on a nonrebreather. My partner at the time, was in the front of the ambulance driving, so I had to let her know, and also call and give report to the hospital.
• How do you ensure you are providing quality care to patients?