I started January of 2013 and was an employee until June of 2014 (I think..I know months are right. The years may be wrong)
My title was technician. My responsibilities from walking in the door started with turning on our equipment. The refraction machine, glaucoma puffer, the field of vision test, and the optical imaging machine were my responsibility to have up and running with no issues before patients walked in. Then I would make sure all the patient charts I needed were available, had the pertinent information we needed, and we're in order for when they arrived. As patients came in, it was my job to verify patient information while greeting them and walking them back for initial testing before putting them in the Dr.'s chair. Once the patient is done with the doctor, they came back up front to discuss contacts or glasses with the other ladies in the office. It was also very important that I kept patients testing done on time and in the perfect rhythm so that the doctor was not running late or getting backed up with patients. At the end of the day, I was to shut down the machines, so all the necessary maintenance and cleaning that was required to be ready for the next day. Although as a titled technician, while this was my expectation, the longer I stayed, I showed interest in doing other things in the office. I had the opportunity to learn insurance verification, I learned some retail skills, and I took interest in contact lens application for new users.
The knowledge I gained while working in this office is immeasurable. I went on into the medical field where I come into contact with eyes on a daily basis and I know more than anyone else in my profession about them which makes me a huge asset. I also learned a great deal that could help my friends and family. For a lot of people, getting your eyes looked at ous not a priority. When people ask me what the point is, I'm able to tell them how many things, health wise, your eyes can pick up on. Whether it is hypertension, diabetes, or some things neurological- I am able to lead people in the right direction towards being seen and taking care of themselves. I also know I great deal about contacts and glasses. The dos and don'ts, the better and bests, and how to get your money's worth. Like I said, immeasurable.
I don't think that there were any surprises. I was told what my job duties were from day 1 and that was all that was expected of me. They were more than willing to teach me more of I showed interest, which I did and they obliged.
Motivated- we were determined to put ourselves on the map. We wanted to grow office wise and patient wise. We would open early, stay late, stack patients, and do whatever we could to make our office somewhere people would come to first and stay forever. Embraced- we embraced each other. We all worked so well together, cared for each other, and helped one another. We embraced the chaos. Software learning curves, busy Saturdays, and e everything in between, we just laughed about it and pushed forward. Composed- we made through every day with composure and the utmost attention to our patients. We may have gone home exhausted and barely have our sanity, but our patients never saw it.
The knowledge and the friendship. I still have both.
Any job where you need to have a patient in a Drs chair on time and know how to bring another one back before he's done with the first one- is stressful. And as it should be! The stress comes from wanting to do your job correctly. The better you get at it, the less stressful it will be but by then, shouldn't you be finding something else in your field to be proficient in, thus having the stress?
I don't think management had any fault lines. In the times I worked there, we were working very hard towards building an office and making the money to get there. And considering that they made that dream come true, I can't imagine there is anything fault wise with the dynamics in the office.
My job was literally to show up on time and work 4-5 machines. It wasn't hard to match expectations. But to be as interested in all the other aspects of the office as I was and my proficiency in them- I wish I could've been paid more. It might have lead me to stay a little longer if they had realized my potential and appreciated it from the pay standpoint.
Oh absolutely. It is a great foot in the door for literally anything. You can become an amazing administrator, insurance and billing professional, contact professional, optician, marketing guru, or really anything eye!
I went back to school to get me degree in the surgical field. I assist in eye surgery 2 days a week and assist in other specialties also. My love for eyes started in the office and I just continued it elsewhere.