The Eye Spy blog series is Local Eye Site’s newest feature. It will highlight the latest employment trends, HR related happenings and all things LES. It is a way for the LES community to stay in touch and up-to-date with the happenings in the eye care world as it relates to staffing.

Local Eye Site is the premier online recruiting site built exclusively for eye care professionals. With LES, members can post open positions and get the most qualified applicants instead of a pile of random resumes. By purchasing a month-to-month or annual subscription, members can send out Connect2Hire email blast to the LES community with their job descriptions. Plus, it is easy to use!

In June, LES partnered with Jobson Healthcare making LES a network of sites, giving job-posting optimal exposure. If your practice is looking to hire, now is the time to call Local Eye Site!

Local Eye Site is a National Network

Due to partnership with media giant Jobson Medical Information, LLC, Local Eye Site is no longer a single webpage but a network of sites

(Published on Business Leader)

(Published on dBusinessNews)

(RALEIGH, NC) – Local Eye Site, LLC, the premier human resource online community for eye care professionals, is no longer a single website but rather a network of sites. Founded in 2007, Local Eye Site (LES) has developed from an idea to the leading engine powering online recruiting for the eye care industry. In June 2010, LES formalized a relationship with Jobson Medical Information, LLC (JMI), the leading media company in eye care. LES now powers career portals on Jobson websites, and the LES brand is marketed heavily in the many print and online Jobson publications.

LES also joined with the American Society of Ophthalmic Nurses (ASORN) to power their online career & opportunity center. LES expects to announce additional relationships moving forward, and anticipates being the engine that powers online recruiting for the entire eye care industry for years to come.

“Fragmentation in the eye care industry is one of the issues that made recruiting difficult,” said Brad McCorkle, founder of Local Eye Site. “At LES, we’ve managed to attract one comprehensive audience of all types of professionals in our industry with massive distribution of opportunities via our network of career portals. The result is a powerful and efficient resource for administrators in the eye care industry.”

Local Eye Site customers enjoying seeing their positions not only posted on LES, but also on network sites such as SightNation (www.sightnation.com) and Review of Optometric Business (www.reviewofoptometricbusiness.com). In the coming months, LES jobs will also populate Career Centers on Vision Monday, 20/20 Magazine, Review of Optometry and Review of Ophthalmology.

Local Eye Site (www.localeyesite.com) advances the quality of patient care by providing opportunities to foster professional development, further education and enhance communication among the eye care community

Local Eye Site introduces Sindy Kimmis

Objective

Seeking Sales/Account Executive Position

Qualifications

- Expertise in sales, customer service, marketing, event planning and conference logistics.

- Effective negotiator, excellent listener and problem solver.

- Implemented sales promotions, advertising and media coverage.

- Ability to effectively increase staff productivity and meet sales goals.

- Self motivated, profitability-minded, and comfortable introducing new ideas.

Experience

Executive Assistant, Unisys; Reston, VA - 2009

- Expertly managed calendar, emails, and purchase requisitions.

- Coordinated travel arrangements; monitored action items.

- Administered Deltek expense reports, time sheets, and Concur travel reports.

- Originated and dispatched business correspondence.

- Organized files; ordered supplies.

Executive Assistant, BAE Systems, Inc.; Mclean, VA - 2008-2009

- Tracked all required training for CIO staff.

- Planned travel itineraries, processed expense reports.

- Orchestrated purchase order requisitions and processed check requests.

- Worked independently handling confidential information.

- Completed two internal and two external business-related training courses.

Marketing Manager, Apollo Enterprise Solutions; Irvine, CA - 2007-2008

- Sought out potential market opportunities and consistently evaluated products and services.

- Managed all liaison and coordination for executive meetings and conference logistics.

- Arranged sponsorships, booth rentals, registration and show activities. (15-20 events a year).

- Compiled and distributed data from market research.

- Analyzed competitors’ products and service levels to evaluate opportunities for product improvement.

- Created travel arrangements for senior sales, marketing leadership and additional staff.

- Controlled media coverage in trade publications, press releases and company correspondence.

Marketing Assistant, The Warmington Group; Costa Mesa, CA - 2005-2007

- Prepared weekly statistical reports for President and Board of Directors.

- Established potential market opportunities.

- Coordinated the furniture staging and redesigning for rental community models, clubhouses and offices.

- Resolved customer relations issues between Property Managers, tenants and homebuilder.

- Sole organizer of company holiday party, invitation design and party logistics.

- Completed property management training courses.

- Edited company manual.

