Why?Originally Posted by pseudonym
Why?
Kids, construction workers, and farmers don't keep up with the microfiber cloths, wipe their glasses on their tee-shirt, and generally don't listen when you say a premium lens requires premium care. That's why.
Have you discussed this concern with the offending doctor or the practice owner? If I am reading this correctly, (and I may not be since I just got home) you have worked at your current place for 6 years, and in that time, you have not experienced a doc who is as "hands on" with the eyeglass side as he. Why not go up and shake his hand, and strike up a conversation? "Dr. Smith, I noticed that you often give our patients some advice in regards to their eyewear. Many docs I have worked with have not expressed an interest in that side of the business, and I was curious where you desire to make recommendations comes from?" "Oh really, it comes from working with inexperience folks, and wanting to do what you can to help redos low. I appreciate that. I just want to reassure you that I do have extensive experience in the industry, am certified, and I hope you will utilize me as a resource, and will allow me to do use you as well. Hopefully in time we can erase the negative impression your prior experience gave you.."
If that doesn't work, or you aren't comfortable speaking to the doc directly, then speak to their supervisor/owner. Ask for roles to be defined, etc. Though I have often found that a simple conversation will help ease most situations like these.
"Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate. But I believe that happiness is something we create."-Something More by Sugarland
^^^This.
I'm an annoying jerk but my optician has to put up with me.
When I worked for a chain, either they couldn't care less or butted heads with me. I was clearly overstepping my boundaries, but I liked getting the optical experience.
You hiring??
what about fisherman and botanist?
offending?
Wow, seems you have met a really "interesting“ dr. Sorry I haven't worked with a dr.!
The reason I said "offending" is that the poster seems to be offended/upset. The viewpoint seems to be that he is overstepping his bounds, and in her territory. Whether that is good or bad, or should/should not be offensive is another topic. I was just suggesting to her to go talk to him about it, and be professional herself.
"Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate. But I believe that happiness is something we create."-Something More by Sugarland
FWIW, I wouldn't tolerate this behavior from any Dr. I would address it immediately, and respectfully. As with any relationship, I will not stay in it if I am not trusted.
Wesley S. Scott, MBA, MIS, ABOM, NCLE-AC, LDO - SC & GA
“As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.” -Albert Einstein
Ditto
Years ago I used to teach contact lens fitting to Ophthalmology residents. I found that the first year residents where eager to learn and wanted to know everything. By the second year they tended to try to appear to have some knowledge of the subject and when contact lenses were mentioned they used to reply: "Yeah, K readings." This appearently in thier minds insuated some competence on the subject.
Now by the third year they began to tell me how I should have fitted the lenses (this was particularly irritating as they were on 6 wks. rotation between the University and the VA. One six weeks I would have the resident telling me that the lens should be smaller, the next six-weeks the new resident would be telling me the the lenses should be larger (same patient).
By the fourth year it was rather useless to tell them anything at all as they knew everything.
Now the real problem was when they got out on thier own, if you could manage not to offend them by illustrating your knowledge and skills for two years, the control freak mentality wore off most of them and you could begin to work together.
Always amused me to see myself go from expert to peon technician status is the course of thier training.
Chip
* If you require your A/R wearers to "keep up with a micro-fiber cloth" and can't sell it to children or farmers you have a poor understanding of quality A/R products *
Opticians that have been in the business for a while (10-20 yrs) have a successful method of handling each patient type. That is if they're a skilled optician, and especially if they've worked in the same practice for many years. Having a new stick tossed in the mud doesn't help the sale/fitting/patient in any way other then as a second opinion on the overall fashion/look of their frame choice for reinforcement. Trust me, patients do not want multiple people throwing more information at them when contemplating their eyewear purchase. Opticians already often fail miserably at presenting options in a way a patient can understand, so a Dr.'s help is most likely unneeded and a complication.
OD's can definitely be skilled at this portion of the business, and I have known several who worked as Opticians for many years that I would trust to fit my family in eyewear. They still need to recruit & hire an Optician they feel they can trust, leave their side to them & focus on what they sepcialize in.
There are, of course, exceptions but you get the point.
@lind2020 - A/R +1
I find it very interesting that no optician seems to be able to recommend working with the doctor as a team on this subject. Getting a "I" vibe from this thread. The word "Team" seems to escape the vocabulary. hmmm........ Seems to be a doc-vs optician mentality. That is sad.
What seems obvious to me is that the Dr. considers the optician (justly or unjustly, I can not say) to be incompetent. If treated in that manner, I would address the Dr. respectfully, but as stated, I would not continue to work in an environment where I was not trusted to perform my duties. I am not averse to working in a team, but I am highly averse to being disrespected. With that said, no Dr. has ever treated me in that manner, and I have never given cause for one to do so. My relationships with the Drs. I have worked with have always been amiable and professional.
Wesley S. Scott, MBA, MIS, ABOM, NCLE-AC, LDO - SC & GA
“As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.” -Albert Einstein
In
If my comments seemed that way, it's because of my experiences working as an optician with and for doctors. Some treated me like the cleaning lady, some wanted my input only as far as they deemed my information relevant, some gave me a free hand as long as I fitted lenses the way they wanted them fitted, right or wrong. In other words, the fact that I was an adept optician never entered the conversation, the fact that I could do as I was told did.
Oddly enough there used to be courses for both doctors and opticians on working with each other. Now days the doctors don't even have sense enough to refract over contact lenses and send the information to the fitter or lab.
