Land a Job as a surgical medical assistant

Today on CapYear cast, we speak with Deanna Codling, Director of the Department of Surgery at Lifebridge Health in Baltimore. She shares her perspective on the role of a medical assistant in the Department of Surgery, how to leverage the position to advance your career goals as a prehealth student, and how to land the job.

 

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Transcript: 

 Hi, everyone, and welcome to the next edition of the CapYear Cast. My name is R. T. Arnold, and with us today is Deanna Codling, Director of the Department of Surgery of LifeBridge Health here in Baltimore. Deanna, welcome to the CapYear Cast. Thanks for having me. You have been a great advocate of hiring pre health students into clinical positions.

Most of the people who listen to our podcast are either pre health students or advisors. And we'd love to start a little bit by understanding in the department of surgery, what are the roles that pre health students tend to play? 

So I have to start by just saying, what we do in a Department of Surgery and ambulatory setting. So 1 role in our department is not touching just 1 item. So our candidates that come through our department have an opportunity to do multiple things that can range from scheduling an appointment and taking the patient back doing the basic vital signs. It can go on to doing education with a patient because we have a lot of education pathways for our patients prior to surgery.

It could also mean going on the back end and calling patients after surgery and having a conversation with them. You end up doing a little bit of patient navigation, a little bit of clerical work, and then you have these wonderful one on one relationships with the providers that allow you to really adjust what you do to their nuances, and so they have a lot of opportunity in that regard. 

Can you tell us a little bit more about that sort of the one on one relationship that starts to get established with the providers 

Sure so all of our M. A. S. or M. A. A. S. will work with usually a subset of providers. So whether that is our general surgeons with some of the specialists that go with that that specialty. So we have thoracic surgery and colorectal surgery. So you were working directly with that doc. You may be doing their intake of new patients. And so you have to make sure you get those records.

And so they're going to be working with you back and forth and saying, Hey, did you get, for instance, a colonoscopy result? Okay. I did, but did you make sure you got. the last two because of whatever. So you get to have that one on one interaction with your docs and a lot of times when you show interest they'll tell you why.

Why is that important to seeing a new patient and understanding what's going on with them and their diagnosis and sequelae. So it sounds like there's a lot of opportunity to learn from the physicians directly in the in your department. 

You take the opportunity. Everything is about initiative here. Everything is about initiative. It's being given an opportunity to have that interaction and then you taking the step to take the initiative to ask for it. Nobody's going to force you to do any of those things, but the opportunity is definitely there. And if you want to take it, it's there for you.  

And what about with the patients? What's the typical sort of involvement or engagement that pre health students that you've hired have with the patients? 

So I've seen some great interactions with our pre health students and our patients. One being that they just, they kind of understand some of what's going on with the patient because of the studies that they've done in the past.

So when a patient calls with a complaint and they need to just know, is this bad enough for me to go to the ER or not, instead of just saying, go to the ER, I don't have a provider. When they answer the phone, they'll say, No, that sounds like that's serious. It involves blood. It involves pain, you know, helping the patient feel as though you have a little bit of context, even if you haven't continued your studies. 

And then to the point where some of our patients, because they've been long term patients, when they understand the pathway that these Prius students are on, they get very interested and kind of form these relationships with our employees to kind of cheer them on. Because they know that they're taking the initiative to take that next step in their lives.

That's amazing. I mean, it sounds like there's a really, like, a great opportunity to work with both patients and providers. What has your experience been in terms of pre health students getting up to speed to be able to participate as a real member of the care team? Healthcare is not easy, but I will keep using the same words over and over again, which is going to be initiative when you come in the door.

If you have no experience at all, you've never done a health clinic. You're not really sure how to do blood pressure. We have a pathway that you follow to make sure you learn all those skills are manager in our office for our main office is a nurse. She understands how to walk through what's it. the appropriate way of taking the blood pressure, but also what are the numbers that you need to alert a provider about.

So you feel really confident by the time you get through that training process that you know what you should be doing, whether it's for an adult or a pediatric patient, because we have pediatric surgery as well. So all of that is protocolized. We understand how to get you from coming in the door with just amazing initiative and, and pep to being able to say, I can do my job from day to day.

So that process is there to make sure that you have that opportunity to learn. All the pieces of the job. And then we do a lot of feedback mechanisms. So if you feel like you didn't capture something, there is opportunity to go back and review it again. So tell me a little bit. So this sounds like an amazing clinical experience, you know, to work at life bridge in your department. 

So when pre health students are applying to positions and you, you know, a resume comes across your desk, you're sort of making a decision as to whether or not they You know what, what is it on their resume that really catches your attention that makes you want to pick up the phone and set up an initial interview with them. 

So to be completely honest with a resume, it's going to be somebody who is taking that next step in their career. There's not one because these are entry level jobs. I'm not looking for you to come with a whole lot of experience, but if you did have that opportunity, like I mentioned before, to help with the COVID clinic, giving shots.

