OD's; Would you hire a qualified Optician to fit Contact Lenses?
I was reading a thread that an OD was hired by a Contact fitting optician and he was unsure of the relationship. My question of OD's is ' Would you hire a qualified (by license) Optician to fit contact lenses in your practice?'. If yes, describe their duties. If no, why not.
Jerry
The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground
I know we have some OD's
on this board, how about a reply?
It's your chance to speak up.
:cheers: Jerry
The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground
MVEYES,
Been away as SECO...
I would absolutely hire a licensed optician to fit contact lenses. Honestly, I really hate fitting contacts. As on OD, I almost feel guilty by my lack of enthusiasm for them. I wear them myself and think they are one of the greatest inventions since the wheel............but I would rather be doing other things then fitting them.
So the answer to your question is absolutely.;)
NC-OD
You seem to have an open mind about your view of the Opticians scope of practice. I for one applaud you. I realize the tense competition for the eyecare dollar in our country and the struggles each profession has to go through to prove their abilities. I have started a new thread quoting Dr. Sheedy's speech at our leadership conference in 1998. I would like to hear your input on some of his comments.
Thanks again for the comment.
:D Jerry
The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held its ground
I am intrigued and frankly refreshed at your viewpoint. I would wonder if I would be up to the liability though. A question sort-of related. I work for an O.D. that when I came there I indicated many many times that I am proficient in specs etc...however I don't have a lot of C.L. trainings and knowledge under my Optician's belt. I have revamped the Lab and been told I am by far the best Optician they have ever had in the history of the practice. That being said, so you don't think it is based on incompetancy.....over and over he has brand new receptionist's train C.L. users and answer questions. I went to him during my review and begged why? His answer, "you are worth more to me on the floor". Frankly itOriginally Posted by NC-OD
has really caused some problems of morale in the office and the untrained staff members to feel that he just hates me. As an O.D. would you ever
not allow a key staff member add't training for a silly reason such as that?
As a past accountant for 18 yrs I am completely aware of cost effectiveness, but how about employee satisfaction and letting people grow towards their goals. I want to ad my NCLE to my ABO certification and feel I am not ready. Your view?
This thread is over 5 years old.
It may be old, but it's still relevant. I think the "you are worth more to me on the floor" excuse is very weak. It discounts any possibility of allowing specs4you to grow as an optician and to expand his knowledge.
I guess it's a bit of a sore point for me because I went through the same thing last fall, and I struggled to explain to the ODs that I want to have a greater role in the clinic. I am completely willing to study and practice as much as needed to make it happen; in my case, either in contact lenses or in low vision. However, the ODs felt that everything was fine status quo.
I feel for you specs4you. I'm not sure how you can approach your OD. I ended up having to discuss the possibility of leaving the clinic before I was taken seriously; I highly suggest you don't take that strategy!
specs4you,
Years ago, in the 80's I was in the same situation. I wanted to learn more about the field and also practice it. My employers at the time (2 Od's) didn't want me to because they felt their business would decrease if I spent anytime doing anything else. I was the dispenser making the $$$$ for them. I requested their help to get me trained several times and they wouldn't budge. Gave me the same excuse as you are given. So, I ended up leaving even though they begged me to stay, offered me more $$ to stay. $$ wasn’t the issue for me, I wanted to learn more and that was something they couldn't give me so I went to another practice. I had no regrets leaving and still to this day feel it was a smart decision vs. taking the raise they wanted to give me to make me stay. I learned a lot by going elsewhere.
Snitgirl;
Thank you !!!! I needed the validation. This present job is the pits as far as growth. I came from a 6 Doc practice with the latest of everything.
Taking retinal photos, corneal topography....just every aspect to this one Doc office that has nothing but old old old equipment and old mindset. It doesn't help that in our area you must work for Drs from other cultures and most of the patients don't speak English. Jobs are so limited in my area that you need a second language which by the way would not help....since there is way too much diversity, you would need 4 extra languages minimum. I am sort of stuck here looking as I am making decent..not great money and all the Docs in the area pay crap......literally!
