The best staff members for a retina practice have better training, advanced imaging skills and increased ambition. Here are some ideas for building a team that will help you succeed.
Raising the Bar
"More retina practices want staff members to be certified ophthalmic assistants (COAs), certified ophthalmic technicians (COTs) or certified ophthalmic medical technologists (COMTs)," says Janice Fahy, Senior Recruiter at Southern Staffing Pros of Atlanta, Georgia. Southern Staffing Pros specializes in the direct-hire placement of ophthalmic support staff in medical practices across the country. "As a rule, the technicians we place are certified and have at least 5 years of on-the-job experience," she says. "In the past, these certifications were less important to retina specialists. But that's changing."
Pravin U. Dugel, MD, Managing Partner at Retinal Consultants of Arizona in Phoenix, says better staff members are needed to meet unprecedented challenges.
"We have tremendous patient volume. Many patients come in more frequently. On top of that, our technologies and drugs are changing," he says. "Drug trials are much more prevalent. You need staff who can provide excellent personal care while conveying complex information and answering questions in shorter periods of time. They need to meet these objectives over and over throughout the day."
"The cross training of staff allows more members to perform OCTs, numb patients or even work in the front or back office, and this has become important," says David Boyer, MD, with Retina-Vitreous Associates Medical Group in Los Angeles. "Cross training helps reduce wait times or fill in when staff members are on break, on vacation or out sick."
Increasing Salaries
Fahy says salaries for ophthalmic techs in retina practices have increased by about 15% during the past five years. "When you find good staff members, they're worth every penny of what they're paid," says Dr. Dugel.
The best personality types? People who are detailed-oriented, provide great personal service and understand the unique needs of the elderly, according to Fahy. Look for calming professionals who can multitask and remain calm and in control — even under stressful conditions.
"Hands-on training in retinoscopy, fluorescein angiography and other diagnostic tools is also very important," says Fahy. "Some practices prefer potential employees to do a paid, working interview. This way, physicians and senior staff get to see what a candidate can accomplish in imaging. That said, one solid year of imaging experience backed by a good reference should make most practices feel comfortable hiring a tech for heavy imaging responsibilities."
Effective Surgical Techs
Because retina care involves complex diseases and exacting surgery, experience and training are critical considerations when hiring for the OR. "Surgical tech skills can be assessed in much the same manner as imaging skills — with a working interview," says Fahy. "Also, with proper training, a good ophthalmic tech can learn to be a great surgical tech."
Dr. Dugel notes that surgical procedures, like office routines, have ramped up. "We have microincisions with no sutures," he says. "Procedures require more efficiency and are much more demanding technologically. Surgical techs need to set up and operate new equipment and turn over cases rapidly. They need to trouble-shoot parameters we never had to address in the past. Appropriate flow, cut rate, integrated laser, foot switch and wide-angle zoom in the microscopes make these new machines more user friendly, but they still require expert and efficient management by our technicians."
"Techs once earned less in retina practices than in general ophthalmic practices," says Fahy. "Now, some of our specialty practices are paying a bit more than our general practices." She believes increasing investments in more qualified staff will continue to be a trend going forward.
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