The role of a medical assistant often remains overlooked, despite their importance in helping a medical facility run smoothly. They play an invaluable service in the healthcare setting as they are often the first figures patients see when they enter the healthcare clinic. However, finding a good Medical Assistant is becoming harder. While some have retired from the profession, most are shifting jobs to find better opportunities. So, how do you find them? Here are the five ways to find your next virtual medical assistant.

1. Local Temp/Staffing agencies 

A temp agency, also known as an employment agency, has been the traditional go-to for medical practices to quickly find a medical assistant. Many of them come with a temp-to-hire option. This way you can buy out a contract after a period of time and convert the temp worker to a full-time employee. Temp agencies are available for every business sector, including healthcare. 

Advantages

• Ideal for filling vacant positions quickly 
• You don’t need to deal with the paperwork 
• You get to try out before hiring them for a permanent position
• You will have access to a large pool of talent 

Disadvantages

• You end up paying a lot more if you keep them longer
• Lack of loyalty and low morale as you will be working with them for a short period 
• Lack of team bonding due to temporary arrangement 

Process

Search for local temp agencies on Google and call them directly. They will likely have a recruiter set up with you to help match available candidates with your requirements. You will likely get 5-10 resumes to interview. Shortlist a few candidates and interview them all back to back. You can have yourself a new medical assistant in under 3 days! However, make sure you’re hiring a reputed and professional temp agency for the best results. 

Costs 

Costs can vary between $25/hr to $35/hr. The temp agency keeps a percentage of the hourly wage and gives the rest to the hire.

2. Internships

Internship is another valuable way to find medical assistants. Internships are ideal for larger practices under these two conditions

• You have a system to train fresh graduates
• You have the runway to wait till they are ready

Advantages

• Ideal for quick recruitment
• You get to pick some of the best talent
• You get to try out before hiring them for a permanent position
• It is free or low-cost

Disadvantages

• They can only do simple tasks during the internship period
• They require a lot of training upfront & hand holding
• Limited choice; limitation as to when they become available
• Your upfront effort might be wasted after the internship

Process 

Search for local medical assistant colleges in your area. You can reach their placement office through their website or a phone call. They will arrange for interviews with their current candidates nearing completion or recent graduates who have not been placed into a full-time position. These relationships with local colleges tend to develop over a period where you will get a steady stream of candidates that you can train and evaluate.

Costs

Internships are usually unpaid 

3. Online Job boards 

Online job boards are the most common recruitment tool. You would post a job description and candidates would apply to your job if they are a good fit for the position. Job boards also allow you to screen only candidates with immediate availability and with certain specialty or job function experience. Two top job boards used for these positions are Ziprecruiter.com and Indeed.com. 

Advantages

• Ideal for quick recruitment
• Hiring is easier because the candidate expresses an interest
• You will likely find the perfect match for the role
• Posting is low-cost

Disadvantages

• You have to spend about 1 hour each day narrowing down candidates
• Interviewing takes time and effort because they are not vetted
• You may have to pay up in this competitive staffing market
• Interviewed candidates may decline the job offer, wasting your time and energy
• You don’t get to try and hire an employee

Process 

Start by writing a brief job description or use ready-made templates. Job boards charge a small fee to post the job and I recommend boosting the posting frequency to improve the candidate pool. Candidates will likely start to apply within a few hours. Set aside an hour or so daily to screen candidates. Call the candidate directly or message the candidate to set up a time to talk with them. I recommend setting aside an hour for a few days and using Calendly.com to allow the candidates to set up 15-minute appointments on your calendar. Have a script to walk through covering their background, and experience and delve deeper into their specific experience with the tasks, process, and technology that you use in the position. If you like the candidate, invite them for an in-person interview. Have other staff also talk to the candidate before making a final hire. Make a written offer covering the start date, working hours, hourly pay, and any benefits. If they accept the offer, then start the onboarding process.

Pro Tip: You can make a confident hire through a quick reference check from another provider or office manager.

Costs

Costs of job posting can vary. Some platforms are free to use whereas, others charge up to a few hundred dollars.

4. International staffing agencies 

International staffing agencies have cropped up quickly during the pandemic as it became difficult to staff healthcare positions. Popular ones are HelloRache.com and Wingassistant.com.

Advantages

• Ideal for a quick recruitment process
• They are often trained registered nurses and have clinical knowledge
• Being an independent contractor, the agency is ideal for short-term contracts
• Agencies have a simple fee structure and payments are easy
• Remote staffing costs a fraction of hiring a local employee

Disadvantages

• Interviewing takes time and effort because they are not vetted
• Contractors require a lot of work to integrate into your workflow
• Monitoring the daily tasks of contractors can be difficult
• Communicating with contractors can be a challenge
• You are responsible for covering security risks 
• Contractors do not own any compliance risk; you take on compliance risk
• Contractors may not work well with your staff
• Contractors can be unreliable and you are left uncovered if they leave the agency
• You are left without a structure if you run into issues with a contractor  

Process 

Typically, you would go to the website of these agencies, select a role, and sign up. They will match you up with a set of contractors. You screen, interview, and select from the pool of candidates that are presented to you. Agencies typically charge every two weeks based on a set fee structure.

Costs

Typically around $10/hour, which is paid to the agency. The agency pays the staff.

5. Virtual Employer-On-Record (V-EOR)

Virtual Employer-On-Record structure is fundamentally different from the rest because they directly employ candidates as opposed to placing a contractor. That means Employer-On-Record hires staff for you for the long term and takes on all training and management responsibilities. This option gives you the best of both worlds while still saving you lots of money. This is the preferred method for large groups and now it is available to smaller healthcare practices as well. Cypress.Health is an example of an Employer-On-Record company. 

Advantages

• Ideal for quick recruitment
• Usually, they are trained registered nurses and have clinical knowledge
• EOR is ideal for long-term contracts
• EOR has a simple and transparent fee structure and payments are easy
• Remote staffing costs a fraction of hiring a local employee
• Employees are vetted so you can interview/hire within 24 hours
• EOR is responsible for secure access to your systems
• EOR owns the compliance for their employees
• EOR is responsible for cross-training and backup in case an employee leaves
• EOR should provide you with a contact to resolve any issues with the staff

Disadvantages

• Remote employees require a lot of work to integrate into your workflow
• Monitoring the daily tasks of remote staff can be difficult
• Communicating with remote staff can still be a challenge
• Contractors may not work well with your staff

Process

You would go to the website of the company, select a role, and sign up. They will match you up with a set of contractors. You screen, interview, and select from the pool of candidates that is presented to you. Employer-On-Record typically charges every two weeks based on a set fee structure.

Overseas virtual assistants tend to be based out of India or the Philippines. If you need voice interaction, the Philippines has a close to neutral accent and an established workforce that is skilled in interacting with US consumers. India is ideal for more process-oriented, administrative tasks that require minimal patient interaction.

Costs

Costs can vary from $1,000 – $1,500/month for a full-time staff member. 

Pro Tip: Using an Employer-On-Record (EOR) such as the Cypress.Health model gives you the benefits of quickly hiring, long-term employment, security, and compliance for a fraction of the costs.