On the off chance that someone's still looking at this thread for opinions about the pros/cons of pursuing opticianry in Florida:
Deciding to become a licensed optician in Florida will benefit you greatly if you become a great optician. This sounds redundant, and maybe a little infantile, but think about it seriously. If I have a spot open this year for a licensed optician (I do not hire non-licensed sales people), I am looking for the best person I can have to fill the job.
If I have 2 people to pick from, or a thousand, I am looking for someone who has a great attention to detail, wants to learn and grow (whether you've been in the field for 40 years or less than 40 hours), works well with others, and has an intrinsic motivation to want to help our patients and put forth the best work they can. No where in my list of requirements does time on the job matter. If I have a go-getter straight out of getting their license, I'd much rather have them than an optician who thinks they know it all because they worked selling glasses in an optical for 25 years and feels entitled to their pay.
There was a quote on typical wages, and I can say that currently, all of the opticians I've known in the Fort Myers area (right around the schools) and in the Jacksonville area (5 hours away from the closest school) fit in that pay scale or above.
I graduated from Hillsborough with degrees in Opticianry and Optical Management after being in the field (non-licensed) for app. 7 years. I was fortunate enough to have the best of both worlds in terms of learning, and I couldn't be more thankful for it.
One thing I have to respectfully disagree with is the comment of going where the money is. If the main impetus for your future career is money, do yourself and all of us here a favor and choose another career. I don't know of a single optician driving a Bentley! If you're the kind of person that has this need to be the best at whatever you do, you care about taking care of patients, and prioritize job satisfaction over $$$, you're the person I want to interview (and you will do well).
Normally my posts are well thought out before I begin to type, but it's about 2:30am, so if it seems a bit scatterbrained, I apologize.
William
P.S. - Hi Laurie! It's good to see you here!
William Walker
Associates in Science in Opticianry
Associates in Science in Optical Business Management
Licensed Dispensing Optician
Board Certified
Certified Paraoptometric Assistant
American Board of Opticianry Advanced Certified
National Contact Lens Examiners Certified
Next Goal: ABOM
Optician with Lenscrafters in Jacksonville, FL
Hey Obxeyeguy, the difference, it is my house! lol.Wow! Best offer?? For a VP of Fezz-Johns? Thats the same offer I received from that cheap Vegas hotel Johns recomended for VEW. Three nights mid-week, minimum spending required. Somehow I think I already paid them for it.
Hi Willilam, great to see you here too!
Johns, Early April would work...we have final exams the last week of April, and the students' brains are too overloaded to really appreciate your message during that time.
Of course, once we get the date, all 'boarders are welcome...Johns will buy the pizza!
: )
Laurie
Just after the UnExpo (March 27,28) should work. I'll check the dates with my wife and PM you.
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
Maybe I just live in a sucky part of the panhandle, (Panama City). Just go look at the Medical license search page for Florida, look up Opticians listed in Bay County. Then look at the number of optical establishments to work at. There is a overwhelming abundance of Opticians.
Pushing close to 30 years in this area, being a damn good optician, being reliable and dependable and well liked by patients. Have worked with O.D.'s, M.D.'s big box stores and chains. More then willing to fill in for Opticians and managers who could not come in, driving two hours to get there, work a 12 hour shift and two hours home. I think I could call myself a, bust my *** optician. Point is, its not the time in the business but being good at what I chose to do and will retire doing it.
I have yet to make $25 bucks an hour or more. Most I have ever squeezed out is maybe $22. Now maybe I'm selling my self short with employers or maybe I don't want to feel like I am taking advantage of anyone.
If I'm doing something wrong here I wish someone would tell me what it is. In five years my house is mine so in todays market to pull up and move elsewhere is asinine to do. But damn, 25, 30, I even heard something about 35 bucks an hour. I want some of that! And nope, no commission or bonus's here. Is that how the money is made?
Thanks for any input
Of course, at this stage in the game, you're not going to relocate, but wages (not just opticians') are like real estate.
The house I occupy in Ohio would be worth 10X the amount if it were located on a beach in Fla, Ca, or Hawaii. It's not, but I don't have to put up w/traffic, tourists, and whatnot.
You live in an area that is highly desirable to many people, including a ton of opticians. Of course where there are more, the demand is less and the wage will be lower.
You'll often find that the less desirable areas pay more, but I think you already knew that. Not long ago, someone posted about a job in Alaska visiting Eskimo villages, or Indian reservations somewhere. They mentioned a figure that I think was in the six figure range. That post brought a lot of responses from people that were curious about the job, especially the conditions and the wages. If I remember correctly, the job was re-posted a number of times before it was filled.
