Questions to ask and stay compliant throughout the physician interview process.
In healthcare, just like any industry, it’s important to stay compliant with equal opportunity regulations when interviewing physician candidates. Jackson and Coker compiled this helpful guide to interviewing physicians.
What qualities should I look for in physicians?
Start by creating a persona of what the ideal candidate for the physician position would look like. Get buy-ins from those who will be managing or working directly with this person. Think about employees who have been successful with your organization. What skills do they have? What are their personalities like? What is the current culture of the organization? This process will help you evaluate candidates beyond their CVs.
Know your community. Refer to your needs assessment and County Health Rankings to identify specific expertise you need from your providers. How can you fill the care gaps in your location to better serve your patient population?
Some qualities to consider include:
- Knowledge and skillset to perform.
- Certifications applicable to the role.
- Good communication skills.
- Ability to work with a team and independently.
- Integrity and honesty.
- Confidence and humility.
- Computer literacy and ability to use an EMR.
- Desire to learn new things and stay current on the latest information.
- Solid record of quality patient care.
Your patients’ health is the most critical thing to consider when hiring a physician. For your first round of interviews, consider a phone or video chat interview to get a quick look at a candidate before flying them in from out of state. This is a time for you to vet the candidate and get a general sense of their demeanor and experience.
Basic qualifying questions to ask in the first interview:
- Are you a U.S. citizen?
- When was your last patient contact?
- Do you have any current state licenses? Expired licenses?
- Do you have a current DEA?
- Have you ever had your medical license, DEA, clinical privileges, medical staff, institutional affiliation or society membership denied, suspended, or revoked?
- Do you have a history of chemical dependency or substance abuse?
- Have you ever had malpractice claims, suits, or judgments against you?
- Do you currently have any pending claims or suits?
- Have you ever been denied malpractice insurance?
- Have you ever been convicted of a crime?
CV red flags to watch for.
Watch out for these potential red flags when you review your candidates’ CVs:
- Unexplained training or employment gaps.
- Discrepancies between the CV and verified credentials.
- Excessive liability history, whether in number of claims filed or judgments awarded.
- Physician indicates “active” hospital staff privileges, but that facility has the physician listed as “consulting, without admitting privileges,” or “courtesy only.”
- Suspension, reprimand, revocation or challenge to state license, state-controlled substance license, or DEA.
- History of liability coverage canceled or frequent changes in insurers.
- Incomplete or vague peer references.
- References and verification letters that don’t reveal disciplinary actions or lack thereof.
On-site interview: getting personal and cultural fit.
Once you narrow down your candidates, you can move on to more in-depth interviews. Now is the time to get to know the candidates on a more personal level so you can hire the right cultural fit for your organization.
Questions + topics to better understand the person behind the CV:
- Why did you get into medicine?
- What continues to motivate you in your work as a physician?
- What does a meaningful patient interaction look like to you?
- What kind of work culture helps you feel supported in your role?
- Have you ever mentored or been mentored by another physician? What impact did that experience have on you?
- How do you feel about making independent clinical decisions? Can you share a time when autonomy influenced a patient’s outcome?
- How do you gain patients’ trust?
- Tell me about a time you handled an upset patient.
- How would you deliver bad news to a patient?
- Tell me about a time you misdiagnosed a patient and what you did to fix it.
- How do you feel about pharmaceutical reps?
Consult with the department that will be working with this physician. You’ll also want to give the department head a chance to meet with the candidate. These people will likely have a good understanding of what skills and personality traits the team needs. Giving your team the chance to evaluate a candidate will help ensure a good culture fit for both your organization and the incoming physician.
Remember to elaborate on your organization’s culture and your challenges and successes. How would the candidate enhance your facility? Would this person be integral in helping you meet your goals?
Use this guide when you interview a physician, but remember, every organization is unique and has different needs. By focusing on qualifying preliminary candidates, getting to know later-stage clients on a personal level, and staying compliant with modern employment laws, you can find a physician who fills your role while providing great care to your patient population.
Jackson and Coker can help you take the headache out of physician interviewing by helping you find the right providers for your open positions. We conduct the candidate search, vetting and primary verification for you to shorten and streamline the hiring process.
Other considerations + best practices for physician interviews.
Federal employment laws are clear: discrimination has no place in your hiring process.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and later amendments extend protections to pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions. Additional laws offer further protections:
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects workers 40 and older.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act protects qualified individuals with disabilities.
- The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act prevents discrimination based on genetic data.
When interviewing physicians or advanced practitioners, the best way to stay compliant is to steer clear of these protected categories. Focus instead on how a candidate’s skills align with the role.
If a candidate shares personal details, intentionally or not, redirect the conversation to the job itself. The same goes for speaking with references. If you can’t ask the candidate, you can’t ask their former employers either.
Questions to avoid + what to ask instead:
- How much did you make at your last job?
- Instead ask: Does the rate/salary we’re offering align with what you were hoping to make?
- Do you have any disabilities?
- Instead ask: Are you able to carry out the essential duties of this role?
- Have you ever been treated for a drug or alcohol addiction?
- Instead ask: Do you or have you ever used illegal drugs?
- How old are you?
- Instead ask: Are you able to use an EMR for record-keeping?
- Do you have kids? Who watches your kids during the day?
- Instead ask: Would you be able to work the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.?
Avoid these entirely:
- Do you have [insert disease/condition here]?
- What would you do if you were pregnant?
- What is your heritage?
- What religious holidays do you observe?
- How long do you plan to work before retirement?
- What is your financial status? Are you in debt? Do you receive social security benefits?
What is the salary history ban?
Several states and municipalities now restrict employers from asking about a candidate’s past compensation. The salary history ban aims to promote fair compensation practices across the board. For example, California’s AB 168 prohibits employers from:
- Asking a candidate to disclose previous salary
- Using salary history to determine compensation or employment eligibility
- Withholding pay scale information if reasonably requested
One reason for its implementation is to prevent past pay from limiting an advanced practitioner’s earning potential throughout their career. However, a candidate can voluntarily disclose salary history if they wish, and then salary information can be used when considering the person for the job.
A report from Doximity found that only 5% of physicians that were surveyed were able to negotiate higher salaries and female physicians, on average, earn 77 cents for every dollar earned by male physicians, a trend observed across most specialties.
Who does the salary history ban affect?
- Alabama
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Louisville, Kentucky
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Jackson, Mississippi
- Kansas City; St. Louis, Missouri
- Cincinnati; Columbus; Toledo, Ohio
- Columbia; Richland County, South Carolina
- Salt Lake City, Utah
No known bans (as of December 2024).
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Additionally, many businesses have enacted company-wide policies banning salary questions during interviews, finding it easier to take the guesswork out of when and where salary questions can be asked. This strategy keeps them compliant and consistent, making it a good strategy for healthcare facilities as well. Don’t let the legal red tape scare you off. Focus on the job opening and how the candidate fits into that role.
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