10 Physician Assistant Interview Questions and Answers

Updated on: April 3, 2022

An interview for the position of physician assistant will require you to make your medical skills visible.

As a physician assistant, you will be working under the supervision of a physician and will be needed to handle patient examinations, diagnose injuries, and prescribe medication.

You will also be responsible for reviewing patients’ histories and handling administrative tasks such as recording patient information, scheduling appointments, and doing follow-ups.

Questions related to these tasks might be asked in an interview.

At an interview for Physician Assistant position, you will be highly tested on your knowledge of basic patient evaluation and associated administrative work.

Since all medical professionals have specific interests in the type of healthcare setting they want to work in, you might be asked about your choice.

Depending on what it is that you eventually want to work in, you may talk about therapeutic health care, disease prevention, or diagnosis.

Some questions that may be put to you when you appear for a physician assistant interview are given below, along with answers that the interviewer will want to hear.

Physician Assistant Interview Questions and Answers

1. What relevant experience have you had as a physician assistant?

I have worked as a physician assistant for three years in an orthopedic facility. During this time, I have been involved in assisting physicians with the evaluation, management, and treatment of patients.

I have been specially trained in emphasizing health promotion and disease prevention and have been quite involved in the diagnosis of diseases.

2. What were your typical work duties as a physician assistant?

I had been responsible for taking medical histories, conducting physical exams, diagnosing treatments, ordering, and interpreting tests, and developing treatment plans.

3. Why did you opt to work as a physician assistant and not get training in a specific medical field?

I have always known my limitations and did not opt for a specific medical field because I felt that I would never be able to do justice to it. Since the medical field is not about trial and error, I decided to opt for something that I could do within the field of medicine.

4. Which certifications do you currently possess that make you eligible for a physician assistant’s position?

I am currently BCLS and PALS certified.

5. As a physician assistant, what skills do you believe are necessary?

One needs to be able to evaluate patients in a clinical setting, interpret diagnostic imaging studies, and possess insight that will help in assisting physicians through procedures.

It is also essential to maintain exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, along with the ability to work with diverse groups of providers across the healthcare continuum.

6. On a scale of 1 to 10, where would you place preventative care? Why?

A definite 10! This is because preventative care is better than treatment. If for instance, patients are not vaccinated for dangerous diseases initially, when a disease attacks, it is often challenging to create treatment plans which work 100%.

7. Where do you feel physician assistants are most needed?

Everywhere. Physician’s offices, hospitals, nursing facilities, rural health centers, educational facilities, and even correctional centers.

8. What areas have you studied during your education? Which of them has taken your fancy? Why?

Emergency medicine, pediatrics, internal medicine, general surgery, and gynecology are some of the areas that I have covered during my education. What interests me most is pediatrics as I feel that there is so much to this avenue that the medical world is clueless about.

Childhood diseases eventually turn into unmanageable problems in adulthood, and it is here that I want my medical career to be concentrated.

9. How would you contribute to a physician’s effectiveness on a typical workday?

In a physician assistant role, I am continually identifying patient care issues, handling information pertinent to deliberations, and recommending courses of action. Other than this, I must implement the physician’s directives.

10. In this role, physician assistants often come close to terminally ill patients. How do you deal with the emotional involvement in such a situation?

Sometimes, it does get a little overwhelming when you see patients with terminal diseases. I try to be compassionate yet stay detached so that it does not affect my work. It is not easy, but it is doable.

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