Passed ABO Spectacle exam now seeking PT employment Lenscrafters

[cmhohioman]

I just found out recently I passed my ABO exam and will soon be licensed dispensing optician. I am currently a Registered Nurse (RN MSN) looking for part-time employment (20hrs a week) and have an interview with Lenscrafters. Not sure what to ask for in terms of pay or compensation. $20 hr?? $18 hr?? I mean...its part-time....no benefits...Please advise.

[chip anderson]

You gonna make a whole bunch mo' munny as an RN than you ever will as an optician anywhere.

A situation where an optician makes $35.00 an hour (unless on commission or owner of the place) is very rare. As you know an RN can easily command $60.00~$100.00 hr. Sometimes more if willing to fly in and out of certian areas where there is a shortage.

Chip

[tigerlilly]

At LC in your area, you'd be lucky to get $15 an hour. Probably less. I'd look into private practice or tech work before climbing on the back of the retail beast.

[cmhohioman]

Chip Anderson....I beg to differ....I'm a Registered Nurse and I worked for one of the largest Medical Centers in the State of Ohio OSU Medical Center and when I left to go back to grad school full time to get my Masters Degree in Nursing (MSN) I was only making $59,000 a year as case manager RN. Yes...staff nurses who are Union and some experience can make $65,000 upwards of close to $80,000.I have never ever...ever heard of a nurse making a $100 hour....that would be an equivalent salary of $208,000. Nurse Anesthetists can make upwards of $175,000 on the high side. Normal nurses usually don't make over $80,000 a year unless they live in places like NYC or Boston or Washington D.C where the cost of living is higher. It's all relative.

[LENNY]

I would utilize your medical knowledge in a private OD/OMD setting.

[scottster]

I wish I had an RN degree to fall back on when I grow weary of being an optician. Like Chip stated, even being certified, the pay of an optician is pretty meager. I finally got it through my thick skull that I'll never make it big in the eye-care business but it is a job that can be pretty fulfilling if you work with the right people. The flip-side is where you might run into trouble. Working with bad bosses, cranky patients, inept labs, etc can really make you want to run headfirst into a wall. Just my 2 cents, for what it's worth.

[eye2]

You gonna make a whole bunch mo' munny as an RN than you ever will as an optician anywhere.

A situation where an optician makes $35.00 an hour (unless on commission or owner of the place) is very rare. As you know an RN can easily command $60.00~$100.00 hr. Sometimes more if willing to fly in and out of certian areas where there is a shortage.

Chip

I don't know where most of you get your statistics either made up or just don't know so you guess. From the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for Opticians median hourly wage is between 15.84 and 16.73 hourly with an average of 34,800 yearly. Nurses registered median wage is 31 to 32 hourly a median 67,720 yearly. Where do you guys get this stuff? My sister who has been a registered nurse for 30 years with her bachelors and masters in nursing and has been a teacher and head of a hospitals nurses doesn't make 120,000. She makes around 80 to 90000 yearly. Now going down the rabbit hole where Alice went might get you those fanciful figures but living in US doesn't. Now if you want to travel Saudi Arabia you can earn some pretty big bucks. Rant over! :hammer:

[DragonLensmanWV]

Didn't you know? 88% of statistics are made up?:bbg:

[eye2]

I would utilize your medical knowledge in a private OD/OMD setting.

I agree! I wouldn't work for the Evil Empire or any of it's appendages. For one thing they don't hire Opticians to manage you. They hire retail people who have no optical knowledge but lord it over you that you better sell or you could be gone.

[eye2]

Didn't you know? 88% of statistics are made up?:bbg:

NICE!

[cmhohioman]

Totally agree with eye2's comment. He is totally right on the money in terms of salaries for healthcare professionals such as Registered Nurses and Opticians. I will say this....I checked on salary.com and put in my zip code for what a licensed optician makes yearly and they came up with slightly more than $40,000 a year. So in my interview and application I will request $20 hour part-time no benefits and see what they offer. Again....I have masters degree and RN. But eye2 was realistic in his figures.

[eye2]

Totally agree with eye2's comment. He is totally right on the money in terms of salaries for healthcare professionals such as Registered Nurses and Opticians. I will say this....I checked on salary.com and put in my zip code for what a licensed optician makes yearly and they came up with slightly more than $40,000 a year. So in my interview and application I will request $20 hour part-time no benefits and see what they offer. Again....I have masters degree and RN. But eye2 was realistic in his figures.

Apparently you still want to go this route. If that be the case a couple of things to watch out for. 1. Watch your back. Most of the managers and regional managers have no optical experience, they could not tell a pd stick from a broom stick. 2. I know for what I speak. I was lied about and with the capitulation of RM and manager they railroaded me out. So be careful! :drop:

[skt]

Don't go to lensshafters!

[Jubilee]

Here is the deal.. the figures listed are averages. You have no optician experience. Lenscrafters also is known for its cheapness when it comes to labor. My experience (granted I have not worked for them for 5 years.. but I was management) was that full time got more $$ than part time.. and since you can pick up a benefit plan for part time (limited.. but available) it won't make too much of a difference in their mind in terms of compensation. I know when Johns was a regular contributor to these forums, he was offering $20 part time in Ohio.. but was Saturdays only.. and you had to have a fair amount of experience. He wasn't a cheapskate on labor either.. now on his costs of goods.. that's another story! ;)

Your best bet in coming to them is to be a sales dynamo. Doesn't matter if you have optical or not.... if you can sell multiple pairs of premium eyewear.. then you're golden. Or as Lenny pointed out.. if you want to work optical.. try a MD/OD office that would love to have your skill set with the best of both worlds..