Real Estate Sales Agent, J Williams Staffing; Irvine, CA - 2007

- Performed real estate sales part-time for a variety of home builders on a contract basis, while working full-time.

Store Manager/Operations Manager, At-Ease; Newport Beach, CA, - 2000 -2005

- Managed a sales staff of 11.

- Increased staff productivity and overall store sales by 56% margin within three months of promotion to Store Manager.

- Implemented changes in the computer inventory system, reducing errors by 54%.

- Initiated sales contests, which resulted in increased staff productivity.

- Conducted store meetings and implemented employee goals, ultimately increasing productivity by 87%.

- Functioned as buyer, store manager, operations manager, and customer service agent.

Administrative Assistant, Pacific Communications/ALLERGAN; Costa Mesa, CA - 2001-2002

- Created and updated charts, managed production, and distribution of slides and posters.

- Participated in the development and implementation of effective medical education.

- Acted as liaison with key advisors/investigators, as well as colleagues in public relations.

- Archived projects, reviewed monthly billing reports and prepared client tactical calendars.

- Supported the integrated strategic communications programs.

- Prepared client conference reports and other correspondence necessary for successful project communications.

Design/Sales Consultant, Ethan Allen Interiors; Lake Forest, CA - 1996-2000

- Consistently met monthly sales goals.

- Conducted design presentations for potential clients based on selected furnishings.

- Worked one-on-one with customers in the store and at their homes.

- Assessed clients’ home décor needs and suggested appropriate design options.

- Generated additional sales based on continual customer follow-up.

Education

Pursuing a Certification in Professional Writing

M.S. Program, Recreation Management and Tourism, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ and California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 3.0/4.0 GPA, 2002

MBA Exchange Program, Handelshøyskolen BI (Norwegian School of Management), Sandvika, Norway, 1995

B.S. Family Resources and Human Development, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 3.0/4.0 GPA, 1987

Skills

- People Soft, Share Point, Microsoft Outlook 2007, Word 2007, Power Point, and Excel 2007

- Planning advertising campaigns

- CPR Certification 2006

- French and Spanish languages

- Customer service

- Conducting presentations

- Typing at 45 wpm

- Developing sales contests

- Implementing changes where needed

- Increasing staff productivity

- Proven leader and team player

- Problem solving

Personal

Single with no children. Willing to travel and relocate. Health: excellent. Actively volunteer and support our troops. Love animals, exercising, the outdoors, the water, nutritional eating, reading, learning and remodeling/decorating.

Margaret M. Felkay is this issues “Community Contributor.” Felkay formerly worked in a private practice and is now an opthalmic practice consultant.

Local Eye Site hopes you can avoid your Career Path Roadblocks in Eye Care.

By Margaret M. Felkay,COT,OCS of Opening Eyes, LLC.

So many of our journeys in eye care careers mirror the road trips we take everyday. Some of us know the routes by heart, some of us take a different route each day, some of us get lost, some of us let someone else do the driving. All of us have come across obstacles discouraging us from entering or continuing down the career path. How many of these roadblocks have you encountered on your road to success?

Stuck in the “Just A Job” parking garage

Ever felt like you are driving around in circles and no matter how many jobs you try on each level you try you can’t seem to find your way out to the Career Path? Have you worked your way up from answering phones to patient registration to billing only to realize you still aren’t finding what you are looking for? Have you found yourself wanting more, needing more out of your job but not knowing how to find it?

Missing Keys

Have you ever missed an important meeting or event you wanted to go to because you couldn’t find your car keys? Many lose out on or give up on certification as they can’t find the time to study or the money for application fees or the necessary papers that were filed in a safe place.

No Road Map

How many of you know people that are extremely good at the job they have worked at for years yet they don’t feel they have a career? Many are not aware that what they do is a “real” career that offers certification. When they find out their response is “No one ever told me that I could…”, “I didn’t know…”, “I’m just a tech”, “But I only sell glasses”. No one ever gave them a map or directions.

Can’t Understand The Language

How many times do we talk in the same shorthand that we use to document in charts? COA, COT, COMT, CRC, CRA, CRNO, Opt. A., R. Opt. T., R., ABO, NCLE, OCS, POAG, ARMD, NS, DM, IDDM, TXE ½ %, HBP, LBS, OD, OS, OU, WTW, FA, OCT, HRT, VF, HVF, ECCE, etc. We assume everyone knows what we are talking about. What do all of those initials mean? Where do you start? Do I need to go to school for that? Who translates for us? How much of our message gets lost in translation?

