Ophthalmic Technician Career Guide and Counseling

Question: is it easy to find a job as an ophthalmic technician? Im about to start school and when i graduate i will be an ophthalmic technician. I would like to know what are job opportunities like for an ophthalmic technician, are they plentiful? And around how much do they get paid coming out of school?

Answer: Well all of this depends on your area. I graduated from an ophthalmic technician program about 2 years ago and got a job immediately, but I was living in Houston. If you live near a large city it should be really easy for you to find a good job. I now live in Florida and it took me a while to land a job with an ophthalmologist b/c there are like only like 3 in the area, but the one I got I love. Pay scale also depends on the area you live in. I know Houston you can start of at like $18 and hour at some big clinics. So not too bad! Smaller areas you normally start out closer to $15.

Question: Has anyone worked at an eye doctor office as an Ophthalmic Technician or any other positions in vision care? What is a day like working as an ophthalmic technicinan or any other positon in vision care and how much training is required to enter the feild and is it difficult? What is the salary? Is it in demand? And do anyone know of any colleges that offer this major in louisiana? How can I get an entry level positin with no experience?

Answer: I have been an optician for a retail optical place, and I ventured in to the medical side, and worked as an ophthalmic tech and assisted with cataract surgeries. I live in Missouri, and there was formal training involved, but it was all on-the-job training. I wasn't aware of school / colleges that offered it at the time. It was about 10 years ago! LOL! But it was a GREAT job, and it was peaceful and fun. I just didn't make that much money... so... I kept going to school and earned a BA and went a completely different way.

Question: good reading material for new ophthalmic technician? im just starting out with no eye experience. im getting on the job training but i want to be excellent at the job. do you have any suggestions of books or websites that i could get advise and information?

Answer: Check out "The Little Eye Book: a Pupil's Guide to Ophthalmology" and "Ophthalmology Made Ridiculously Simple". When I was starting out these were helpful.

Question: How much do Ophthalmic Technicians make a year? Is the training difficult? How much do Ophthalmic Technicians usually make a year in the State of CT? Is the training really extensive? Is the training very difficult? What other growth oppurtunities would I have after working in this position?

Answer: I just know the training wouldn't be very difficult. But it needs a lot of attention and concentration. Optometry and occupational health(schools,factories,...) are examples of the work opportunities.

Question: what is a ophthalmic technician?

Answer: They are the ones that assist the opthomalogist and doing the pre exam portion of things and also help you with contact lenses and they may also measure you for bifocals and help you pick out frames and lenses.

Question: I do not have a college degree but, I need a full time job that pays at least fourteen dollars per hour. In FL I graduated the police academy in 2005 and I was terminated after unsuccessfully completing the FTO program. I have been out of work since March of 2008. I have applied every job under the sun from, front desk clerk at a motel to a Ophthalmic Technician. I have a family, but I am willing to relocate. Can you advise?

Answer: Try becoming a police officer. Orlando Police and the Orange County Sherriff are always adding officers.

Question: who knows of an Employment Company that will search for a job for me? am the only one that can find a job for me I know.... I am already a full time Optician and Ophthalmic technician.. Im no dummy, I only want a little extra cash and I dont have the time to look full time OK? I just need a company that will search availabilty FOR ME. What ever the charge.

Answer: Look in the yellow pages for an employment agency and they will find and place you in a job for a small fee.

Question: who do you vote for: to rtegularly examine your eyes? you can find different professionals in eye care service like ophthalmologist. optometrist optician orthoptist ophthalmic assistant ophthalmic technician?

Answer: OPHTHALMOLOGIST!!!!! Ophthlamic assist and tech work directly under the ophthalmologist. They are medical doctors and have went to medical school. optometrist are good at contacts and glasses but not at eye disease. opticians dispense contacts and glasses.

Question: Which one of these certificates will get me the best paying job? The certificate programs at Pima Medical. Located at http://www.pmi.edu/careers_home.asp on the left side or as follows: Dental Assistant Expanded Duties Dental Assistant Massage Therapy Medical Assistant Medical Administrative Assistant Medical Coding and Billing Nursing Assistant Ophthalmic Medical Assistant Pharmacy Technician Phlebotomy Physical Therapy Technician Veterinary Assistant What would be most helpful, is listing them in order from which one is highest to lowest income. Thanks in advance

Answer: Well, that is a loaded question. You have to consider a couple of things - the main one is the amount of opportunities for each choice in your area. If you choose an area that does not have a lot of openings, competition will be stiff and you may not land a job. So, search some career sites to see what the opportunities are for each job in your area. Once you target those that have a lot of opportunities, go to a salary wizard - yahoo's HotJobs has one on the bottom of their page. You will need to input the job title and the area you are working in to get a good feel for what each job pays. Hope that helps.

Question: Resume Help!? I want to apply for this position please read the job ad, im confused are they willing to train for this position? What do I write on my cover letter if I only have Retail Experience 4 yrs. of customer service skills. Pls help Im very interested in the health field. Here is what the job ad reads: Ophthalmic Technician Description Ophthalmic Technician needed for full time employment. Back office duties include patient history taking, technician work-ups, visual testing. Medical assistants and persons looking to work with patients are strongly urged to apply. Needs to be willing to learn and relate well with patients and co-workers. Cross training to help fill in at front desk is also encouraged. Excellent opportunity to advance career as position can include training in contact lens dispensing, optical assisting and assistance with development of our Laser Vision Program. Please send both resume and cover letter, including in your cover letter your career interests and salary requirements by using the apply link provided below.

Answer: honey you would be perfect for this or any position. Don't say you only have retail experience!!! Hello!!! You have experience in working with the public!! Use THAT to your advantage. In your cover letter, after your 'Please accept this cover letter and resume' part, indicate why you would be perfect for this position. Focus on customer service skills, detail oriented, seeking new opportunity in health care, eager to learn, see where I'm going with this??? If you need further help, contact me through this site, I'm really good at this sort of thing. Good Luck!!