An interview for operating room scheduler position is nothing to worry about – unless of course you haven’t prepared for it.
Preparing for an interview can be the easiest thing if you put your mind to it.
You cannot possibly know everything there is to know about the interview process that you will go through specifically, but since most interviews are based on the same elements, it is easy to gauge what might be asked.
Job-specific questions should be practiced – these are questions that will be thrown at you to judge how much you know about the job for which you have applied. In addition to this, you will be asked questions to gauge your personality. Do moderately well in both and you have great chances of being hired.
Operating Room Scheduler Interview Questions and Answers
1. What makes you a great candidate to work as an operating room scheduler at our hospital?
I have over 5 years of experience working as an operating room scheduler. This covers deep insight into preparing operating and procedure room slates, documenting surgeons’ notes, coordinating patients’ and support staff’s availabilities, and handling procedure and equipment conflicts. Furthermore, I possess exceptional communication skills and can easily handle the clerical end of working as an OR scheduler.
2. What specific duties have you performed in the role of an operating room scheduler?
Scheduling inpatient and outpatient tests and procedures, gathering and inputting information into the system, scheduling procedures and surgeries, obtaining preliminary OR information, monitoring tentative schedules for missing service appointments, determining scheduling orders and posting add-on cases have all been part of my work.
3. How do you handle procedural conflicts?
I am an exceptionally organized person who makes sure that procedural conflicts do not arise. In case something like this does surface, I look at priorities based on emergencies and make sure that the most emergent case is given the go ahead for a surgery or procedure.
4. How important are good communication skills in your work?
Good communication skills are exceptionally important for someone working as an OR scheduler. If you do not listen to instructions properly, or read them incorrectly, there is a huge chance of someone’s life being on the line. Communicating schedules and requirements accurately are of great importance in this work.
5. What is the one thing that you wish you could change in the way things are handled in your present place of work?
While most things are managed with near-precision where I work, I would probably give a little more thought to how emergency surgeries are scheduled so that important cases are prioritized immediately.
6. What is the one limitation that you possess?
I am a perfectionist by nature. While this is actually a good thing, it does sometimes makes things a bit difficult since I cannot achieve perfection every time. Working in a hospital environment requires you to keep making changes to how you operate.