Job Description: Ophthalmic technicians are trained and qualified professionals who assist ophthalmologists in order to diagnose and treat patients. Ophthalmic technicians do not have any independent practices, meaning they only work for ophthalmologists and cannot open their own practice.
Ophthalmic technicians perform many diagnostic and therapeutic procedures that are standard in ophthalmology. Depending on the person?s experience and qualifications, their duties can include:
- Taking the patient?s medical history
- Running diagnostic tests
- Taking measurements of the patient?s eyes, testing vision, visual fields, and sensory-motor function
- Prescribing topical medications
- Teaching the patient how to properly care for and use contact lenses
- Caring for and maintaining optical instruments and equipment
- Helping the ophthalmologist perform eye surgery (can be done in the ophthalmologist?s office or in the hospital)
- Performing ocular electro-neurological procedures
- Helping to fit contact lenses
- Fitting, adjusting, and making simple repairs on glasses
- Giving eye drops to patients
Ophthalmic technicians are highly trained so that they can perform a large range of tasks that are required in order to continuously help the ophthalmologist. Ophthalmic technicians are qualified to do everything that ophthalmic assistants do, however, they can do these things in more detail, and can also do other more complex tasks.
Potential Work Locations:
- Hospitals
- Doctor?s Offices
- Ophthalmologist?s Offices
- Eye Clinics
- Health Care Centres
Educational Background: There are more than 30 programs for ophthalmic technicians in Canada, the US, and India. These programs are done at universities, colleges, an...
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...anced their quality of life.
r This job can be stressful, considering that you are responsible for your patients? eyesight.
r Ophthalmic technicians are on their feet most of the day.
r You will most likely have to deal with difficult and uncooperative patients on a daily basis.
Current Employment Trends: The job outlook for ophthalmic technicians is extremely good, and is expected to increase over time. There are currently more positions available than there are applicants to fill them. There is a continuing demand for ophthalmic care due to the growing elderly population, and therefore a greater demand for ophthalmic technicians.
Other Related Careers:
- Optometrist
- Optician
- Ophthalmologist
- Orientation and mobility specialist for the blind/visually impaired
- Orthoptist
- Eye specialist
- Neuro-ophthalmologist
- Oculoplastics and orbit surgeon
Surgical technologists are members of the surgical team who work in the operating room with surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, and other personnel before, during and after surgery. Techs are basically considered the surgeons “right hand man”. They may prepare a patient for surgery by washing, shaving, and disinfecting where the incision may be. They arrange the equipment, instruments, and supplies in the operating room according to the preference of the surgeons and nurses (Ferguson 537). During the operation, they count all equipment used, and hold retractors and cut sutures as directed. Following the operation, they may clean and restock the OR and sterilize the used equipment (Ferguson 538).
Surgical Technologist are allied health professionals, who are an integral part of the team of medical practitioners providing surgical care to patients in variety of methods. Surgical technologist works under medical supervision of a surgeon to maintain a safe and effective conduct of surgical procedures in the operating room, making sure equipments function properly, and that the operative procedure is conducted under conditions that maximize patients safety.
My job contains a great deal of direct patient contact, to say the least. I assist the surgeon in whichever surgery the patient needs. I participate in helping cure, stabilize, comfort, and add to the patients' treatment. In order to be a good surgical tech, you must always be one step ahead of the surgeon, which inquires extensive knowledge of human anatomy and the symptoms that accompany an illness. Identifying anatomical landmarks and the normality of organs are also important qualities to have when assisting in surgery.
According to www.reference.com, The Primary Job Duties include: taking the patient's history, performing physical exams, ordering laboratory tests and procedures, diagnosing, treating and managing disease, prescribing medications, coordinating referrals, performing certain procedures and minor surgeries, and lastly providing patient education and counseling to support healthy lifestyle of behaviors.
...Overall, this is an interesting career and if someone would like to enter the healthcare field, without doing the on hands patient care, this a good path to follow.
