Ophthalmic Assistant

Description

With a career at Lowell Community Health Center (Lowell CHC), you will be part of a dynamic team of passionate and talented people. At Lowell CHC, you will continue learning, growing and challenging yourself in a culturally-diverse community. Join our team to help people look and see their best. The Eye Care Center at Lowell CHC is looking for a compassionate and flexible individual to contribute as an Ophthalmic Assistant. You will be an essential team member that is committed to delivering exceptional care in our fast-paced Eye Care Center that improves the health of the patients it serves through prevention, treatment and education in a state-of-the art facility. Our Ophthalmic Assistants serve an integral role on the Eye Care team with a wide variety of duties from assisting doctors with preliminary and specialty testing for our multi-lingual and diverse patients to coordinating their care throughout the organization for the optimal patient experience. We value individuals who are curious, dependable, skilled and flexible in their work. We are willing to train the right candidate who has the desire to develop and grow in a new career path. In return, we offer our employees a work environment that is positive, fair and provides opportunities to develop professionally.

Summary:

Under limited supervision, the Ophthalmic Assistant will:

• Assist Provider in the comprehensive eye care services (primary eye care, binocular vision, ocular disease, contact lens, etc.) that meets the standard of care set forth by the American Optometric Association
• Take comprehensive patient history including medical, social and family using language line or interpreters as needed
• Document medications, allergies and history in electronic health record (EHR)
• Perform preliminary tests prior to patient seeing the optometrist (i.e. visual acuity, autorefraction, stereopsis, color vision, eye pressures, utilize diagnostic and testing equipment, lensometry, instillation of eye drops, prepping equipment for procedures, etc.)
• Perform specialized tests (i.e. corneal topography, visual field testing, optical coherence tomography, retinal photography, anterior segment OCT, pachymetry, etc.)
• Oversee and monitor ophthalmic equipment and supplies, requesting repairs when required
• Order and stock medical and office supplies in exam rooms
• Order contact lenses for patients and contact lens trials as needed
• Instruct patients to insert and remove contact lenses, care of contacts and proper use
• Order contact lens trials and maintain contact lens trial inventory
• Manage medications used in Eye Care Center (i.e. refrigeration logs, expiration, etc.)
• Perform infection control of instruments (prep for sterilization) and equipment cleaning
• Monitor and prioritize duties and patient flow to keep optometrists on schedule
• Assist Providers in the triage of urgent eye care issues in Eye Care Center
• Assist in management of referrals (outgoing and incoming)
• Assist optical team when needed
• Serve as Medical Interpreters when needed and only if desired (completion of training required, offered at health center)
• Schedule patients and check insurance eligibility as needed
• Full-time hours (40) required with some evenings and weekends required in future

Responsibilities:

• Provide excellent customer service to all patients and staff in multi-cultural and fast-paced environment
• Utilize language lines when needed to communicate with patients
• Adhere to privacy and confidential and proprietary company policies and procedures (Lowell CHC guidelines)
• Maintain open lines of communication with staff, peers and supervisors in Eye Care Clinic and other LCHC departments
• Participate in educational meetings, training activities and continuing education (i.e. courses to become Certified Ophthalmic Assistant) as outlined by departmental guidelines and goals
• Must be flexible and adaptable based on health center requirements
• Assure readiness prior to clinical operations and perform all actions needed for exceptional patient care
• Demonstrate effective prioritization of day-to-day operations to keep optometrists on schedule in a fast-paced clinic setting
• Maintain the cleanliness and sanitation of all equipment, areas and work stations
• All other duties as assigned and needed

Qualifications:

• High school diploma or general education degree (GED) equivalent required.
• Some experience in the medical field or with medical terminology, specifically optometry/ophthalmology, is desired but not required.
• Experience with computers is required.
• Effective customer service and maintain a positive team-oriented attitude.
• Experience working in diverse community and understanding of multi-cultural beliefs and practices is a plus.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

1. Frequent standing and walking for up to 80% of the work day or shift.
2. Some lifting, pushing or pulling required up to 30 pounds.
3. Ability to see and distinguish color.
4. Ability to perform CPR (chest compressions).

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Frequent contact with patients, families, visitors, nurses and other department staff. Occasional requests to change work areas to cover another priority area to meet patient needs. Occasional stress and pressure caused by multiple simultaneous demands. May be exposed to various body fluids and/or infectious diseases. Universal precautions and techniques are included in orientation and the availability of protective wear is supported and encouraged when the employee is at risk for exposure.

BENEFITS:

Lowell Community Health Center offers a competitive salary with an excellent benefits program; including sick, personal and paid holidays, health insurance, company paid life and long-term disability, 403B, & flexible spending accounts.

Lowell Community Health Center is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.

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