Fear of driving in traffic or a new city or visiting a foreign country

Some of us are afraid of failure, some of us are afraid of success. It is scary to try something new, to change jobs, to take a test you might not pass, to learn a new skill. Fear is a dead end on a one way street. There are no options when you let fear paralyze you.

Confusing Signs and Signals from Management and Physicians

• “Certified preferred, but willing to train” is code for “we can’t afford to pay someone certified, so if you apply be prepared to accept less”.

• Letting go of the most experienced (certified) staff when times get tough. Yes, it may be one of the most expedient ways to save money for the business. But the message your staff hears is, “It doesn’t pay to be certified or to know how to do more as you will be the first to go”.

• “Just need a warm body to fill a room” reflects a lack of respect and understanding for the skills your clinical staff must have to work with patients every day.

• “So simple a monkey could do it” implies that technology has come so far and costs so much that just pushing a button should yield results and shouldn’t require anyone to think. In my experience, “a monkey can do it” usually means that someone else in the practice can’t do it which is why they hired you! Besides if they couldn’t afford to get a monkey to do your job for your pay! I’d gladly wager a months salary to see a monkey do an A-scan, visual field, refraction or Goldmann tonometry to the satisfaction of a surgeon.

• Practices that say they encourage certification, but don’t supply training materials, don’t have a set policy in place for salary increase when you become certified or fail to help cover costs of continuing education and recertification.

No Navigation System

There is no Garmin to navigate us to our final destination with a cheerful voice reminding us to make a U-turn when we are going the wrong direction. No traffic cop direction us through the detour. No handy pocket map guiding the way. It is hard knowing where to turn for career advice or guidance or assistance.

There are many so career paths in the eye care community and many ways to get there. It is difficult to know where to turn. Take your career path seriously whatever direction you chose to travel. If you are driving around in circles in your career…ask someone you consider successful for help! If you are stalled on the side of the road…flag someone down. Many people will drive by and ignore you, but there will always be someone who calls a tow truck or stops to give you a ride. Prepare for the journey…do your homework. If you have “arrived” , try to make the trip a little easier for others. Share your “short cuts on the back roads,” become a mentor, give detailed directions or jump aboard to show the way.

You might not find the help you need in your own vehicle, but it is out there. The internet offers help at our fingertips. There are so many sites and organizations that offer guidance. Local Eye Site is just one of a multitude of resources available for career development and support. As eye care professionals we have the power to form a strong community giving each other the guidance, encouragement, and support we may have missed along our own career paths. Our professions will be all the better for it.

While early identification and treatment of health problems typically reduces complications and leads to improved healthy outcomes, only one in three children has received eye care services before the age of six.^[i] The lack of screenings and exams create a barrier to ensuring that all children receive appropriate eye care services. An estimated five to 10 percent of preschool aged children suffer from some form of visual impairment, with most requiring eye glasses or treatment for amblyopia (“lazy eye”).^[ii]

Vast numbers of children consequently miss the opportunity to build a strong educational foundation for a lifetime. Consider the importance of vision to learning:

• Approximately 80 percent of children’s learning is visual.^[iii]

• About a quarter of students in grades K-6 suffer vision problems serious enough to impede their capacity to learn.^[iv]

• Vision problems can impair the physical coordination required for co-curricular and
athletic success.

With these and other research findings in mind, Prevent Blindness America created

Star Pupils™, which is designed to provide parents with the information they need to help their children succeed in the classroom through healthy vision as well as tips on proper eye protection and information on common eye problems. The goal of the program is to reach 5 million children through Star Pupils within in the next three years.

You can become a part of ensuring that more than 5 million children have success in school through our collective efforts. There are many ways that parents can get involved with educating themselves, paying it forward for families in need and advocating for policy changes. Go to starpupils.org for additional information Local Eye Site and Prevent Blindness America have Partnered to Promote the Star Pupils Program to see creative ways your office to get involved.

Beginning in May 2010, eye care professionals have a new online source for continuing education (CE) and training: ACTIONED^®, (Assessment, Certification, Training, an Interactive Ophthalmology Network). ACTIONED delivers accessible and affordable educational resources to learners to improve efficiency, performance, and provide on-demand learning and CE options.

The site, www.actioned.org, is the groundbreaking, collaborative effort of six organizations. Together, the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO^®), the American Society of Ophthalmic Registered Nurses (ASORN), the Association of Technical Personnel in Ophthalmology (ATPO), the Canadian Society of Ophthalmic Medical Personnel (CSOMP), the Ophthalmic Photographers’ Society (OPS), and the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators (ASOA) have teamed to produce a comprehensive online training resource for eye care professionals. The result is an online educational partnership never seen before among ophthalmic organizations.

