WRITTEN INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

Resource Management Specialist Position in the Raleigh District Office

1. Cognitive Skills/Result Oriented: This job requires the individual to manage complex unfamiliar tasks; to apply relevant regulations and procedures to identify associated problems; and take appropriate action. Give us an example of a complex task/unique problem that you encountered. What was the situation, how did you handle the situation, what was the outcome?

When I arrived at my first duty station I was selected to build a pharmacy in our aid station. I was advised that there was no budget but I needed to get done quickly. I decided to enlist some help from my coworkers to come up with a game plan. We first drew up a sketch of our building to find the best place to add a small pharmacy. Next we cleaned out the area we were going to use and started building a small room to house our meds. Afterwards I talked with my Physician Assistant and asked what type of meds he wanted and needed and then headed over to the hospital to order the meds. While waiting for the meds to come in, I wrote up a Standard Operating Procedure for the Pharmacy on how we will stock, store, and inventory the meds, scheduling for working the pharmacy, accountability and responsibility, and what to do if meds come up missing. I also set up an excel sheet to track the inventory of the meds to know when we were running low so we could order more. Once we had all the meds in and stocked and the medics working on a rotating shift my supervisor and the Physician Assistant was extremely happy with the outcome and how the pharmacy was running. I received a Certificate of Achievement for setting up the Pharmacy and keeping it functional with the little to no issues.

2. Interpersonal Skills/Communication: As you know, good communication is important in almost any job. Give me an example of a time when you persuaded someone. How did you do it and why? What was the situation, how did you handle the situation, what was the outcome?

One of my Soldiers had failed the physical fitness test and the Commander wanted to start discharge paperwork on them due to the new Army policy. My Soldier was going thru a hard time due to family situations at home that she had discussed with me previously in private. I needed to come up with a game plan to retain this Soldier and prove to the Commander that she is worthy of a second chance. I requested a meeting with the commander for just the two of us to talk at first so I can explain the situation. I then spoke with my Soldier and requested another meeting with the three of us together. I had my Soldier explain to the Commander what was going on with her the last two weeks previously and I explained that her mind was not in the right place to take that test. The Commander decided to give her another shot the next week to which she passed the physical fitness test and was able to stay in the Army.

3. Working Independently: Many times, you will be required to handle tasks alone on a daily basis with limited guidance. Describe a situation where you were assigned tasks and work with minimal supervision. What was the situation, how did you handle the situation, what was the outcome?

I came into my position as an Occupational Therapist Assistant but was tasked to be a Training Room NCOIC, and had no idea what I was doing. The person I was replacing was leaving the same week and was in the middle of setting up the upcoming EFMB (Expert Field Medical Badge) course. The team I was to work with was just finishing up on this very important project and was on a tight deadline. They had to review everything before submitting the work to the Command team and my first line didn’t have a lot of time to pay any attention to me to make as far as training and introductions. Everyone around me was constantly working, and because of the timing, they didn’t seem very approachable. So, to make sure I didn’t get left behind, I had to prove myself and take initiative. My plan was simple. In the meanwhile, I would go over to the battalion to get better at my job. That week I learned how to schedule my Service Members for training in country and out of country, signed up for the Government Travel Card Class and learned a little bit about travel vouchers. I also wanted to talk to my first line, which was my 1SG, and a few of my co-workers whenever they had time. Then, I would try to get to know them and learn more about the company too. In the end, I’m glad to say everything worked out and I actually made a few good friends too. I also learned more about my battles with whom I would be working with and for me. By the time my first line came around to review my work and talk about the next steps - I already knew most of it. If anything, he was a bit surprised, but ultimately, happy I didn’t fall behind. This saved him a lot of time in getting me trained which was something he was very grateful for.

High visibility, rigid standards, outside of my scope

Research scope of practice and policies, draw from different resources

4. Managing Priorities: Sometimes priorities at work shift very quickly, tell us about the time you were working on multiple tasks, and handled shifting priorities, making difficult decisions and yielding positive results for your organization and yourself. What was the situation, how did you handle the situation, what was the outcome?

At my current job I am a Front Desk Receptionist. I greet patients, maintain and record medical data in patient files, collect and document patient information, answer multiline telephones, schedule patients and other administrative duties as assigned by the providers. In addition to my normal duties I am also the hand receipt holder for all the equipment in my department. I was selected to be a super user for our new electronic medical records system, MHS Genesis. During my 2 week training I still had to schedule appointments for our patients, I had to out-process one of our providers and I also had to do a 100% accountability of our team’s equipment. I decided that I needed to add more hours to the day, but realized that was impossible so instead I decided to come in an hour earlier every day to go by each of the providers and tech’s offices to do their equipment inventory and to come in during my lunch break to out-process my provider that was leaving and to schedule patients. I also signed up for a few extra training sessions for the Genesis super user class so I would better be able to assist my team with the new electronic medical records system. I was able to get accountability for all of our equipment done a few days before schedule. The provider was out-processed and her equipment was inventoried and I was able to show my Team as well as others, how to use the new system. I actually did extremely well in training that they had me hold a few training classes of at least 10 personnel each and I was offer the chance to travel and train to another location.

pur-new-sol

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