Optometrist

General Summary: The Optometrist provides high quality care within the scope of his/her chosen specialty. This care should be comprehensive, coordinated, and patient and family-centered to achieve clinical and service excellence.

Essential Job Functions*:

• Perform vision tests and analyze results
• Diagnose sight problems, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness and eye diseases, such as glaucoma
• Prescribe eyeglasses, contact lenses, and medications
• Provide treatments such as vision therapy or low-vision rehabilitation
• Provide pre- and postoperative care to patients undergoing eye surgery
• Evaluate and examine patients referred for diabetic eye exams and refer patients to ophthalmologist or other healthcare providers as needed
• Promote eye health by counseling patients, including explaining how to clean and wear contact lenses
• Analyze test results and develop a treatment plan; administer drugs to patients to aid in the diagnosis of vision problems and prescribe drugs to treat some eye diseases.
• Diagnose conditions caused by systemic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, referring patients to other health practitioners as needed.
• Direct and coordinate the activities of nurses, assistants, and other support personnel
• Evaluate patients with acute or unusual eye care conditions, and, when appropriate, arrange for emergency transport to a physician and/or tertiary care center with appropriate clinical skills/resources.

• Maintain all requirements for licensure including continued medical education

• Actively participate in the hospital’s quality and patient experience programs, working with the team to continually improve the patient experience.

• Actively participate in the hospital’s quality and patient safety programs and demonstrate an understanding of safety issues and practices in all aspects of work; Consistently observe universal precautions.
  
• Participate fairly in call rotation, if required, providing consultative services for patients in the emergency room and those requiring hospital admission.

In performing these essential functions, Optometrist will:

Demonstrate hospital’s mission and values with co-workers, patients, families and visitors, and with hospital and departmental policies, procedures, governmental regulations;

Work collaboratively and build effective relationships, demonstrating flexibility and adjusting to changing work demands;

Effectively communicate plans, expectations, and clinical progress with SMH staff, consultants, referring providers, patients and families as appropriate;

Maintain utmost confidentiality in all aspects of duties; and

Document all patient services and care in a timely, clear, accurate, and comprehensive, manner, and properly code and provide necessary information to facilitate billing for all professional services provided.

Qualifications:

• Education

Required: Graduation from school of optometry accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE)

Preferred: Board certification by the American Board of Optometry

• Work Experience

Required:

Preferred: Prior experience

• Licensure/Certifications/Registrations

Required: Licensed by NH Board of Optometry as Doctor of Optometry OD). Requirements as set forth in the Medical Staff Policy Manual for each specialty.

Therapeutic Pharmaceutical Agents/glaucoma (TPA/g) certification

CPR certified

Preferred:

• Other Skills/Knowledge

Required: Ability to work independently. Willingness to work in a team-oriented environment. Effective communication skills. Must possess strong organizational and interpersonal skills. Ability to use computer for healthcare work.

Preferred: Demonstrated ability to work harmoniously and professionally with other practitioners and staff.