8 Things To Do Before Hiring A Medical Virtual Assistant

Since Covid rocked the shores of every continent in the world, the entire medical practice has experienced a shift in the mode of discharging healthcare. The pandemic truly emphasized the need to upgrade medical practices to a more virtual system to grow medical practices. Hiring a virtual assistant is key to effectively running medical offices while minimizing cost, saving time, and increasing the efficiency of administrative tasks. 

Medical virtual assistants  are the real deal when it comes down to automating tasks for medical offices; however, there's the big question of how to figure out the right virtual assistant with the experience that matches your medical practice.

If you are new to working with a medical virtual assistant, figuring out how to integrate your administration tasks with your virtual assistant can be a bit of a hassle at first. As a great team player, you need to understand how you conduct your procedures properly to train a virtual assistant to take over your administrative tasks full-time or part-time.

Here are some things you should consider before proceeding to hire a full or Part-time Virtual Assistant

1. Create a list of administrative tasks for your medical practice.  

Many medical practices get this wrong and end up running in circles. Before deciding to hire a medical virtual assistant, you need to sit back and evaluate your administrative task procedures from top to bottom. Categorize the administrative tasks only you can perform, tasks that can be automated, and areas that require meticulous care. Doing this will give you more insights into areas of your practice that require more attention and parts you don't need.

2. Prioritize your task list & set a frequency for recurring tasks in your medical office.

Once your final task list is updated, organize your tasks in order of priority.

When you clearly define the priority of your tasks, your new medical virtual assistant will be able to hit deadlines and avoid being overwhelmed. If some tasks have known deadlines, note them down so your medical virtual assistant can put priority on them and manage time more efficiently.

If scheduled tasks are ongoing, whether daily, weekly, or monthly, clearly define your expectations, frequency, and expected time for completing each task. This helps virtual assistants to understand your practice better and arrange the calendar orderly.

3. Create systems in your medical practice  

Systems are integral parts of a medical practice's administration. Systems define the flow of your administrative tasks and provide a clear overview of every step taken to process a task. Many medical practices fail to create systems before reaching out to virtual assistants, and this causes them to work back and forth with frustration trying to teach the VA. It's best to set up systems beforehand to make training your virtual assistant shorter and less stressful.

4. Conduct your research before hiring based on 1 & 2 

Never be in a rush to hire a medical virtual assistant. Take your time to explore your options, and contact multiple medical virtual assistants to understand their prices, attributes, packages, and, more importantly, their personality. Bringing in a new person to your medical practice is a big step, so ensure you have the right fit. Please don't shy away from asking for interviews and bombard them with questions!

5. Create a contact list for your medical office team. 

Having a reliable communication system is essential when working with your virtual assistant. Medical virtual assistants work remotely and can utilize smartphones, tablets, computers, different software, and messaging apps to improve the flow of communication in your medical office.

Determine your preferred method of communicating with your medical virtual assistant, whether regular calls, emails, social media, video calls, or text messages.

Decide which members of your medical practice team need to be in contact with your virtual assistant and create a contact list. Additionally, list their preferred method of communication.

6. Retrieve your login information and passwords  

Have your login credentials ready for your medical virtual assistant if you need your VA to access your social media accounts, emails, or administrative software. With two-factor authentication becoming more reliable in account security, be ready to assist your medical virtual assistant in verifying the login when the time comes.

7. Prepare for your first call and training 

You're right on track if you've prepped to this level. Once all the prerequisites have been ticked, you're ready for your first call with your medical virtual assistant. Try to make out free time to pin your focus and be able to follow up on any scheduled training sessions. Training sessions are essential to familiarize your virtual assistant with your team's internal processes and software. This can be done over video calls where you share your screen and give instructions on different processes.

Being prepared up front will set you and your virtual assistant on the right track from the start to success in your practice.

8. Understand that it's a team effort and might not work the first time.

It is essential to understand that the person you're hiring is also letting you into their business. If you want your practice to progress, you need to be aware of their expectations, just as you have set out your goals. As a great team player, patience is key to moving forward with your VA, lead your team with humility and authority, and your expectations will fall into place.

Although Medical Virtual Assistants can make managing your practice much easier, hiring compatible VAs is not always the case. It might not work the first time you try, but don't give up if it doesn't because of one bad experience. Many people find the right fit after a few tries and quickly they become integral team members.