Optometry Assistant

The Petaluma Health Center's mission is to provide high quality health care with access for all in Southern Sonoma County & West Marin. We pride ourselves on our Patient-Centered care while maintaining an engaging environment for our staff. The Center accomplishes this mission through collaborative, innovative programs, services and referral resources that meet the economic needs of the entire community.

FULL TIME EMPLOYEE BENEFITS:

• 21 Days of Paid Time Off
• 10 Observed Holidays
• Medical Insurance (Entire deductible paid by us!)
• 30 Chiropractor and Acupuncture visits per year included with enrollment in our health insurance plans (Kaiser and WHA)
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Gym Membership Discounts at Synergy Health Club and 24-Hour Fitness!
• 401K Matching after 1 year of employment
• Flexible Spending Account, Dependent Care FSA
• Life Insurance (included at no cost to the employee)
• Long Term Disability (included at no cost to the employee)
• Employee Assistance Program (included at no cost to the employee)

Summary: The Optometry Assistant works closely with the Optometrist to provide optometry services to patients. The Optometry Assistant performs a variety of tasks that support the patient’s optometry visit, including preparing exam schedules, chart preparation, readying exam rooms, greeting patients and performing basic vision tests. When fully trained, the optometry assistant may also provide direct optical (eye wear) services to patients.

Areas of Responsibility:

Office Procedures - Operations:

• Assist with opening/closing the office
• Maintain cleanliness and appearance of exam rooms, pre-testing rooms and dispensing area
• Record referral information
• Maintain OSHA standards and forms
  • Practice standard safety precautions to ensure safety to self, other staff and patients, including handling of contained waste and sharps, and cleaning of exam rooms and equipment
  • Manage frame bar
  • Communicate with lab/courier service
  • Order and track prescriptions
  • Ensure that all logs, forms, records and charts are complete, thorough and accurate.
  • Back-up front desk receptionist with phones and greeting patients as needed
  • Assist Office manager, as requested, with:
    • Inventory, ordering and pricing of frames
    • Inventory and ordering of accessories/cases/pharmaceuticals
    • Maintaining the lab, dispensary and contact lens inventory
    • Ordering other supplies for the dispensing area
• Document freezer & refrigerator temperature (if applicable for any eye meds) and takes appropriate action to maintain correct temperatures

Assisting with Optometry Appointments:

• Prepares treatment rooms, equipment and supplies in a timely manner to ensure optimum flow
  • Ensures that equipment is properly sterilized, rooms stocked, cleaned and ready for each scheduled procedure
  • Assist with collection of patient History of Present Illness (HPI)
    • Complete pre-testing work-up as needed, including but not limited to: cleaning exam rooms and equipment, Blood Pressure, Pulse, Auto-refractor, Fields, neutralizing glasses, Color Test, OCT/HVF, Fundus Photography.
    • Document HPI, vitals, and test results in the electronic health record
    • Assist Optometrist as needed
    • Escort patients to dispensary/front desk
    • Schedule follow up appointments as needed.
    • Follow up with patients regarding eye health and prescription issues as needed (telephone encounters)

Providing Optical (Eye Wear) Services:

• Assist patients with frame and lens selection/styling, lens edging and tinting, and frame adjusting/repairs
• Dispense and adjust eyewear
• Take lens measurements (segs, OC's, vertexdistance)
• Verify all Rx's (eyewear and contact lenses)
• Visual merchandising
• Documentation and ordering:
  • Enter prescriptions into electronic health record
  • Document online for insurance billing
  • Enter lab orders online
  • Provide patient education – lifestyle, dispensing, eye wear care
  • Maintain the general appearance and cleanliness of lab area

Contact Lenses:

• Inventory, order and price contact lenses
• Provide contact lens training
• Manage trial contact lenses (“diagnostics”)
• Escalate to optometrist for contact lens prescription check if needed

Education/Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent
• 2 years of optometry experience preferred; 2 years of customer experience required
• Paraoptometric certification preferred

Desired Skills:

• Strong communication skills, verbal and written
• Experience and demonstration of strong customer service skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Basic working knowledge of insurance coverage, claims submission and preauthorization process
• Sensitivity to the needs and situations of multi-cultural populations from a variety of income levels
• Excellent attention to detail

Language Skills: Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions and requests from patients, co-workers, and others as necessary. Bilingual in English and Spanish; verbal required, written preferred.

Salary : $24 - $25