They just pull them off and refract (useless if patient has been wearing rigid lenses). If the doctor sees and abrasion or infection or whatever, they no longer send a note or drawing to the fitter, they just treat it and send the patient back after the eye clears. Often we must let the problem re-occur before learning what it was and what to do about it.
Everybody is either so scared that someone will be messing in thier sacred duties, or so busy that thier "chair time" is much more valuable than the patient that such communications are not done anymore.
Chip
As far as the optician communicating with the doctor it now takes hours or days to fight one's way through the army of receptionist, nurses and assistants. It's almost impossible to find out or communicate anything about the patient while the patient is still in the office. Once started calling the doctor's (12 of them there) about a patient who had lost almost all vision (detatched retina) at 11:00 A.M. and finally got the good doctor at home at 5:30 P.M. All the women in the office (60 of them) had to do was say: "Send him right on." or "We can't see him, find another doctor for him."
I agree with Jubalee, have a nice sit-down with the Doc. Find a positive spin to put on the negatives (I really like that you talk to the patients, etc) and work it out. Whether the OD is new or has been practicing for years, this is how they like to operate and it really makes the patients feel that their Dr cares for them and don't we all want that?! What is best for the practice is what is best for the patient care. As an experienced ABO Optician, you have great quality's that you can offer, and this OD just hasn't had a chance to see your great work. Show him/her how great you really are!
I came, I saw, I left
I have a great understanding of kids and farmers, and an even greater understanding of their eyeglass cleaning habits. It seems unfair to me to sell a high-priced high-quality product that I'm pretty sure will come back FUBAR in a few months, and the only solution I can offer them is to strip it back off.
If that should occur to our farmers or children, our high quality A/R has a warranty, and they will be fixed. But it never occurs.
like Austeneyewear said, if it REALLY IS a PREMIUM , this will NOT happen. I never have to use my warranty. ever!
Wow ! I appreciate all the great answers and advice. I've thought about talking to the dr' in question, but he's very unnaproachable, really he is. He has been this way since day one. I work in a VA hospital and , well.... the dr's here are very ... well, don't mean to offend any dr's on board here, but alot of them are just arrogant, and self centered. Not just the eye dr's either...What they say goes and if you don't agree, then forget you. I really love my job for the most part and I'am professional.... I do alot and do it myself, I have no help. Its quite different here. I do whatever I can to help the vet and beyond . I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. If he keeps it up, I'll just push the issue, nicely of course. I don't beleive in being rude.. but I'm not too horribly worried about it right now... just think its rude. None of the other dr's that have come & gone have ever come into my shop and or tried to do my job from the eye clinic, so I haven't had this issue. Frankly none of them want to mess with what I do. lol
As I stated in a previous posting on OB, almost every...not every, almost every, OD I worked for considered opticians to be "unskilled labor" even with a degree and a license....way too many...NOT ALL...OD buy into the god complex. I have worked with some wonderful ODs that treated everyone with utmost resepct...and I've worked with ODs who trust nobody but themselves.
"Coimhéad fearg fhear na foighde"
Well I guess I'm thankful for my Docs then. Only 1 of the 4 does not like optical, and just nearly refuses to adjust, fit, or sell. The other 3 are great help, we all tend to think alike in terms of fitting and selections. Very rarely will they ever come and "Order" me around to do things an exact way. They only do it on rare cases where the patient had a bad experience with their previous set they purchased from other offices or there was just something not 100% right on theirs. They do it not to micromanage but to ensure the patient that they have full confidence in me and my abilities to do what is right for them. They have never requested to "Approve" every little thing that I select for the patient before the purchase is final. Often they come and look at the trays and are very surprised and happy with the selections that myself and the patients come too.
If I were in your situation I would pull the Doc off to the side, or ask to go to lunch with them one day and talk about what they are doing to you and how it makes you look to the patients. If they can not have any confidence in you or any optician, then I'm sure they would just be happy to run their entire office by them-self. Does this doctor do this to his/her Techs as well, walking in the room ensure they are notating, pre-testing, and making sure the VA screens are measured out to the 1/4 of an inch to the face? (I went a little over board with the last one lol)
Their micromanagement skills are a little overbearing to your work place ethics and ability to work. It's time to let them know how it's effecting you and that you'd like to have just a little more freedom being the optician in the optical department. I'm sure they wouldn't like you walking in on their exam questioning what they are doing and why.
Good luck, and if not, then I could always use a spare set of hands around here, lol
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.
~ Mark Twain ~
I have a little different take on this. The Dr. I work for, and WITH, and I have a great working relationship. Who knows what the patient tells the Dr. about problem (s) they have or are having with their glasses, lens, coating etc. However, after the exam and the Dr. brings me the patient, he will talk to me with the patient sitting down with me at the dispensing table and dicuss the patient's needs or concerns regarding fit and functions and the Dr's recomendations, then he kindly says to me, please dicuss the options with Mr./ Mrs. Smith and I know you two will come up with the correct answer and with (insert dispensers name) expertice and knowledge in the latest lens selection as well as the frames available. We all work in the patient's best instrest from the time they come in the door to the time they leave. Even to the point of the patient asking for just the Rx so they can get there eyeware somewhere else, we gladly and with a smile give them there Rx and guess what, their next appoitment for an exam they will almost always get a new pair of glasses from us and tell us what a bad experience they had the last time they got their glasses from somewhere else.
There are many things in life that catch your eye... but very few things will catch your heart.... Pursue those!
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