The 5 Types of Screening Questions to Help You Find the Right Medical Professionals Faster

Recruiting for medical roles can be challenging, especially when applications flood in from candidates who aren’t the right fit for your practice or healthcare organisation. That’s where screening questions come in—they can quickly narrow the field to those who meet your requirements, ensuring you focus on the best candidates.

Including effective screening questions in your job ads helps filter out unsuitable candidates, giving you a shortlist of highly qualified medical professionals, so you can identify and secure top talent faster.

Key Types of Screening Questions for Medical Roles

Choosing the right mix of screening questions can provide insights into a candidate’s qualifications, experience, and compatibility with the role. Below are the five essential types of screening questions tailored for healthcare recruitment.

1. Does the Candidate Meet Essential Qualifications?

For medical roles, qualifications and credentials are non-negotiable. Screening questions about necessary certifications, registrations, or training can save you time by immediately filtering out candidates who don’t meet these criteria.

Example:

  • Are you registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)?
  • Do you hold a valid ACLS or BLS certification?

2. What Can They Contribute to the Role?

Asking candidates about their contributions can help reveal their understanding of the role and highlight their relevant skills and experience. This type of question distinguishes those genuinely interested in the position from those applying broadly.

Example:

  • What can you bring to the role of General Practitioner in our practice?
  • How would you approach improving patient care outcomes in this position?

3. What Is Their Availability?

Medical facilities often operate 24/7, and flexibility is key for many roles. Asking about availability ensures you only consider candidates who can meet the specific scheduling needs of your organisation, such as weekend shifts or after-hours cover.

Example:

  • Are you available to work rotating shifts, including weekends and nights?
  • Can you provide on-call support if required?

4. Do They Align with Your Workplace Culture?

The right cultural fit is crucial in healthcare, where teamwork and communication directly impact patient outcomes. Screening questions about a candidate’s ideal work environment or values can help you gauge whether they’ll thrive in your organisation.

Example:

  • What do you value most in a workplace culture within a healthcare setting?
  • How do you approach collaboration with multidisciplinary teams?

5. Do They Have Relevant Experience?

Experience is often critical for medical roles, whether it’s handling specific procedures, managing a team, or using certain medical technologies. Questions focused on experience help you quickly identify candidates with the expertise you need.

Example:

  • Do you have experience with electronic medical records systems? If so, which ones?
  • Have you led a team of healthcare professionals before? Please describe briefly.

Why Screening Questions Matter in Medical Recruitment

Effective screening questions tailored to your specific requirements can streamline your hiring process and ensure you focus your time on the best-suited candidates. Whether it’s verifying credentials, assessing cultural fit, or confirming availability, these questions help ensure you build a strong, capable team to support the health and wellbeing of your patients.

Start incorporating these questions into your medical job ads today to save time and improve the quality of your hires.

Tag

Screening Candidates