“The goal is to connect eye care professionals with practical online educational and assessment content,” says JCAHPO President William H. Ehlers, MD. “We have achieved this by uniting in a monumental alliance among leading international eye care organizations toward a shared goal: promoting quality online educational and assessment resources for the entire eye care team. ACTIONED fuses innovations in online learning with emerging technologies from the fast-paced world of eye care.”

ACTIONED’s course catalog contains 60 courses from basic to advanced levels, with new courses being introduced monthly. The site utilizes a variety of new media and features assessments including:

· interactive simulation

· downloadable audio/text

· asynchronous audio/video

“One of ACTIONED’s greatest strengths is the scope of content,” notes ASORN President Annquinetta Dansby-Kelly, RN, CRNO. “Resources from all six partnering organizations are available. This enables eye care professionals to customize their educational and training curriculum based on their specialty as technicians, assistants, nurses, surgical assistants, or images, in any of several eye care specialties.”

The range of available materials makes ACTIONED especially valuable to eye care personnel. JCAHPO CE resources and ATPO articles are available, with accompanying quizzes, assessments, and credit tracking resources. Insight articles from the ASORN Learner Paced Educational Activities are also available in a downloadable text format, supplemented by online assessments to earn Nursing Contact Hours.

ATPO President Aaron V. Shukla, PhD, COMT, regards the exclusive functionality that ACTIONED brings to eye care professionals as a significant advantage.

“Maintaining certification and engaging in captivating educational activities are important parts of career development for professionals. ACTIONED’s design, impressive scope of content, and capabilities support professional development for the eye care team, which increases clinic productivity.”

Users may create a secure personal account to:

· browse course catalogs

· purchase courses and assessments

· engage in coursework

· complete and submit assessments

· receive assessment results

· view current CE courses and manage their CE transcript

· print out certificates, course materials, handouts, and transcripts

Vonda Syler, COE, ASOA President is pleased with the collaboration and potential of ACTIONED.

“ACTIONED is a single venue that enables an entire practice’s staff a wealth of programs through which they can acquire new skills to advance their professional development. Everyone – including technicians, nurses, photographers, and administrators studying for the COE exam – can benefit from this educational resource. This collaborative on-line educational effort brings together the expertise of the major ophthalmic organizations to make education easily accessible, affordable, and customized to the needs of the individual. We at ASOA are proud of our participation in it and see it as a powerful resource for all our members.”

CSOMP President and Chief Executive Marc Lafontaine, COMT, notes that ACTIONED is aggressive and tactical technological progress for the international eye care community.

“ACTIONED bridges significant gaps in the availability of educational, assessment, and training resources to the international eye care community. Utilizing the convenience of the internet alongside interactive and comprehensive training activities, ACTIONED gives opportunities to personnel from around the world. This further increases our ability as professionals to improve the quality of available care in emerging international communities that need it.”

OPS President Paula F. Morris, CRA, FOPS, regards the new site as unique to the allied health field in several capacities.

“ACTIONED is an innovative ophthalmic professional resource that unifies multiple allied health divisions. By partnering with leading organizations in the field, we are able to author an extensive catalog of continuing education resources to increase learning opportunities AND ultimately deliver better patient care.”

Leadership envisions the site to serve as the exclusive online continuing education and assessment center for the entire eye care team. Visit www.actioned.org for more information and start your online training and career development today.

www.jcahpo.org / www.atpo.org / http://www.eyesite.ca / www.asorn.org / www.opsweb.org / www.asoa.org

Local Eye Site is excited about the continued partnership with ASORN

As only a cheesy Tampa Bay teenager could pull off, I retorted, “Check it out, I just got contacts!”  I don’t recall, but I’m sure I was cited for something.

Dr. Moira Burke, my Ophthalmologist who practiced near USF and who is now retired, had just put me in Toric Gas Permeable contact lenses for the first time- ending years of misery and embarrassment of wearing glasses thick enough to handle countless diopters of astigmatism. No doubt I loved her. To me, this lady walked on water.  She had changed my life.  Whether going to the beaches at Siesta Key or Clearwater, competing on baseball diamonds from Plant City to Tampa to Sarasota and coming of age at Brandon High School, my outlook on life was completely altered in a positive way.  My vision was sharper for sports related activities, and I felt better about my appearance during those years of vanity.  Now all I needed was a dermatologist (I’ll save that for another story).