C. What does the job involve and what are your limitations set by the doctor?
Some duties within this field include giving patients intravenous lines for fluid, blood or medication, administering medicat...
My interest into becoming an optometrist had begun when I was in high school; it happened in an unconventional way. It was not through watching videos, or someone explaining to me what optometry was, but rather, seeing the power of it firsthand. There was a point in my life where I felt emotions that I was unable to comprehend at the time. Seeing a family member on an operating table was the most petrifying moment that I have gone through, especially when the person on the table was my father. My father had to get a chalazion removed from his right eyelid. The doctor told my family that my father would be susceptible to certain health risks because of his diabetes and the severity of his cyst. This procedure was the hardest thing I have had to deal with in my life because it made me feel helpless. Usually, when my dad needs help he always asks me, but this time I could not do anything. It is interesting to think that something so small had such a big affect on my life.
Job Description: Pharmacists ensure that medications are used appropriately, and that they bring about the best results. Their responsibilities include professionally interpreting and reviewing the prescription orders written by doctors, dentists, and other authorized health care providers, and also for giving out the medications accurately to patients. The main goal of pharmaceutical care is to improve the quality of patients? lives by the use of medications that have been prescribed in order to accomplish specific results.
As a student who is both fascinated with science and desires a career that is dedicated to improving people’s lives, the profession of optometry is a natural fit for me. Wanting to learn more about the profession, I began shadowing several optometrists throughout my time in high school and college. I shadowed in various settings, including two retail chain stores, an ophthalmology office, and a private practice. My goal was to soak up everything about the experience, learning as much as I could from the optometrists as they interacted with patients and assessed their ocular health. I was amazed at how much I was able to learn just from observing other optometrists! One of the most memorable experiences I had while shadowing was when a patient came in with shingles, which the optometrist, Dr. Chelsey Clemens, confirmed was spreading onto her cornea. Dr. Clemens promptly prescribed an antibiotic gel to the patient. It was exciting to observe this patient receive this much-needed care from her
Strong people skills are a must for one with a career in occupational therapy. Working with people is a daily task and often times these people will be dealing with some troublesome aspect of their lives. An OT must also have great problem solving skills. One must be able to talk through problems with a client as w...
Respiratory Therapists are allied health care specialist. Respiratory Therapists evaluate, treat, and assist their patients with breathing or cardiopulmonary disorders. They provide patients with oxygen and connect those who cannot breathe on their own to ventilators. Additionally, Respiratory Therapists examine patients regarding their respiratory ailments, test patients lung capacities, remove mucus from the patient’s lungs, provide emergency resuscitation in cases of ceasing breathing, etc.
... a patient down when they are scared. I know this career will not always be an easy one because you will come across some patients that can be combative, grumpy or scared and being able to learn how to communicate with them will make the process more smoothly. There will come a time when you come across a patient that will pull at your heart, as hard as it is I will have to keep my emotions in control but not so much so that I forget how to be gentle and caring with the patients because you may never know what their stories are.
They test many types of samples in the lab such as skin or body fluids like blood and urine. Lab techs have the responsibility to not only perform the test but to record the results and get the results where they need to be. Blood tests can indicate many different conditions such as a hormone imbalance or blood type. This is very important because if someone receives a blood type that is not compatible with their own blood, the patient could die. Skin and tissue samples can also lead to a diagnosis. They can run tests to see if a sample reacts to something or doesn’t react to something. This is how the lab tech helps to diagnose.
It requires a great deal of strength, not only physically but emotionally as well. There is a great deal of physical work involved, such as lifting patients and equipment. You are on your feet most of of the day, and there is little patience for idle hands. Patients will often require much patience, and excellent people skills are a must. There will also be situations that will pull on the heart strings, however, we are there to do a job, and to do it to the greatest of our ability. Yes, I was aware of most of these requirements, but I don’t believe that I understood them to the fullest detail, and I probably won’t, unless I experience them first-hand. Fortunately, now, I have been educated on expecting such circumstances, and will be better equipped to handle them when such situations