How to hire an ophthalmic medical assistant

How to hire an ophthalmic medical assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step ophthalmic medical assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an ophthalmic medical assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new ophthalmic medical assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the ophthalmic medical assistant you need to hire. Certain ophthalmic medical assistant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An ophthalmic medical assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, ophthalmic medical assistants from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents ophthalmic medical assistant salaries for various positions.

   Type of Ophthalmic Medical Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Ophthalmic Medical Assistant	Medical assistants complete administrative and clinical tasks in the offices of physicians, hospitals, and other healthcare facilities. Their duties vary with the location, specialty, and size of the practice.	$12-19
   Medical Scribe	As a medical scribe, their main responsibility is to follow a physician's daily work and do charting of patient encounters in real-time by accessing their medical electronic health record (EHR). It is their duty to make sure the patient schedules are followed, generate referral letters for physicians and manage and sort medical documents within the EHR... Show more	$11-18
   Ophthalmic Technician	An ophthalmic technician specializes in providing eye care services to patients under the supervision of an ophthalmologist. Among their responsibilities include conducting interviews, taking notes of the patients' symptoms, conducting eye examinations and tests, administering medication, and performing support tasks for ophthalmologists during procedures... Show more	$14-29

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • Medical History
   • Visual Acuity
   • Color Vision
   • Visual Fields
   • Patient Flow
   • Field Testing
   • Allergies
   • Phone Calls
   • Peripheral Vision
   • Diagnostic Tests
   • Patient History
   • Tonopen

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
   • Enter patient information in EHR computer system.
   • Learned Medflow EHR, backfill medical records and updated/creat new patient medical records.
   • Schedule patients for routine appointments and surgical procedures, and provide both preoperative and postoperative instruction.
   • Display medical terminology and detail orient with ability to record and report properly in patients records.
   • Perform clinic work-ups/manifest refraction utilizing EMR, program and maintain laser equipment, clinical photography, and assist physicians during surgeries.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your ophthalmic medical assistant job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An ophthalmic medical assistant salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, ophthalmic medical assistants' average salary in alabama is 53% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level ophthalmic medical assistants earn 37% less than senior-level ophthalmic medical assistants.
   • Certifications. An ophthalmic medical assistant with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an ophthalmic medical assistant's salary.

   Average ophthalmic medical assistant salary

   $15.87hourly

   $33,014 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level ophthalmic medical assistant salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 24, 2025

4. Writing an ophthalmic medical assistant job description

   An ophthalmic medical assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an ophthalmic medical assistant job description:

   Ophthalmic medical assistant job description example

   \*\* Regular travel to satellite locations may be required \*\*
   
   ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES:
   
   Greets patients and visitors in a prompt, courteous and helpful manner.
   
   Obtains patient history and transcribes results into our EHR (electronic health record) as physician(s) orally dictate during patient exam. Transcribes results in a accurate and detailed completion.
   
   Records physician(s) fee tickets in EHR (electronic health record) as physician(s) orally dictate during patient exam.
   
   Maintains patient confidentiality.
   
   Escorts patients to appropriate area (i.e., reception area, dilating room, cataract testing, etc.).
   
   Assists physician(s) by obtaining supplies as needed during patient care.
   
   Assistance to Technician as needed.
   
   Performs visual acuity tests on patients in accordance to established guidelines.
   
   Controls patient flow.
   
   Performs autorefraction and lensometry tests as needed on patients in accordance with established guidelines.
   
   Performs tonometry on patients in accordance to established guidelines.
   
   Determines if patient needs further testing by technician. Notification by technician of name of patient that requires further testing.
   
   Performs visual field testing, glare testing, color vision testing, Schirmer's tear testing on patients as required. Requirement is determined by established guidelines.
   
   Reviews patient charts and posts tests and examination results into EHR (electronic health record) as well enter information of prior visits in EHR record.
   
   Clean and sterilize equipment and maintain autoclave in accordance with established guidelines and procedures.
   
   Demonstrates the ability to work with geriatric patients and patients of all ages.
   
   Stocking of supplies on an ongoing basis to keep current stock requirements.
   
   Cleaning of patient exam rooms in relation to testing and equipment.
   
   Demonstrates compliance with all provisions of safety rules and other policies and procedures.
   
   Check expiration of medications and supplies and follow-up as appropriate and in accordance with established guidelines and policies.
   
   SECONDARY JOB DUTIES:
   
   Attends required meetings and participates in committees as requested. Enhances professional growth and development through meetings, education programs, seminars and conferences.
   
   Performs other duties to ensure the smooth flow of work/patients in the office.
   
   Edit job Status: OpenView public job page
   
   Job Type: Full-time
   
   Pay: From $23.00 per hour
   
   Benefits:
   * 401(k)
   * Dental insurance
   * Health insurance
   * Paid time off
   * Vision insurance
   Medical specialties:
   * Ophthalmology
   Schedule:
   * 8 hour shift
   
   Ability to commute/relocate:
   * New York, NY 10001: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)
   
   Experience:
   * Ophthalmology: 1 year (Preferred)
   
   Work Location: One location

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find ophthalmic medical assistants for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any ophthalmic medical assistants they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level ophthalmic medical assistants with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your ophthalmic medical assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit ophthalmic medical assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit ophthalmic medical assistants, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new ophthalmic medical assistant

   Once you've decided on a perfect ophthalmic medical assistant candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new ophthalmic medical assistant. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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