How to hire an optometry assistant

How to hire an optometry assistant, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an optometry 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

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an optometry assistant to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an optometry assistant that fits the bill.

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

   Type of Optometry Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Optometry 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.	$11-20
   Medical Receptionist	Medical receptionists are responsible for manning the front desk at a medical facility such as a clinic or a hospital. They manage schedules and appointments in the clinic or hospital... Show more	$12-18

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Field Testing
   • Appointment Scheduling
   • Data Entry
   • HIPAA
   • Visual Fields
   • Insurance Verification
   • Insurance Coverage
   • Office Equipment
   • Customer Service
   • Patient Flow
   • Telephone Calls
   • Medical History
   • Credit Card

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage telecommunications, provide patient telephone triage and documentation thereof.
   • Provide explanations to patients about procedures and protocols.
   • Administer preliminary testing to patients prior to their eye examination.
   • Perform venipuncture procedures and administer intramuscular vaccinations
   • Answer phones and handle some billing to MVP, VSP and Medicare plans.
   • Perform patient pretesting (VF's, fundus photography, topography and OCT's etc . )

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your optometry assistant job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An optometry assistant can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, optometry assistants' average salary in oklahoma is 57% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level optometry assistants 43% less than senior-level optometry assistants.
   • Certifications. An optometry assistant with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an optometry assistant's salary.

   Average optometry assistant salary

   $15.55hourly

   $32,354 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level optometry assistant salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

4. Writing an optometry assistant job description

   A job description for an optometry assistant role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an optometry assistant job description:

   Optometry assistant job description example

   Alameda Health System is recruiting a full time optometrist. This is a wonderful opportunity for a well-qualified optometrist looking to work in the county of Alameda. The optometrist will work mostly at Eastmont Wellness Center, but may also work at Highland Hospital or Hayward Wellness Center. The clinics are well-equipped, and the optometrist would have assigned support staff. This position reports to the Division Chief of Ophthalmology.
   
   AHS is an integrated public health system that spans 5 facilities, 4 ambulatory sites, and 800 beds providing primary, specialty, and Level 1 Trauma care to the residents of Alameda County. Highland Hospital, our flagship facility, is based in Oakland. We are a safety net system that is proud to serve our surrounding communities with safe, equitable, high quality care. AHS' mission is Caring, Healing, Teaching, Serving All.
   This position is right for you if you are:
   
   + Mission-driven: Committed to access, equity, and justice as it relates to providing excellent health care to the community of patients that AHS serves
   
   + Flexible: Embraces change, welcomes feedback, and engages in debate towards attaining the best possible result
   
   + Lifelong learning: Humble and curious in continuing to develop as a clinician and team member
   
   Qualifications:
   
   Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities as well as possession of any required licenses or certifications is qualifying.
   
   Required Education: Completion of an accredited Optometry program.
   
   Required Experience: Recent training and/or clinical experience are required for all applicants for appointment; recent clinical experience is defined as having performed at least 200 outpatient activities relevant to outpatient practice prerogatives requested in the preceding two (2) years.
   
   Preferred Experience: Completion of an Optometry residency program.
   
   Required Licenses/Certifications: Licensed as an Optometrist by the California Board of Optometry; Successful completion of an optometry program accredited by the California Board of Optometry; current BLS Certification and Current DEA Registration.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right optometry assistant for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your optometry assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit optometry 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 optometry 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 optometry assistant

   Once you've decided on a perfect optometry 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new optometry 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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