It sucks ......(now I am talking like a kid, and I am not one....) to be a serious Optician and feel tied down to learning new tips and things. I had a job at a big hospital for about 11 wks that I learned more at in that small time than I have in the 3 yrs at this practice. There were 20 Opticians from all backgrounds who you could absorb from. Too bad that job never panned out, the people were hideous. What is wrong with O.D.'s? I am perplexed at this type of mentality. I also have an Office manager that has been with him for 15 yrs who doesn't know a thing since she has stagnated in his practice and he doesn't see it. She is the typical office manager in our area. Never leaves because she can sit on her haunches and surf the internet all day, only work when he is looking and use his business to sell on ebay. Coming from an accounting and business career prior I am floored at the lack of guts of the O.D.'s I have worked for to take hold of their business and trim the fatty employees that are deadwood. Hoping some O.D.'s see my post.
To MLM:
Thanks for your supportive info. Oh don't think I haven't tried that one. They even know that I have been looking for 2 yrs for another job.
We can only hope that more O.D.'s would care that we take our jobs sometimes........cough..more seriously than they do.
By the way. I see lots of Opticians from Vancouver...Right on...I visited for my birthday a few yrs back...was taken to the Empress Hotel for high tea.....kinda weird...but man are townsfolk friendly there. I had a warm fuzzy feeling for the people. Not many vacations I have come home from feeling like that. I live in the "angry" fast paced and rude San Francisco bay area. Not a nice place to live nor visit. I can only imagine what people say about this place.
Say are there any Opticians in the San Francisco Bay area on this site?
Please reply if so. Lets network.
I know of one, I believe the handle is Fusion???? His Optical store is located in Berkeley. He's had his store for many moons and is quite successful. A super great person as well. ;)
:D
specs4you,
I remember my very first visit to Vancouver back in 94. I had the same exact feeling and impression of the city. Not only that, coming from California myself (San Diego) I couldn't believe how fresh and clean the Vancouver air was. I remember it being december and when walking out of the airport doors my lungs were in heaven! I could breathe again, it was such a nice and strange feeling all in one....Now I get that feeling everytime I walk out my front door:)
Here I am now, a legal resident with my Canadian citizen husband and now our little Canadian baby girl. One of the reasons we chose to come to the city (my husband to come back to his home land) is to raise our little family here. Didn't really see it happening in Cali, especially with the school systems we have there. ack!
Anyhow, so far its been a GREAT place to live....:D
P.S. Good luck to you !
Well a lot of this depens upon state law. In Louisiana where I practice, it is spelled out in the Optometry Practice act that an Optometrist MUST view contact lenses on a patient and spells out what we must do during a contact lens exam. It really isn't up to us as Optometrists here. I would have no problem with an optician looking/fitting soft contact lenses. I feel it's not that challenging, and most people would have no problem learning it.
In our office, right now we have our technicians do most of the leg work on old fits and we pop in and look at them to verify everything is still working. On new fits we still do most of the work ourselves.
You know what is challanging? Dealing with crazy patients and mysteriously unusable progressives. But we manage:D
Since a few wanted other optometrist's opinions, heres a few comments.
First and foremost, ANY job is not supposed to be intellectually stimulating and make the employee happy, its to do the work you are assigned to do. Do you think the office workers at any major corporation are allowed advancement or a change of duties solely because they feel they want to do something different? I know from experience this is not the case.
Many are quick to imply how business idiotic most ODs are, but it seems rather crazy from a business perspective to allow workers to do whatever they feel they SHOULD be doing. Talk about a poorly run office.
All I can say is to take the job as is, or go on to something different.
Now, having said all that, it IS important to keep employees happy. I'd certainly want my opticians and staff to know how to perform many different duties in the office. I do think this increases staff morale and makes for a better run office.
Personally, I'm not sure I'd ever want to delegate refraction or cl fitting in my office, but that has more to do with the office I'm trying to create. Patients come to my office because of me, not because I'll have a tech do a refraction or fit them in lenses. Its perfectly within my right as an optometrist to decide what I feel is best and who I want to cater to (and yes, i realize no one on here was implying it wasn't).
However, I do realize in larger practices there could be more of a need for an optician that does cl fitting. No problems with this (I'm assuming all the training). I think this may be more of your specific problem, I'm guessing the doc doesn't have a huge practice to justify the extra delegation. Or, perhaps he likes to spend that extra time with his patients. Who knows.
There are all types of delegation that is possible. I think there is some type of negatively in the word "delegate" but it shouldn't apply here. Its up to the office managers/owners to decide what is best and most effective for each person to do.
Thanks for twisting my words on my first post. Note that in that sentence, I didn't mention Opticians, I said ANYONE. I meant no ill intentions by what I said.