Or you had an opportunity to do some kind of a health fair for your, your religious organization or for a community fair or something like that. Put that information on there. Even if it's a volunteer opportunity that tells me that you are clearly channeling your interest into this field. So little tidbits like that, it doesn't have to be that you worked in anything specific or you did a intern summer internship at a doctor's office. 

I want to see that your interests truly lie in this. And it's not just an opportunity to get a higher level pain.  Entry level job. I want to see that you're truly interested. That's it. And then what about in the interview? So when someone's sitting across from you, what kind of questions can they expect and what should they be ready for?

Every candidate that comes in the door, I feel like should at least have logged on to LifeJobs or our website and know something about Sinai Hospital, Northwest Hospital, Carroll Hospital, or just know that we have all those hospitals. So show, again, interest in the situation. You don't have to know about me.

Am I on the website? Yes, you could find me on there, but just log on and say, Hey, I see that you have a surgical residency. How would I be involved in that? Bring up some tidbit about that organization. We are in an age where every, you know, even if it's a small doctor's office, you may get involved with, they probably have some kind of a website to help you know, this is a three doctor practice versus a one doctor practice.

Come with that information. So that you did a little bit of research. Once you're sitting in front of me, Show that you want to be here. Say, I'm, you know, I'm excited to have this opportunity.  Be able to tell me a reason for wanting to be a health mediated student. Like, why do you want to take the path to medical school or PA school or whatever your next step is?

And have a great answer. As a PA myself, I want to hear that you're doing this not for dollars, but for patients, right? So I want to hear your story. I want to know why you want to do this. And it's that connection that I have with you, especially as a clinician or even as an administrator to say, this person really wants to do this.

Let me help them take that next step. It's interesting you mentioned that we've spoken to some other employers before who've  said very similar things. So we,  everyone knows we're probably interviewing more than one person, and you're probably looking at more than one job. But in the interview, it really shouldn't feel that way.

And it is so important to come with an understanding of what the position is. What the institution is and why it's a fit for the next step in their career to the best of your knowledge and show that you have that bit of knowledge. What about questions at the end of the interview? This has come up a couple of times.

Are there questions at the end of the interview that are either you'd say, sort of strong questions that really show interest and others that might.  Not or might be almost red flags if those are the kinds of questions that they're asking. The ones that show interest for me are asking things about our training protocol.

How long am I in training? How am I evaluated? How evaluated during my training? How much time do I have to grasp a concept? So understanding that timing, very important. Asking questions along the line of, you know, what are the specialties I'm working with? Showing interest. If you, you know, from now are really interested in pediatrics, is there an opportunity for me to work with that, that team, even if it's just part.

Partly, you know, not every day type of thing. So asking directed questions, showing that you listened. I know you can be very nervous during an interview, but show that you listen. Most  employers are going to walk through a day on the job, typically an interview. I'm going to say here are the general job duties.

In a day,  ask directed questions about those job duties to make it appear that you are trying to just get more information and you're not just concerned about the dress code and the pay. 

Yeah, it's interesting. We've talked a little bit about this before where there's a difference between sort of asking, you know,  almost sort of informational questions.

You know, like, what are the benefits? When is lunch? What is the pay? And those are important questions. And they have a time and place, but they're probably not the first questions, and they should not be the only questions that someone's asking at the end of the interview. It's really about conveying an interest and a desire to learn about the position.

Correct. And the reality is when you're working with a larger institution, typically, because, and especially with LifeBridge Health, the job that you are taking, it's not like a temp job. It's a posted position. You're going to talk to HR. All of those questions. Are applicable for your H. R. business partner or your H.R. recruiter that you're working with. So if you don't get those questions answered, you will have touch points to get those questions answered. And most organizations, unless you're working with a small office. So I know that's very important for people to make decisions, but they should consider the fact that. 

When you're with the employer, your actual, you know, direct report, the manager that you'll work with, you need to get the information of the day to day because HR can answer some of those other items.  

That's a really, that's a great distinction and one that I think a lot of people don't necessarily walk into an interview with that there is, especially if there is kind of this HR. 

The organization is long enough that large enough that there's a separate HR function. Those questions are really appropriate for HR. When you're in front of, you know, the director of practice operations or a clinician, you really want to focus on clinical job responsibilities, you know, career advancement.

Those are the kinds of questions to really be focusing on. You've been a great advocate for hiring pre health students.  You've now hired a number of them.  You mentioned initiative at the beginning of the show as sort of a key characteristic. What are some of the things that you have seen the successful  applicants, the successful hires have when they're coming on day one, you know, to the position that really sets them up for success?

Very much attention to detail.  Every candidate that I can say that has walked in the door comes in with a notebook, not asking me to supply one being ready to, you know, not be concerned about, you know, it is important where you're going to lock up your personal effects. Right. But also what is the opportunities for me to  interface with that provider today?

What does that look like? What systems do I have to have access to? Do I have to do training? Can I do any of that on my own time so that I can get on to the next thing? So again, it's getting in there and showing that I'm going to write this down. I'm going to ask you this question. Once I'm going to do my best to make sure that whatever you do, I recreate that action.

