How to hire an optometrist assistant

How to hire an optometrist assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step optometrist 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 optometrist assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new optometrist assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an optometrist assistant, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An optometrist assistant's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, optometrist 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.

   Here's a comparison of optometrist assistant salaries for various roles:

   Type of Optometrist Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Optometrist 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.	$40-85
   MD	A Doctor of Medicine or MD is the designation of a person who completed medical education. Generally, MDs focus on the treatment of conditions in need of medication... Show more	$12-107
   Medical Internship	When it comes to a medical internship, one of the primary duties is to attend to the patients' needs while under a more experienced physician's supervision. During this period, the medical interns must rotate in various fields of specialties or departments for exposure... Show more	$15-37

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Appointment Scheduling
   • Exam Rooms
   • Customer Service
   • Eye Exams
   • Front Desk
   • Visual Fields
   • Medical History
   • Diagnostic Tests
   • Depth Perception
   • Patient Care
   • Visual Acuity
   • Insurance Claims
   • Patient Charts

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Adhere to OSHA guidelines while performing instrument sterilization in addition to managing medical inventory.
   • Pretest patients on NCT, OCT, refractomotor, visual field machine, and retinal camera.
   • Check in and work up patients for eye exam, assist optometrist with retinal photos, glaucoma testing and basic refraction.
   • Perform require pretests for the Dr's.
   • Perform OCT scan of optic nerve, macula, and fundus photo.
   • Clean and maintain equipment and instruments in the optometric area, pre-test room, and restock inventories.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, optometrist assistants' average salary in oklahoma is 43% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level optometrist assistants earn 52% less than senior-level optometrist assistants.
   • Certifications. An optometrist 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 optometrist assistant's salary.

   Average optometrist assistant salary

   $122,813yearly

   $59.04 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level optometrist assistant salary

   $85,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

4. Writing an optometrist assistant job description

   An optometrist 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. Below, you can find an example of an optometrist assistant job description:

   Optometrist assistant job description example

   Performs initial work-up and specialized tests for optometry patients. Assists optometrists with clinical tasks as directed by the optometrist.
   
   Essential Functions:- Greets patients, enters data into medical records, and escorts patients to examination room. - Interviews each patient to obtain information about symptoms and documents information provided by patient in medical record.- Performs initial tests for optometry patients using specialized equipment. - Provides test results to provider and brings attention to abnormal results - Assists optometrist to conduct examinations as directed. - Assists patients to understand spectacle and contact lens options following diagnosis by optometrist. - Cleans and maintains specialized equipment and work areas. - Performs other related duties as directed.
   
   Basic Qualifications:Experience- One (1) year experience doing patient work-up's to include visual acuities, manual and automated lensometry, auto-refraction, noncontact tonometry and knowledge of contact lenses including the teaching of insertion and removal classes or completion of interdepartmental training program emphasizing above skills developed by the Optometry department.Education- High School diploma or General Education Development (GED) required.Licenses, Certifications, Registrations- One of the following certifications: Contact Lens Dispenser (US-CLD), National Contact lens Examiners Certification, Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (US-COA, CPOA, CPOT), National Para-Optometric (US-CPO), Completion of any Optometric Assistant Program of studies, Completion of the Self-Study Paraoptometric Assistant Course, Ophthalmic Medical Assisting- Independent Study Course, or any comparable certification or Optometric or Ophthalmic course completion required or within six (6) months from date of hire.
   
   Additional Requirements:- Successfully demonstrated proficiency on initial skills assessment during the interview process.- Proficiency in the use of applicable computer software.
   Preferred Qualifications:- BLS Certification preferred.
   
   COMPANY: KAISER
   
   TITLE: Assistant, Optometrist
   
   LOCATION: Silver Spring, Maryland
   
   REQNUMBER: 1116899
   
   External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, state and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran, or disability status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find optometrist assistants for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your optometrist assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit optometrist assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting optometrist assistants requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 optometrist assistant

   Once you've selected the best optometrist assistant candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new optometrist assistant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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