Let’s say you’ve managed to answer the interview questions well, and you’ve made a notable impression on your interviewer. Now comes the part where you’re asked if you have any questions about your job as a physician and the hospital you’re applying for. What then?

Doctors need to take careful consideration when asking these questions. After all, unlike regular jobs, they are dealing with patients’ lives and health in this line of work. This is why in order to serve their patients properly, applicants need to know as much about the hospital as possible. Things like “which types of record keeping methods do they use”, “how long the hours are” and “how many patients do they expect to see” are some of the typical questions to ask.

While this may seem like a chance to know more about the hospital you’ll work in, this is also a great opportunity for you to find out more detailed information about your job description and the hours you will face. This is also lets your interviewers gauge whether or not you’ve done your research about their company. If nothing else, this gives the impression that you’re eager to know more about the job offer.

Here’s some useful questions that you can ask during the interview:

How long are the working hours?

Long working hours is one reason why physicians experience burnout. When you’re applying for a position in a hospital, you need to clearly define how long you need to be working each day. This should already include the lunch times and other breaks you may take throughout the day. The reason behind this is so that you can have enough time to compose yourself before facing the next patient.

How many patients should I expect to see in a day?

If you’re expecting to do clinic shifts, then it’s advisable to ask about this. There’s nothing more frustrating than taking on more than your expected workload and coming home late. At this stage, you should clearly define your quotas and have it settled right there in the interview room. This will save you from having to take on more patients than you are physically and mentally able to.

What are my responsibilities and duties?

The job description is one of the most important things to ask. More often than not, doctors often end up doing more work because their deliverables were neither clearly defined nor agreed upon. You could end up doing reports that would be better suited for an assistant or working on other duties that another doctor in a different department could be doing.

Who will I report to?

Knowing your superior is your first step to establishing clear communication lines. That way you can coordinate better within your department and not end up with overlapping duties. You can also try asking what your superiors will need help with in order to narrow down your own responsibilities. Another reason for asking this question is so that you know who to inform when you need to file a vacation leave or when you have a personal emergency to deal with.

What EMR does your hospital you use?

Tracking medical records is a crucial task for any doctor. There may be cases when you need to pull up a patient’s medical history to check what kind of illnesses he or she had in the past. Asking about these databases can make your job easier if you’ll be handling medical cases from the hospital’s patients in the future. If you’re still not sure about what system your hospital uses, some of the top EMR software includes OSCAR, Pal/Med EMR, Orion Health HIE. This question will also allow you to gauge whether or not their facilities are up to your expectations.

The end goal of any interview is to get the job offer handed to you, but you also need to know more about your employers. If you’re the type looking for building a career in the medical profession, asking questions that define your responsibilities is the key to understanding your job and balancing your life with it.