Some jobs (and wages) look good from afar, but far from good...
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
If the amount of money you make is the concern, then consider your restrictions ,then change the restrictions.
Rate of pay X number of hours available to work = maximum dollars available to attain
(1) to make more money you must increase the rate of pay
or
(2) increase the number of hours worked
or
(3) both of the above
as an optician , rate of pay has it's averages in various localities, & the maximum hours is 24 and we know you can't work 24 hours constantly , therefore you are really constrained by a couple of other factors . Knowledge, delegation, organization and leverage.
If you have learned how to run a business then you increase the rate of pay by having more locations & people working for you . You delegate and organize to create leverage which increases net pay . The best that you are is now better in more places .
Learning to just be an optician is like being only the Lensometer in a lab . You know about optics , but you need the rest of the tools to do the real job . You need the edger and machine operators to pump volume numbers through in the same number of hours in order to increase the net pay .
If money is the yardstick , then you have to be more than a lensometer .
The strength of successful people who do drive Bentleys in this business is delegation, organization, leverage and the ability to replicate success or clone it into another location.
When most successful people give speeches , they forget to tell you (and you never thought to ask ) about the power of leverage and replication of success. Now
money earned = number of locations X rate of pay X number of billable hours or open hours
I am GLAD to see someone realizes the that having too many Opticians is a bad thing.
Last year in TN we had someone pursue a suit for declatory releif against the board of Opticans. It was his(their) positon that only an optican can do anything in reguards to selling/fitting glasses.
The board did rule in his favor but at the same time and I warned everyone that this would eventually lead to a larger number of Opticians in the retailing environments thusly reducing Opticians pay and their job security.
So far there has not been any further actions taken in reguards to the matter.... it seems to have simply fallen to the way side.
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
Well.... at least bad from the stand point of driving down wages in general. I've always said the better opticians will still succeed.
...you will see that:
A) the majority of students we enroll at HCC (especially Internet students) are already in the optical field.
B) the opticianry programs supply approx. 10 percent of opticians in the field...there are far more apprentices sitting for state boards than AS Opticianry grads.
Lets talk about replacing apprenticeship with formal optical education instead of (what I perceive as) blaming the opticiany programs/colleges for flooding the market.
: )
Laurie
I agree with Laurie that apprenticehip needs to be modified in FL. In NJ the apprentice program consist of 30+ credits in courses like Materials 1 & 2 lecture and lab, Dispensing 1 & 2 lecture and lab, Anatomy of the Eye, Contact lens 1 and principles of optics and 36 months of apprenticeship. In my humble opinion, there should be no such thing as apprenticeship without education.
1. It is illegal to operate and optical establishment without opticians. Corporate giants have not understood that. They are suppose to have opticians coverage at all times per store. Not scheduling an optician during the graveyard shifts in every store and allowing unlicensed individuals to do dispensing is illegal yet it is commonly done. Or better yet sharing a license optician that may work in one side of the mall in the flag ship who does provide supervision of the assistants that may work on the other side of the mall under a different store name ( hard to do long distance supervision dont you think) is illegal. Such large giant is really not our friend yet is the biggest employer of opticians. I personally think a pulling of ears for such bad behavior is due. Problem is catching them. No one wants to mess with them. Only time they straighten up is when the optical establishment inspector comes around.
2. Optometry has not embraced having a licensed optician on staff because they feel it is a waste of money. Even when the OD owner is not there (even over seas) their assistants still can dispense eyewear. This is a loop hole that is disserving for our profession. If they do not close it then definetely opticianry should move forward with independent refraction.Yet we do not hear any whispers about legislation from our association. The only time we tend to expand scope or reaffirm our existance as a licensed profession is when they try to yank the licensed away from us.
3. Ophthalmology has been slow but it is getting around to hiring licensed opticians. Our schools should have more of a presence at their conventions promoting their graduates and at the same time our profession. I can guarantee to the opticianry schools that if they put a booth they will definetely be a hit. Ophthalmology has been nearsighted with opticians. Opticians should be fitting their contact lenses, dispensing their eyewear and refracting for them. Show to them that their graduates can do it and they will hire. They tend to pay better and tend o not be so overzealous about delegation.
4. Independent opticians are dying mainly because the market is becoming more challenging. Insurance participation is another key that our association should be reopening the case. Also we are a health profession yet we cannot hire Optometrists or own medical records.
