Allied Health Recruitment and Training Toolkit

New Ways to Think About Recruitment

The American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Academy of Ophthalmic Executives and The Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology are dedicated to working together with other ophthalmic medical professionals to identify, develop, and implement initiatives that will support the recruitment and retention of ophthalmic medical personnel.  

 Recruitment Options

A.   Hire part-time staff — Hiring several part-time staff instead of one full-time person can provide you with increased flexibility and "back-up" for covering vacations and sick days. It also provides a pool of employees who could become full-time staff, as your practice grows. Job shadowing experiences offer potential employees an opportunity to gain a better understanding of job responsibilities.

B.  Hire students currently enrolled in an ophthalmic training program — Hire for part-time employment and offer students an increase in pay when they successfully finish the program. A list of programs is available from CoA-OMP

C.  "Home Grow' your own staff  — “Home growing” your own staff can greatly decrease the amount of time it takes to fill a job opening, although time and resources are necessary to facilitate initial training. Assign a trained staff member to “mentor” the new hire and consider the following:

• Hire high school students part-time as front-office staff and as a potential ‘employee pool’ for the future. If they have established a good work record with you while attending high school, inform them of the formal ophthalmic training programs available or on-the-job-training and promise them a job if they complete the training program.
• Hire displaced workers or semi-retired individuals who have years of prior work experience. You will benefit from their previous employment experience and maturity level, adding stability to your practice.
• Hire medical assistants who have prior work experience within a medical setting. They will already be familiar with medical terminology and processes within the practice environment.

D.  Make presentations locally — Participation in local job fairs and offering to give talks at area high schools will provide networking opportunities for future employees.

E.  Offer scholarships — Individuals who seek additional training while they continue to work for you may be great candidates for scholarships. 

F.  Provide “On-The-Job Training" — Individuals without professional ophthalmic education or experience who are seeking an allied health position are great candidates for On-The Job Training and long-term employment. This strategic effort to prepare ophthalmic medical personnel to take advantage of new and increasing job opportunities builds a committed and dedicated staff. Suggested Training Materials [PDF 107K]

G.  Supplement On-The-Job training at your clinic with the AAO Independent Study course, Learning Systems CD or Distance Education Opportunities (Additional details in 'Ophthalmic Educational Training Resources' Section):