Nevada State license

[geoflem]

Pay High In Nevada,so Is Comptence

Victor, A Lot Of Small Shops Operating Around Here Have To Do Deal With The High Pay To Have A License To Operate. Thats Why Lens Crafters/ Nevada Eye An Ear/ And Countless Od's . Use 1 Primary License For A Day And Pay Them Overtime. The Doctors Don't Even Hire A License Most Of The Time / The License Is The Doctor And The Help Are Techs He Trains Or With A Little Knowledge. Lens Crafters Has Unlicensed Techs Making The Lens And 1 Or 2 Licenses , And The Rest Are Stylist. Once You Get The License Or Od Thats All You Really Need To Operate / Train Your Staff To The Best Of Your Ability And If You Apprentice Them They Will Leave Eventually. I'm Looking Forward To The Day When We Can Expand The Knowledge Of Licenses In Nevada If He/she Chooses To Maybe Be A Refracting Optician/ Low Vision Specialist/ Even A Diesease/diagnosis Optician Giving Valuable Insight To The Od/before He See's The Patients.\\

[geoflem]

Competence

Oops-competence

[victor]

I may be misunderstanding this. Please correct if I am wrong.

Are you suggesting that Opticians are not worth the pay they are getting and you are advocating they make less? You are an Optician, right?

Yes, I am a Nevada licensed optician. If the free market dictates that a starting optician is worth $30/hr, then I am all for paying them $30/hr. But if the state legislature imposes laws that make a starting optician in Nevada worth $30/hr while in Utah, that same optician would be worth $15/hr, then I disagree with the law.

Also, as a business owner, I am keenly aware of the legal advantages my O.D. competitors enjoy. In Nevada, O.D.s may pay their non-licensed untrained employees $8/hr to dispense with no supervision. I must pay a license in excess of $30/hr to dispense, and if there is no license "on the premises", then there can be no dispensing. The law arbitrarily dictates this.

I guess this is sort of funny. When someone else is paying your way, you want top dollar, but, when you are footing the bill, you want to cheap out. Sounds like most business owners I have dealt with.

I just want the free market to be unencumbered. BTW, I pay my people well, and since I have a license, I have chosen not to hire another one until my business is busy enough to warrant two licenses.

But, if I get sick, we are closed. Someone in my extended family dies, we must close for the funeral. Want to take a vacation? Close the store. They are pretty strict out here.

[Fezz]

But if the state legislature imposes laws that make a starting optician in Nevada worth $30/hr while in Utah, that same optician would be worth $15/hr, then I disagree with the law.

Ok, now I understand a little better. Thank you.

But, I guess you could look at what an Optician(mechanic, plumber, etc.) is worth in a different state, and compare to yours. But its your state that matters. Example: An Optician makes more in NYC than in PA, why would I care about what the NYC makes? I run a business in PA. I could really care less what Utah, Ohio, & NYC are paying the Opticians, I know what I need to pay.

I know that the law you are dealing seems unfair to you...but it is what it is. Have you thought about working towards changing the law?

**This is not meant in a argumentative way, I am just trying to ubderstand the situation and your thinking**

[victor]

But, I guess you could look at what an Optician(mechanic, plumber, etc.) is worth in a different state, and compare to yours. But its your state that matters. Example: An Optician makes more in NYC than in PA, why would I care about what the NYC makes? I run a business in PA. I could really care less what Utah, Ohio, & NYC are paying the Opticians, I know what I need to pay.

As a free market capitalist, I am against most licenses. After all, a 16 year old takes an exam and gets to drive a car (with a great potential of harm to society and himself, perhaps even death). In Nevada, an optician must jump through many hoops and apprentice for 3 years in order to adjust a frame or hand out a box of Acuvue Oaysis. When was the last time you heard of a death from bad frame adjustments? Same goes for bad plumbing.

I know that the law you are dealing seems unfair to you...but it is what it is. Have you thought about working towards changing the law?

**This is not meant in a argumentative way, I am just trying to ubderstand the situation and your thinking**

I agree with you that I have to deal with what is. I don't see the advantage in trying to change the law (dead end and many enemies). Rather, I pay for my employees education at CCSN and try to develop as many licenses as possible in order to flood the market w/ licenses. That is why all newcomers are welcome by me.

This is an important discussion. I enjoy the opportunity to discuss the benefits and drawbacks to state licensure.

[gngrnspc7]

Hi Sara! I'm a licensed optician in Las Vegas, and also an employee of Costco. Yes it is true, the pay is wonderful out here and optician's are very hard to come by in this state. As far as the requirements go, they have revised the Nevada statutes, making it a little harder on getting your license. But one good thing is that they have combined the exam into 1 dual test for both glasses and contacts. (When I took it, I had to sit for 2 seperate full day tests...BLAH!) Anyway, here are the requirements:

1. High school diploma or equivalent
2. Pass ABO
3. Successfully completed a course of study in a school which offers a degree of associate in applied science for studies in ophthalmic dispensing approved by the Board and has had 1 year of ophthalmic experience as an apprentice dispensing optician under the direct supervision of a licensed dispensing optician, licensed ophthalmologist or licensed optometrist.
Has done all of the following:
4. Successfully completed a course of instruction on the fitting of contact lenses approved by the Board
5. Completed at least 100 hours of training and experience in the fitting of and filling of prescriptions for contact lenses under the direct supervision of a licensed dispensing optician authorized to fit and fill prescriptions for contact lenses, a licensed ophthalmologist or a licensed optometrist
6. Passed NCLE
7. Passed the practical examination on the fitting of and filling of prescriptions for contact lenses adopted by the Board

It does (normally) take about 3-4 yrs. to get all of this done, but is well worth it. Once you pass your state test, you then have to pay $300 a year to renew along with 14 CE's per year which 1/2 MUST be for contacts. And you cannot do all online. Our state board is not easy and they do not bend the rules for anyone. I have a friend who moved from Oregon and has been an optician for 18 yrs. She went in front of the board and stated her background experience (along with references), and asked for permission to sit for the test, and they denied her because she did not meet the requirements listed above. So granted we do make a heafty salary, they do not make it easy on us. Because Nevada is so short-handed on licenses, long hours and no personal life make it hard as well. So there's good and bad....Hope my info helps. If you have any more questions feel free to ask! I'll be glad to help!