I'll also second the fun with crazy patients and progressives.
You did say opticians, but it didn't come off as offensive. If as an optician you are required to dispense CL's I think you should know and be taught how to fit lenses. Doen't mean you will be called on to fit lenses, but the knowledge is important. I also think that you should know how to refract, so you understand the numbers you are working with. I also think you should know how to do everything under the sun involved in your field weather performed by you or another in your office.
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Oh, that's a sore point for me. I believe that if one is not happy in their job, they will not perform to the best of their abilities. And if one is not performing to the best of their abilities, then they are not an asset to the company.
I've spoken to owner ODs who say that part of their role is to identify what motivates their staff in order to keep them under their employ. An unhappy staff member will not stay for long. In my personal case, I'm motivated by learning and taking on new challenges. If my employers cannot offer that intellectual and professional stimulation, then I will leave. It's not a matter of simply doing what I think I should be doing. It's a matter of expanding my role in order to grow the practice. Luckily, my employers and I have come to a compromise that gives me new roles and enhances the service they provide as optometrists.
If I was content with just doing the work I was assigned to do, then I would have spent the last 4 years answering the phone and labelling recall envelopes...
mlm,
I am glad you didn't do that cause you're not the "average" optometric assistant. You're above and beyond that...
You'd make a fantastic Optician/Contact Lens Fitter too! hint, hint, time for more certifications??:p tee hee...
Got a patient in a second, but I hope to agree with you, thats what I was trying to say in the rest of my post.
Personally, I want someone that works with me to be interested in eye care enough to want to learn about those things. I find them all interesting, and think it would be incredibly boring to deal with these things all day if they weren't stimulating. But, there are a good number of people that have a job only to make money... doesn't sound like you fall in to that category.
Ok Dr. Orangezero;
Wow I am amazed at your first paragraph and how inflamitory you are on a site predominantly visited by the "working class", opticians and techs.
I have been in corporate america as an Accountant. I was one of the first women trailblazers back in the day. I will set you straight. A well managed corporation or a little ma/pa shop will always jump on the opportunity to let an employee branch out. That doesn't mean you move to another job altogether although my friend yes you can move within a company in order to gain more experience or try something new. Obviously the small Optometrist can allow the Optician some room to show off her passion. I remember when retinal camera's came out my 6 Docs never even tho't of having me take the pics. Finally since I was the only employee on at the times of day they needed the pics I convinced them. Guess who out of all 18 was the best at the really hard patients. Nobody asked but I have done photography for yrs........there is an eye for the moment and and eye for what you are capturing. Basically by the tone of your first paragraph you are telling Opticians who want to be multi faceted to put up and shut up. We are not drones.....believe me. We save many
a patient from leaving the practice in disgust. If I didn't save my Drs. a..
every week with at least one pt's wrong (for the umpteenth time) rx.....they would storm out and leave a wake of bad words and reputation all over town. We are never thanked for going "that" extra mile, not staying over to help a patient, or switching our normal schedule because the Dr.s decide to frolic off on some seminar or vacation at the last min. In my office this happens monthly and we go without pay at the last minute.
Well, if you're willing to study enough as needed...I could be wrong, but I believe one can attend certain schools, study, and become an OD.
Once again, it's "raise the standards, opticians need more licensing" and "lower the standards, you shouldn't have to go to college to refract."
Raise the standards and the money for frame-sellers, push ODs out of the business. Good luck with that.
I completely agree with you. Sorry if it sounded too harsh, not meant that way. However, the reality IS harsh, an office is a business and the owner of said business is the one that makes the calls. I was offering up a different take on it, and what the owner might be thinking. The previous poster mentioned they'd already brought it up several times to the owner, but no luck. I was trying to give some helpful advice that perhaps they are in a bit of a rut and the only way to do something more may be to leave and go to another office to work if all other possibilities are exhausted.
Would the previous poster be willing to take a pay cut to do those less lucrative tasks? not likely.
Personally, in my office I'll do anything I can to make it enjoyable and a good place to work, and the more motivated and interested people are the better. I think it shows and helps everyone. But, I doubt the poster's boss feels this way exactly.
Just to clarify, your boss makes you take unpaid leave when they close the office?
but it use to be the law in many states that OD's could not delegate the fitting of contact lens to anyone, inside the office or outside the office.
They had to be fit by OD's. I personally don't know of many OD's who allow techs to take K readings and design or select and fit both hard and soft lens.
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