5. Opening an optical store is expensive regardless of who tell you that it can be done. To make money you have to do your own edging, be an expert in manufacturing, repair and a wiz in management. Your license is a start and your ability to sell is a plus but that is no guarantee unless you are excellent in lab work and not timid to practice to fullest extend of your allowable practice scope.
Good luck and if you are good you will surely succeed.
CNG
Last edited by CNG; 04-04-2009 at 09:07 PM.
Come to NC, where the laws are similar, except the state makes the licensed optician the one responsible. The optician is the only one the state can regulate, not the business, so if no ones on site, optician pays the fine, not the business.1. It is illegal to operate and optical establishment without opticians. Corporate giants have not understood that. They are suppose to have opticians coverage at all times per store. Not scheduling an optician during the graveyard shifts in every store and allowing unlicensed individuals to do dispensing is illegal yet it is commonly done. Or better yet sharing a license optician that may work in one side of the mall in the flag ship who does provide supervision of the assistants that may work on the other side of the mall under a different store name ( hard to do long distance supervision dont you think) is illegal. Such large giant is really not our friend yet is the biggest employer of opticians. I personally think a pulling of ears for such bad behavior is due. Problem is catching them. No one wants to mess with them. Only time they straighten up is when the optical establishment inspector comes around.
When I came here I had to register as the licensed optician, and was then responsible for the office in all open hours. The state board of opticians can do nothing to a business, as it has no authority over them, only over the optician that they do regulate. So this does in fact put a lot of opticians in a bad situation, job or the board? Take your pick.
You also might want to check on how the state defines the word "dispense".In many states the act of handing someone a pair of glasses is permissible and not considered dispensing. The individual delivering the glasses may not interpret, fit, adapt, or modify the glasses (or contact lenses)in any way.The act of taking money for the glasses is also not considered dispensing. This is how the larger companies get around graveyard shifts.
"Always laugh when you can. It is a cheap medicine"
Lord Byron
Take a photo tour of Cape Cod and the Islands!
www.capecodphotoalbum.com
Florida is pretty strick as to what is dispensing and the intend of the law is that each optical establishment that is licensed by the state has its own optician at all hours in which "opticianry" is practiced (duplication of Rx, PDs, seg height and adjustments) receiving the money or assisting with the selection of frames and lenses is not part of opticianry. Most opticals of these Giant opticals frankly do comply with the law but ignorance of the law by new managers or regionals vary and once in a while they make mistakes and have to be gently reminded of what the law is.
One of the few laws & rules that have been beneficial to opticians is the inspection of optical establishments. These inspections remind these managers that there is a law and every time one of these inspections is done, the ones that stray from the norm of having an optician on staff at all hours in which opticianry is practiced seems to be reminded and efforts are made to comply but yet again they are only interested in the bottom line just like any business and sometimes the wink at the law slightly diminushing the quality of care and at the same time reducing the need for licensed opticians.
CNG
I'm in TX now, and planning on moving back to FL ! I've my ABO/NCLE certifications and i've my AS degree from FL. I'd like to take the FL license exam. What are the requirements ? Need any tips from those who've taken it recently . thanks
Sounds like you're qualified. Here's a link to the Professional Opticians of Florida website with more info. I took the test about 18 years ago and it has changed lots. It's computerized now and includes testing on contacts that has never been on the exam before. I don't know anyone that has taken the new test.
http://www.pof.org/florida-licensure...rida-licensed/
Thanks so much gmc. It's grt that it's computerized now. So, now there's testing on contacts too ? I think you've to study the FL laws but do i've to study the Optical section too ?
You are no longer tested on Florida law, although you do have to sit through a class on it. I haven't yet talked to anyone who has taken the new test, so I'm not sure exactly what is on it.
Here's the latest from POF on the exam.
http://www.pof.org/index.php/florida...icianry-board/
I just moved to central Fl from central NJ last year. I was lucky enough to transfer with my optical consulting company of 11 years, but i still took a 5k salary cut, and i work in an affluent area. I cannot afford to live in this affluent area, so i drive 1-1.5 hours (30 miles)each way depending on traffic. I've applied to other opticals and i've been offered $15 an hour from private O.D.'s to $22 an hour from larger retail companies. The larger retail companies are always looking for help to replace the employees that left being fed up with working nights, weekends, and some holidays.Hope this helps. Does anybody out there know of CE classes that do both FL and NJ credits at same time? I am keeping my NJ license and I hate travelling back just to take CE. Give me a shout out if anyone out there needs both NJ and FL CE. If I get enough people, I can arrange central Fl CE classes. Thanks.[QUOTE=iaam008;277395]
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