--------------------

Now as far as Chip's figures.. I know RN's that do make over 6 figures a year. They are administrative, overseeing that everyone has the appropriate documentation, standards, following standards of care, etc. Not working with patients, but protecting them and making sure the hospital is covering their arses.. Some specialties in specific locations can offer similar packages. It just seems odd that someone with twice the average earning power wants to be an optician working part time. However we have a couple of Lawyers, and other folks with professional designations that choose optical as a career. I know I have been given opportunities to go in other fields.. but I keep coming back! So I hope you enjoy your forray into a new area.

[harry888]

what you all are missing in the salary picture are benefits like 401K and health insurance.

Larger hospitals have unions that ensure those benefits, but it is rarely mentioned or calculated as part of the salary.

Harry

[Jubilee]

Well when I left LC, they were offering insurance (all be it a scaled down version) to their part time associates. All associates with an average of 20hours a week were eligible after a year for 401K as well.

Now perhaps the amount they pay for unemployment insurance, and vacation would factor in. However the primary thought process I saw from LC was that full time meant you had to work, when they said you would work. IE no availability restrictions. Therefor.. you were paid a premium compared to part time who they would purposely keep just under the 35 hour average for a 13 week period to keep them from qualifying for FT. I know in other fields/corporations I have worked for, this was not the case. However.. for LC it was.


OK.. I think I got Harry's point now too. Took a moment for the caffeine to kick in. Yes, the other big benefit to working for a hospital is that you would have access to much better benefits than what LC/Lux offers.

[FVCCHRIS]

Something wrong here.......an RN wanting to become an Optician...........sorry, something wrong here.

Don't take that the wrong way, and also congrats on passing the exam.:D

[cmhohioman]

There is much more to the story than switching from being a Registered Nurse (RN MSN) to being a Licensed Dispensing Optician. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (FMS) and was working as a Patient Care Resource Manager (PCRM) at OSU Medical Center. I resigned because of 2 reasons 1) Return to graduate school full-time to get my Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) (administration)/MBA 2) Because of the Fibromyalgia, I could not handle full-time employment and the stress and politics involved with the position. I had to go out on full-time disability with our Public Pension plan called Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS). The disability retirement is very good and includes medical/dental benefits (Very generous). OPERS will allow me to work part-time in another position as long as it's not nursing. Again....disability will NOT allow me even to work part-time as an agency RN. NO nursing as long as I'm considered disabled from that particular job profession. BUT.....BUT....they approved me to work for Luxottica/Retail Optical position....max 24 hrs a week. I worked previously as a licensed optician from 1987-1992 undergrad. That's why I'm applying for a 2nd shift 4-9pm mall hours. 20 hrs a week....that's plenty enough.... Hope that helps explain my leaving the nursing profession....all because of Fibromyalgia and stress. Not to mention a nasty Bipolar (Manic-Depressive Disorder) Nurse Manager that everybody including housekeeping hated. She tried to get me fired......finally Hospital administration demoted or told her she could never be in management again......Imagine that. I got 8 years experience as a psych nurse...but Bipolar people are so damn mean spirited.....I swear...Very unpredictable behavior...

[snooki]

There is much more to the story than switching from being a Registered Nurse (RN MSN) to being a Licensed Dispensing Optician. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (FMS) and was working as a Patient Care Resource Manager (PCRM) at OSU Medical Center. I resigned because of 2 reasons 1) Return to graduate school full-time to get my Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) (administration)/MBA 2) Because of the Fibromyalgia, I could not handle full-time employment and the stress and politics involved with the position. I had to go out on full-time disability with our Public Pension plan called Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS). The disability retirement is very good and includes medical/dental benefits (Very generous). OPERS will allow me to work part-time in another position as long as it's not nursing. Again....disability will NOT allow me even to work part-time as an agency RN. NO nursing as long as I'm considered disabled from that particular job profession. BUT.....BUT....they approved me to work for Luxottica/Retail Optical position....max 24 hrs a week. I worked previously as a licensed optician from 1987-1992 undergrad. That's why I'm applying for a 2nd shift 4-9pm mall hours. 20 hrs a week....that's plenty enough.... Hope that helps explain my leaving the nursing profession....all because of Fibromyalgia and stress. Not to mention a nasty Bipolar (Manic-Depressive Disorder) Nurse Manager that everybody including housekeeping hated. She tried to get me fired......finally Hospital administration demoted or told her she could never be in management again......Imagine that. I got 8 years experience as a psych nurse...but Bipolar people are so damn mean spirited.....I swear...Very unpredictable behavior...

Hate to tell you this , but if you end up working for Luxottica, you still might be under a lot of stress. They put a lot of pressure on their employees!!

[pseudonym]

An career-changing RN attended classes with me in optical school. There was nothing wrong with her. Except for her habit of wearing latex gloves to change nosepads. Probably had something to do with her advanced knowledge of micro-biology.