Ophthalmic Technicians in the Driver’s Seat

iPad2 winner Jennifer Freeman and LES' Bill Valdespino

We had the pleasure of being a sponsor of the JCAHPO and ATPO Annual CE program in Orlando this week during Academy.  I was blown away by the professionalism and enthusiasm of this group despite the fact that it was a weekend, and the 2,500 or so COAs, COTs and COMTs were in a classroom virtually all day.  We spoke directly to hundreds, if not thousands of these pros and the message was similar across the board - they take pride in their skills and in their work ethic.

Medical writer and editor, Barbara Boughton has reported in EyeNet Magazine that “for more than a decade, there has been a shortage of ophthalmic technicians in most cities in the United States. Indeed, it is estimated that there’s a need for an additional 6,000 ophthalmic medical personnel, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmic Executives.”

So, given the state of the economy and high unemployment rates, one would think that this shortage would be easing. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.  In many of the conversations we had with the techs attending the ACE meetings, we repeatedly heard that they are having all sorts of difficulty finding strong technician candidates. The tone of these conversations is difficult to explain; it was one of pride and accountability. These folks have standards and a work ethic that they expect newcomers to the industry to embrace. They expect their peers to take their skills and certification seriously while representing the profession honorably.

Jennifer Freeman, an Ophthalmic Technician serving at Dover Air Force Base summed it up beautifully as we celebrated her winning the Blackout Bingo Grand Prize. Smith said of her tech career, “I do it because I love it.”