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Thread: How much cross training is there where you work?

  1. #1
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    How much cross training is there where you work?

    If you work in a doctor's office, is there a tech that does just that or do all/some of the opticians do tech work?

    Does everyone file their own insurance jobs, or do you have a certain person do it?

    If there is a finishing lab does only one person work in it or or others cross trained to fill in or help?

    How much crosstraining is there?

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    Is it November yet? Jana Lewis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Happylady View Post
    If you work in a doctor's office, is there a tech that does just that or do all/some of the opticians do tech work?

    Does everyone file their own insurance jobs, or do you have a certain person do it?

    If there is a finishing lab does only one person work in it or or others cross trained to fill in or help?

    How much crosstraining is there?
    We are "jacks of all trades" here! My employees do it all... Lab, patient work-up, frame styling, repairs and adjustments, filing insurance... making appointments etc...

    That way everyone knows how to do everything.
    Jana Lewis
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    Quote Originally Posted by Happylady View Post
    If you work in a doctor's office, is there a tech that does just that or do all/some of the opticians do tech work?

    Does everyone file their own insurance jobs, or do you have a certain person do it?

    If there is a finishing lab does only one person work in it or or others cross trained to fill in or help?

    How much crosstraining is there?

    How would anyone get to take time off if only they could do a certain task? I was cross trained and I cross train all of our employees though some are better suited to certain areas and we like to put people in a position where thay can shine. In larger offices it does help to have a biller. Our lab is usually run by our lab guy. But he is not always on site so we all know how to run the machines. If you are not cross trained yourself, you will not be as desirable an employee as someone who is.

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    Master OptiBoarder Snitgirl's Avatar
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    Hi Happylady,

    I worked in both environments and what ended up working best was that everyone was crossed trained (in case they were needed to cover a position) but everyone worked in an individual station.

    Receptionist, Pre tester, Contact lens Tech, Optician, Insurance Biller & money taker… Each employee had a minimum of 5 years experience.

    Each person had goals set out for them and reported them at the weekly staff meeting.

    Quote Originally Posted by Happylady View Post
    If you work in a doctor's office, is there a tech that does just that or do all/some of the opticians do tech work?

    Does everyone file their own insurance jobs, or do you have a certain person do it?

    If there is a finishing lab does only one person work in it or or others cross trained to fill in or help?

    How much crosstraining is there?

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    So if it is the contact techs day off, does someone else check the contacts lenses in or does it wait till the next day?

    Does someone else check and order jobs in the finishing lab if the main lab person is off for a day or does it wait until the lab person is back?

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    If you're smart enough to be an optician, you're more than smart enough to be a tech. That being said, we've all met the "lab-rat" without personality and we've seen the too-personable tech. One may not be able to fill the other's shoes...

    I don't let my opticians tech, however :) I feel like their expertise in sales is more valuable in my setup than paying them to tech.

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    Vision Equipment OptiBoard Corporate Sponsor Leo Hadley Jr's Avatar
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    I would cross train anyone who wants to learn. So many people are stuck in the wrong position because they never get a chance. Happy employees make the best employees. You might have a future office manager standing in front of your edger all day. Also as stated above, a cross trained staff will never cause vacation and sick time conflicts which can be very costly.
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    As related to another post recently. "Cross training" sometimes just translates into more work you have to do. In those optical situations where the dispenser is paid comission on optical products. This "cross training" may do nothing for the employee as far as learing "optical skills" and take the employee away from other tasks that are more remunitive for the employee.

    Chip

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    Quote Originally Posted by Happylady View Post
    If you work in a doctor's office, is there a tech that does just that or do all/some of the opticians do tech work?

    Does everyone file their own insurance jobs, or do you have a certain person do it?

    If there is a finishing lab does only one person work in it or or others cross trained to fill in or help?

    How much crosstraining is there?

    not one bit of cross training here, I am the only Optician actually and we have about 5 techs.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Happylady View Post
    So if it is the contact techs day off, does someone else check the contacts lenses in or does it wait till the next day?

    Does someone else check and order jobs in the finishing lab if the main lab person is off for a day or does it wait until the lab person is back?

