3 ways to grow careers and practices at Optometry’s Meeting® 2023

According to LinkedIn’s 2018 Workplace Learning Report, 94% of employees surveyed said they would stay at a job longer if they were offered pathways for career development. The statistic is staggering, but it also reveals just how important professional development is in helping your practice grow and thrive in an ever-changing, competitive and volatile marketplace. The currency of business is people; and it’s more important than ever to make investments that help them (and your practice) flourish.

As a doctor of optometry and/or practice manager, you have a responsibility to identify opportunities for personal and professional development for your employees—from front-desk staff and opticians to other paraoptometric professionals of all skill and knowledge levels.

Professional development will help your practice by:

• Enhancing productivity and engagement. A recent Forbes article mentioned the Gallup "State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report" and found that only 21% of employees [feel] engaged at work." This reveals a significant opportunity for practice managers and owners to match their paraoptometric professionals with professional development opportunities that help them close that gap and feel engaged and more passionate about their roles and the practice. As a result of professional development, your staff will be more motivated and deliver higher-quality work that drives the business forward.
• Increasing profitability. A recent Business.com article referenced survey results from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), stating that employees with access to professional development opportunities are 15% more engaged in their jobs, which led to a 34% higher retention rate, saving an average turnover rate of six to nine months’ salary for the business. Your practice also can realize higher profit margins due to developing both hard and soft skills, such as customer service, project management techniques, communication methods and much more that are passed on to enhance customer satisfaction and brand recognition.
• Attracting and retaining top talent. According to the SHRM report, 48% of HR professionals cited training and education programs as the most effective recruiting tool at their disposal. With 94% of employees citing professional development as a key to longevity in their roles, providing these opportunities for both current and prospective employees is a valuable perk.

Linda Rodriguez, CPO, AOA Paraoptometric Resource Center Committee chair, says that “Any optometric practice with well-trained and educated paraoptometrics experiences success in staff retention, efficient performance, outstanding patient care, and patient satisfaction.”

She believes Optometry’s Meeting^® is a fantastic event not only for networking but also for doctors, office managers and paraoptometric professionals to focus on “… expanding the knowledge of all paraoptometrics, providing specialized training for professional development and new techniques and skills to perform their job at the highest professional level. All these benefits are priceless and easy to achieve by participating in Optometry’s Meeting.”

What to expect at Optometry’s Meeting 2023

This year’s Optometry’s Meeting is poised to provide an array of skill-building and practice-enhancing opportunities that will help you and your staff position yourselves—and your practice—for success.

A main draw for paraoptometric professionals is the 30+ hours of staff-specific continuing education (CE) or 45+ hours of integrated, doctor-paraoptometric education available. These sessions will provide your team with powerful skills and learnings that can be immediately applied to your practice. Optometry’s Meeting also offers networking opportunities to connect your staff with professionals across the country, as well as multiple workshop opportunities with topics ranging from contact lenses to IPL treatment for dry eye disease and surgical assisting for the paraoptometric technician. 

Next steps for growth

There’s still time to register your paraoptometric staff to attend Optometry’s Meeting! Start planning your #OM2023 experience in our nation’s capital today by registering them for the meeting, then consider the following opportunities for continued growth and additional value to your practice:

• AOA member doctors of optometry can enroll their paraoptometric staff as AOA associate membersat no additional cost to the AOA member doctor or staff, and that gains staff access to discounted meeting registration. Visit the site for more information.

• Get your paraoptometric staff certified in their respective skillset with CPO, CPOA and CPOT certification levels from the Commission on Paraoptometric Certification (CPC). Optometry’s Meeting has a plethora of sessions your staff can attend to attain CE credit hours to prepare for an examination or to retain their current certification (based on CE requirements).  
  • Note: You and your staff can access the 2023 Paraoptometric Examination (CPO, CPOA, CPOT, CPOC) Candidate Handbook and view the 2023 examination dates.