So, make no mistake that it’s meaningful that Local Eye Site and our entire community are dedicated professionals in the eye care industry. This is especially true for those of you who touch patients each and every day. You are making a difference.

Bill Valdespino, Partner, Local Eye Site, LLC

1984

2009

The Local Eye Site Team hopes you enjoy Ms. Glassini’s piece on how she created a “Technician Training Program” for her Denver, CO practice.

By: Patricia Galassini, C.O.T., Coordinator of Patient Support at Vision Care Specialists, Inc.

Last year, after 23 years as a JCAPHO Certified Ophthalmic Technician and 15 years with my current employer, I was given a promotion, to “Coordinator of Patient Support.”  This new role and title has been a satisfying culmination of 15 years of expanding and sharing my tech skills and experiences with the other back office assistants in each of our 5 locations in the Denver Metro area. My CEO expressed confidence in my ability to continue growing into areas not previously assigned to anyone within our practice, and because of my long history with Vision Care Specialists (an employee owned practice), this promotion allowed me the time to extend my reach and have a larger circle of influence in our ESOP!  I went from being a C.O.T. full time, to retaining two days in patient care, and expanding my tech background into various internal and external marketing projects, transitioning to a new Laser Center and all the marketing material production and training that went with that change, and the “tech certification” project!  It was my desire to provide assistance to my fellow technicians, backed by the CEO’s commitment to require the non certified staff to become certified in their area of specialty that drove this project.  It has been such a rewarding year, to see 13 unique individuals gain the self confidence, skills and knowledge to serve our patients at a higher level of competency.

For many years, I saw the limited training success our practice historically had with trying to make technicians out of whomever wanted to “try it;” pushing buttons on instruments but not understanding the scope of knowledge and skill it took to “be a tech.” For me, to “be a tech” one needed to be committed to have a complete understanding and ability to explain each of those tests to every patient, presenting electronically all the detailed patient history and information accurately, and to efficiently assist the doctor with all the preliminary testing and information gathering needed in the care of those patients. Since financially it was understandable that a practice might be resistant to hiring certified technicians to begin with, I felt there must be some middle ground. I took it upon myself to create a complete Technician Training Program that could be accessed from our 4 locations at that time via the computer that linked us together. I broke down all I had learned on my own as I navigated the COA/COT levels of JCAPHO certification. I detailed each of the things a beginner eye technician would need to understand: the basic structure of the eye, the “how” and “why” of each test our technicians were required to perform, an explanation of how they interrelate with each other, the complete medical and eye history of  a patient, etc.

This Technician Training Program did give each of our assistants a more complete understanding of what it meant to be an effective, skilled assistant in an eye practice. They gained the basic knowledge and skills that took VCS to a new level. Some really took that access to the knowledge and skill sets I created and ran with it.   Within this last year, I encouraged our practice to require a basic level of official certification, either through the American Optometric Association, the Joint Commission of Allied Health Professionals, or the National Contact Lens Examiners, knowing these were all excellent sources of education and certification, as well as continuing education opportunities. But most importantly, this has given our  technicians the ability to serve both our doctors and our patients with a higher level of competency. I see every day the enthusiasm each of these individuals possess in their newly gained status; a complement to each of their natural people skills.

There is nothing more a practice could ask for- we are so fortunate to have such a motivated group of health care providers at all levels!

The American Society of Ophthalmic Registered Nurses (ASORN) was founded in 1976 by Edna Ashy, RN. It is the only organization that has focused on training nurses in ophthalmology. ASORN is the blue print for professional development in ophthalmic care through education, training and resources.

ASORN’s mission is to foster excellence in ophthalmic patient care while supporting the ophthalmic team through individual development, education and evidence based practices. Its many publications, Insight journal and ophthalmic manuals, cultivates one’s thoughts to achieve any obtainable goal. ASORN is on the web and fosters communication via E-publications and tools such as BLINK, Listservs, and research initiatives.

ASORN collaborates with national and international healthcare partners, such as Local Eye Site, that support activities in the preservation of sight. Over the years, ASORN has included ophthalmic professionals such as technicians, photographers, pharmacist and more in its quest to provide quality patient care. ASORN provides venues for educational enrichment by sponsoring local, regional and national conferences.

Edna Ashy worked tirelessly to insure that Registered Nurses would have a unique and rewarding career in ophthalmic nursing until her health failed in 2007. Edna passed away in November 2009, but her legacy lives on. ASORN will continue to be ethically and professionally accountable for fostering and maintaining great educational opportunities in ophthalmic excellence for many years.