    Is there an insecurity in the office in that someone has to be responsible for a certain task or their toes get stepped on? I like everyone to be able to step in at any time and do any job though there are some who just naturally are better at a certain task. If you don't cross train employees, you are doing a diservice to the office, the employee, and the patients. No one person gets to Lord it over any one department, except the doctor of course.

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    Quote Originally Posted by cocoisland58 View Post
    Is there an insecurity in the office in that someone has to be responsible for a certain task or their toes get stepped on? I like everyone to be able to step in at any time and do any job though there are some who just naturally are better at a certain task. If you don't cross train employees, you are doing a diservice to the office, the employee, and the patients. No one person gets to Lord it over any one department, except the doctor of course.
    I was just wondering how it was done at other offices since I have worked at the same doctor's office for many years.

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    I do all of the sales, dispensing, adjusting, inventory management, problem solving, etc. We have one full time OD and one OD who comes in 3 days a week. My partner comes in those three days, but she does contact lens teachings, screenings, and some sales, and dispensing. We have dedicated *office* staff that handle all the calls and appointments and verifying insurance. We also have a (2 part time) insurance person who files most insurance. I do all of the VSP, except the exam only and contacts. We are BUSY, real BUSY!!!!

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    OptiBoardaholic Scott R's Avatar
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    The cross training I am most familar with is me crossing from lab to sales to secretary to janitor back to lab ect. while the "manager" i work with sits on the phone B-Sing with someone with her arms CROSSED across her chest.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Scott R View Post
    The cross training I am most familar with is me crossing from lab to sales to secretary to janitor back to lab ect. while the "manager" i work with sits on the phone B-Sing with someone with her arms CROSSED across her chest.

    As a "manager" I don't ask anyone to do anything that i won't do myself so we all clean the bathrooms and we all do lab work, etc. Occasionally you might find some of us sitting with our arms crossed across our chests. Well, except for our little dispenser who cannot accomplish that feat..... her chest being what it is. Hey, cleavage sells.

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    On May 9, 2007, a Tennessee Licensed Optician, received Notice of Charges from the Tennessee Board of Dispensing Opticians stating he “performed a visual acuity test and a refraction test”

    The Ophthalmologist supervising the Optician provided the following information to the Board:

    On January 29, 2007, you contacted Mr. XXX regarding a Consent Order in Lieu of Formal Disciplinary Proceedings. In this correspondence you state the “investigation reveals that you performed a visual acuity test and a refraction test, which is outside of your scope of practice.”

    From May 2004 until and including the present time, Mr. XXX has acted under my supervision. A review of records clearly established that Mr. XXX fully and completely accomplished all procedures outlined by my written office policy pertaining to such activities.

    This case comes before the Tennessee Board of Dispensing Opticians on June 20, 2007. It will be interesting to see if an Ophthalmologist is allowed to supervise a licensed Optician performing these functions.

    Roy R. Ferguson, PhD

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    Master OptiBoarder Joann Raytar's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jana Lewis View Post
    We are "jacks of all trades" here! My employees do it all... Lab, patient work-up, frame styling, repairs and adjustments, filing insurance... making appointments etc...

    That way everyone knows how to do everything.
    Same here except for the lab work 3 and a half out of 5 of us can edge. (The half can edge but isn't all that comfortable edging if no one else is around). Of course there is always a person that does a particular task better than the others or likes it more so they end up doing most of something (insurance, edging, appointments).

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    Quote Originally Posted by Roy R. Ferguson View Post
    On May 9, 2007, a Tennessee Licensed Optician, received Notice of Charges from the Tennessee Board of Dispensing Opticians stating he “performed a visual acuity test and a refraction test”

    The Ophthalmologist supervising the Optician provided the following information to the Board:

    On January 29, 2007, you contacted Mr. XXX regarding a Consent Order in Lieu of Formal Disciplinary Proceedings. In this correspondence you state the “investigation reveals that you performed a visual acuity test and a refraction test, which is outside of your scope of practice.”

    From May 2004 until and including the present time, Mr. XXX has acted under my supervision. A review of records clearly established that Mr. XXX fully and completely accomplished all procedures outlined by my written office policy pertaining to such activities.