You tell me, okay, click here 3 times. Is there an opportunity for me to click there 3 times? So I can remember this function really showing. Attention. It can be hard to do when you're watching a video on how to do something, you know, the correct way to not start to fall asleep. But whatever you have to do, chew that gum, do whatever you have to do to not show that, you know, yes, you're human.

Those things will happen, but show that you were doing everything you can to give it your all. Because that shows that you're truly interested and the person hiring this position knows that you're not going to be here forever. This is a stepping stone. They want to see that you're going to give us your all as you take this step.

And that's why we want to partner with you to make this step possible for you. You know, it's interesting. A lot of pre health advisors and a lot of pre health students worry when they're coming to clinical positions about not having the skills and yet What you just highlighted and what we've heard from other employers is it's not about the skills that you have when you're walking in the door, it's really about the attitude, the initiative and the desire to learn  and demonstrating it.

You mentioned earlier, and I'd love to dig into this a little bit, sort of your story. You are a physician assistant, but now are the director of of surgery at life bridge. Can you talk a little bit about. Your path and why, how you focused or how you ended up in surgery as a focus. Sure, so my path starts a little bit before PA school even so I had decided  in undergrad that I was going to go to medical school and in those last few years right before I was studying for my MCAT, my mother was diagnosed with cancer  and I had a talk with a mentor of mine at the time and he's and he was pretty much clear with me that I'm going to have to give it my all.

In medical school, regardless of what's happening with my mom,  and I need to really think about that before I make that next step. So I said, okay, you know, I'm young. I can choose to do something before I do medical school to give myself time with my mom, depending on and my mother's doing great now.

She's still alive. She's doing great. But that really made me think about my future.  So, at the time, I was a respiratory therapist and I decided to say, okay, let me take the step of medical school because there's nothing that says I can't take that step 1st and then do medical school after that. Still took my MCAT and did fine on it and applied to PA school literally a month before.

PA school applications ended with CASPA and got in as a second view with Towson and had an opportunity to show my passion for medicine. Show that this is, this is what I want to do, like regardless of the fact that I wanted to be an administrator in the healthcare field, because I love that side of people management as well. 

I was able to show them that I, I love the day to day getting in there and being an advocate for my patient, for their health. For their wellness and making sure that their longevity is a good one.  So once I got into PA school, because I had a little bit of experience with management, I always had an opportunity to do something as a student.

I was, you know, helping put up the OR board or whatever, taking every opportunity again to show that. I was ready to do  my very best in my role. So that translated in my first job. When I was a student here, I was offered a position  when I was a student on my elective at Sinai Hospital because I showed that initiative.

I didn't, I literally interviewed while I was on my rotation. I didn't have a separate interview when I graduated and took my exam. I had already had a job. I knew where I was going because of the initiative I showed. On my rotation.  So walking in the door, my employers knew enough about me and knew about my initiatives.

I was given opportunity after opportunity to grow and every single time. It wasn't for money. Hey, Deanna, we need help with doing XYZ. Can you do that? Most definitely. I want to do that.  And I was in my 15 years with this organization. I've had 7 promotions. I was doing the work prior to getting the actual title of promotion promotion again.

My favorite word initiative show that you have passion for what you're doing. Regardless of how hard it is, regardless of how the climate changes, COVID, nobody expected it,  but you show that you have the, the passion for what you're doing, you're going to have multiple opportunities to take whatever trajectory you want in your future because you're in there and you're giving it your all.

In working with patients, what are things  When you look back to when you started your career,  maybe what your expectation was or what you thought you knew that you feel differently about now or something that you've learned over the years, that someone who's just, you'd, you'd want to pass on to someone who's just starting their career now that may have a similar expectation as you did when you started. 

Walk into your job every day with your why.  Don't worry about anybody else's why. Have your why. Why? Why are you here every day? I say that to say, you'll have that one patient that makes your life extremely hard  and you're like, why am I doing this day in and day out? And you may have a patient one after the other, whether that's in one of these entry level jobs that you're trying to get that patient to the operating room in our, in our office.

And they just won't go to their appointments. You're giving it every, you're calling them four or five times a day. I have some, some of my employees have called to wake patients up and say, Hey, we sent the Uber. They'll be there in 30 minutes. You got to get up and get in the Uber.  Right. And doing all of this.

Yeah. on the end for the patient and then be mad at you because you didn't give them their pain medication. If you let that bother you, you won't understand your why.  If I get out there and I see that 30 something year old woman that just had a baby and found out she has metastatic cancer and I can make a difference in her life,  That's my why know why you're doing it and you'll get up every day, regardless of how hard it is, regardless of the diseases that this world creates and keep doing it.

That's fantastic advice.  Deanna, thank you so much for your time today. Really appreciate it. Deanna Codling, Director of the Department of Surgery at LifeBridge Health LifeBridge Health in Baltimore. If you are interested in clinical experience CapYear has placed a number of people with LifeBridge and they've had a phenomenal experience.

So I'd encourage everybody to check them out. Deanna, thank you again very much for your time. We really appreciate it. Thank you.