1. Tell me what are your three strengths that have helped you in this role?

I believe the three strengths that have helped me in this role are effective communication skills, organization and time management.

2. What is your biggest weakness as Health Unit Coordinator?

I am a perfectionist. I like my work done in an excellent manner and it annoys me when my team members are not performing up to the mark. However I usually overcome this weakness by briefing them regularly on how to maintain high standards of patient delivery service at the hospital.

3. Why should we hire you as Health Unit Coordinator?

You should hire me because my profile is in exact synchronization with your job demands and additionally, I bring hands-on experience in implementing satisfactory health unit SOPs along with proven team coordination skills.

4. Do you know what are the main responsibilities of a Health Unit Coordinator?

A health care unit coordinator is mainly responsible for ensuring delivery of high quality patient care, compiling patient's demographics and data related to services delivered for billing and maintaining patient case files.

5. What are your salary expectations as Health Unit Coordinator?

Many consider this question to be a loaded gun – dangerous in the hands of the inexperienced. Often times, an interviewee will start talking salary before they've had an opportunity to illustrate their skill set and value making any sort of leverage valueless. Here, knowledge is power, as salary often comes down to negotiation. Do some research into your industry to establish base rates of pay based on seniority and demand but keep in mind – your employer is hiring you for what they believe you are worth, and how much benefit they feel you will provide.

6. Explain a Time You Worked with Someone You Did Not Get Along With?

I used to lock heads with a fellow nurse in the INCU ward. We disagreed over many things – from the care of patients to who got what shifts to how to speak with a child's family. Our personalities did not mesh. After 3 months of arguing, I pulled her aside and asked her to lunch. At lunch, we talked about our differences and why we did not get along. It turns out, it was all about communication. We communicated differently and once we knew that, we began to work well together. I believe that talking a problem through with someone will help solve the issue.

7. I'm curious, how did you come to find out about our company and what do you know about us?

This can be a great way to stand out from other applicants and demonstrate initiative. Almost every company will have a website, Facebook page, Instagram account, or some sort of digital footprint. Spend a bit of time doing some online research:

☛ If they have a website, check out their “About us” or “Culture/Mission/Vision” pages.
☛ Who are some of the principal people who work there? Who are the founders?
☛ What sorts of things does this company care about? Do they donate to a particular cause or charity? Which one(s)?
☛ What are their core values? Which of their core values resonate with you?
☛ Has the company been in the news recently or have they won any awards (Social Media can be a great place to find this information).

While your interviewer won't expect you to have in-depth company history, a little here can go a long way.

8. Tell me when Were Your Most Satisfied in Your Job?

I really enjoyed working with patients and providing care. I especially liked working with elderly patients because they can teach you so much.

When I was promoted to DON, I was particularly satisfied at work. I felt that I had worked diligently on the med-surg floor for 10 years and the promotion was well-deserved. I also enjoyed the challenge of supervising my fellow nurses, though I always tried to remain a peer rather than an authority figure.

9. Tell me what have you learnt from your past mistakes in the role of a health unit coordinator?

Last year the department was given a task of disinfecting all rooms using a new sanitizing technique and I allocated duties to all staff members accordingly. One of them did not perform the additional duty too well so I distributed his duties among the rest of the staff who had performed well. Later I realized my mistake; not only other employees complained about being over-burdened but also the employee who had refused developed a habit of walking out on duties. Next time I was required to allot extra duties, I assigned him his part of the extra work and explained to him that his job will not be done by any of the other workers at any cost. I asked him to work extra hours in case he was unable to complete assigned tasks on time.

10. Tell me what Are Your Healthcare Career Goals?

In 10 years, I see myself as a nurse practitioner. I would like to attend school at night and on weekends while I work. I enjoy working in med-surg right now, but I would like to end up in pediatrics eventually.

I imagine that I will continue my work as a radiologic technologist for at least 5 more years. I love the field of radiology and would like to move up in the field either through expanding my education or gaining on-the-job experience. I would like to challenge myself by taking a leadership role, perhaps the head of a department, one day while still maintaining a clinical role working with patients.

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