Reference check questions for medical assistants

A medical assistant shapes every visit before the provider walks in. The vitals, the reason for the visit, the medication list and the allergies in the chart are usually theirs, and so is much of what happens after the patient leaves: the refill request, the result routed for review, the referral waiting on a prior authorization. When that work is accurate, nobody notices it. When it is not, the error travels with the patient.

A certification, where the candidate has one, shows they passed an exam. It cannot show whether their blood pressure readings were reliable, whether they knew when a question needed a nurse or provider, or whether the messages in their queue were answered the same day. The provider who relied on their rooming, and the manager who watched the queue, can tell you.

Who to ask

• A provider the candidate roomed patients for, such as a physician or nurse practitioner, who saw the accuracy of their work in every chart.
• The clinic manager or lead medical assistant, for reliability, refill requests, messages and how the candidate fit the team.
• A nurse in the same clinic, if the candidate gave injections or took calls that nurses then picked up.
• For a recent graduate, the externship site supervisor, who watched them perform clinical skills on real patients.

Questions to ask, by competency

Choose the competencies that matter most for the position and two or three questions from each. Ask every reference the same set, and when an answer is a rating, ask for the example behind it.

Rooming and vital signs

The provider starts the visit from what the medical assistant recorded. A wrong blood pressure, an outdated medication list or a missing allergy can change a diagnosis or a prescription.

1. When the candidate roomed patients, how often did the provider find the vitals, medication list or allergies needed correcting?
2. What did the candidate do when a reading was far outside the normal range, such as a very high blood pressure or a low oxygen level?
3. How would you rate the candidate’s rooming for accuracy and pace, compared with other medical assistants in your clinic? (rating)

Delegated clinical tasks

Clinics delegate injections, specimen collection and point-of-care tests to medical assistants within limits set by state rules. The provider relies on the medical assistant to do each task exactly as ordered and to stop at the edge of their role.

1. How did the candidate prepare and give injections or vaccines? Did you ever see them skip a check of the order, the patient, the dose or the expiration date?
2. How carefully did the candidate run and record point-of-care tests, such as a rapid strep or a urine dipstick, including the quality control checks?
3. Tell me about a time a patient asked the candidate a clinical question they should not answer, such as whether to stop a medication. What did they do?

Messages, refills and follow-up

Much of a medical assistant’s day is the work that continues after the visit: phone messages, refill requests, prior authorizations, referrals and results routed to the provider. A message that sits in a queue is a patient waiting for an answer.

1. How did the candidate handle refill requests and patient messages: what went to the provider, how quickly, and what did they close out themselves?
2. How did the candidate keep track of referrals, prior authorizations and abnormal results that needed someone to follow up?

Clinic routines and teamwork

A medical assistant often works for more than one provider, keeps rooms and supplies ready, and covers the front desk or another pod when the clinic is short.

1. How did the candidate adapt to working for more than one provider, each with their own way of rooming and charting?
2. Who kept the vaccine refrigerator temperature log, and what did the candidate do when a reading fell outside the range?
3. When the clinic was short-staffed, how did the candidate help at the front desk or in another pod, and what happened to their own work?

Close the reference

End every reference the same way: ask whether they would hire or work with the candidate again and why, what support would help the candidate do their best work, and whether there is anything else you should know. The general question bank explains why the first of these matters most.

Checks a reference does not replace

• A credential the candidate lists. Most states do not require certification, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but employers may prefer or require it. Confirm any certification and its expiration date with the organization that issued it.
• Your state’s rules. The bureau also notes that some states require medical assistants to complete an accredited program, hold a license or certification, or meet other prerequisites. Check your state’s rules before assigning tasks such as injections.
• The federal exclusion list. The HHS Office of Inspector General says health care employers should check its List of Excluded Individuals/Entities for new hires and current employees, and that hiring someone on the list can lead to civil monetary penalties.

Warning signs to follow up

• A provider reference who cannot say whether the candidate’s vitals and medication lists were reliable.
• Examples of the candidate giving patients clinical advice, or deciding on their own which calls a nurse or provider needed to hear.
• Refill requests or patient messages that sat for days in the candidate’s queue.
• A certification the issuing organization cannot confirm, or one that lapsed while the candidate kept using the title.

One warning sign is a reason to ask another question, not a verdict. Reference check red flags covers how to check a concern fairly.

Questions to leave out

Ask only about the work. Before an offer, the EEOC’s guidance says an employer may not ask a third party, such as a former employer, any question it could not ask the candidate directly. Leave out health, medical leave, age, family plans and other protected characteristics. What to leave out has the full list.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the requirements that apply to your organization, and in your state, with your counsel or HR policy office.