    This case comes before the Tennessee Board of Dispensing Opticians on June 20, 2007. It will be interesting to see if an Ophthalmologist is allowed to supervise a licensed Optician performing these functions.

    Roy R. Ferguson, PhD
    Please keep us posted on any updates - sounds interesting!

  18. #18
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    We have a pretty large office and everyone is crossed trained within their own departments. Though in a pinch, the office administrator and myself are also ophthalmic techs, we'll step in to help out whenever needed.

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    Funny that most of the responses support employees being cross trained. We all are customers and pts in our private lives so why not take the attitude as "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THAT IS NOT MY JOB" and rise up to learn as much as you can to be a better person in this world. Cross training allows for this to happen.

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    ATO Member HarryChiling's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Roy R Ferguson
    On May 9, 2007, a Tennessee Licensed Optician, received Notice of Charges from the Tennessee Board of Dispensing Opticians stating he “performed a visual acuity test and a refraction test”

    The Ophthalmologist supervising the Optician provided the following information to the Board:


    On January 29, 2007, you contacted Mr. XXX regarding a Consent Order in Lieu of Formal Disciplinary Proceedings. In this correspondence you state the “investigation reveals that you performed a visual acuity test and a refraction test, which is outside of your scope of practice.”

    From May 2004 until and including the present time, Mr. XXX has acted under my supervision. A review of records clearly established that Mr. XXX fully and completely accomplished all procedures outlined by my written office policy pertaining to such activities.

    This case comes before the Tennessee Board of Dispensing Opticians on June 20, 2007. It will be interesting to see if an Ophthalmologist is allowed to supervise a licensed Optician performing these functions.

    Roy R. Ferguson, PhD
    I find that interesting as I have worked in an ophthalmology office and have teched patients and am an optician. What if the individual was an ophthalmic tech and an optician? Please keep us posted on this.
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    As an employee assigned to the eyeglass shop, I must say, I seem to be the only person I work with who sees the value of being somewhat competent at everyone else's job. It seems so simple to me, I honestly don't see the down side of being the most valuable employee in the place...
    That said, managment has been singing their "we're gonna cross train you" song for a while now and nothing has come of it. Instead of sitting on my rump when we're slow and front dest is slammed, I started by answering phones. I asked people, show me how to take a payment, how to schedule and appt. You get the picture. I did the same thing in Contacts, and I hope to butt into work-up soon! Honestly, I've made myself quite helpful in a pinch and I don't see why everyone else in my office seems to resist it so much.
    I think everyone should be cross-trained in theory, but I'm much happier being the young up-and-comer who knows the value of this among those who don't seem to care.

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    Quote Originally Posted by EyeFitWell View Post
    As an employee assigned to the eyeglass shop, I must say, I seem to be the only person I work with who sees the value of being somewhat competent at everyone else's job. It seems so simple to me, I honestly don't see the down side of being the most valuable employee in the place...
    That said, managment has been singing their "we're gonna cross train you" song for a while now and nothing has come of it. Instead of sitting on my rump when we're slow and front dest is slammed, I started by answering phones. I asked people, show me how to take a payment, how to schedule and appt. You get the picture. I did the same thing in Contacts, and I hope to butt into work-up soon! Honestly, I've made myself quite helpful in a pinch and I don't see why everyone else in my office seems to resist it so much.
    I think everyone should be cross-trained in theory, but I'm much happier being the young up-and-comer who knows the value of this among those who don't seem to care.

    Awesome attitude! :cheers:

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    Watch them.........................

    That is why unions got invented..........to protect workers that did or do not not voluntarily advance themselves.

    If an individual wants to advance in his job he will mostly on his initiative start to learn and master other functions in a business.

    these people have to be recognized, supported and re numerated for their efforts or they will look for another position elsewhere,

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Ryser View Post
    That is why unions got invented..........to protect workers that did or do not not voluntarily advance themselves.

    If an individual wants to advance in his job he will mostly on his initiative start to learn and master other functions in a business.

    these people have to be recognized, supported and re numerated for their efforts or they will look for another position elsewhere,

    Absolutely correct.

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    Unless you enjoy dealing with old people who can't hear. Never, never allow them to cross train you to do hearing testing or hearing aid sales.
    One of the few things I had the good judgement not to learn.

    Chip

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