While the importance of training is well understood, actually finding the time and tools for effective training can be elusive. Adding to this puzzle is the fact that many recent new hires are entering the ophthalmic industry for the first time.

In this article, several practices that have mastered training discuss the pieces they have put in place to meet specific staffing challenges.

Create opportunities for growth

Eimi A. Rodriguez Cruz, director of ophthalmic services for the UCHealth Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center with multiple locations in Colorado, says that she recognized a high turnover rate of young people in entry-level positions at their center. When asked about why they were leaving, a lot of it came back to a lack of opportunity for professional advancement and training. So, she got to work rebuilding their training program.

“One of the first things that we did was to create three tiers of technician training, starting with an entry level that required no prior experience,” Ms. Rodriguez Cruz says. “With trade school enrollments declining rapidly, we realized we had to meet more young people where they’re at.”

To account for each new hire’s base of experience and knowledge, there is now more than one path to take through training, says Ms. Rodriguez Cruz. It can’t just be a one-size-fits-all approach.

Remove risk for the trainee

In addition, recognizing the rapid decline of trade school enrollment, Ms. Rodriguez Cruz says that they realized they needed to develop their own version — and the UCHealth Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center Ophthalmic Assistant Academy was born.

“It is a two-year program that starts with those very entry-level clinical positions,” she explains. “Candidates can apply to those positions without any tech experience, and during their two years in the program they can work in roles like a surgery scheduler or in our call center. They receive their full salary while completing the program, eliminating any financial burden that might have been cause for drop out.”

Allowing new staff to participate in a program like this “risk free” is a huge incentive, says Ms. Rodriguez Cruz. Finding solutions that eliminate both burden and risk is an effective approach to training.

Richard S. Davidson, MD, endowed chair in eye care innovation and team physician at UCHealth Sue Anschutz-Rodgers Eye Center, says that these efforts have been quite successful from the doctor’s perspective.

“We have learned that focusing more internally on developing our people is supporting retention and also producing amazing, high-quality technicians,” he adds. “We get compliments all of the time.”

Build competence and confidence

How people are trained also makes a world of difference. Amy Jost, a national training manager for EyeCare Partners says that when training, it’s important that technicians learn the concepts behind what they’re doing so that they’re not just running through a checklist.

“We are trying to build critical thinking skills — not just a robot who can check the boxes,” Ms. Jost says. “That slows training down, but it builds competence and confidence.”

This includes like two weeks of workshop/classroom-style training, followed by weeks three and four having a trainer with the technician as they put skills into action.

“When you have someone coaching you and assisting in real time, things do get done,” Ms. Jost adds. “The time invested on the front end can prevent problems on the back end.”

Create time for training

Ms. Jost says that finding the time for training can be one of the biggest barriers. But they have found that running a training boot camp every one to three months has been highly effective.

“We were told when we started it that doctors wouldn’t be willing to come in on a Saturday to help train and educate staff, but that hasn’t been the case,” she says. “These have been highly successful with a big turnout. Doctors recognize how important it is that their technicians hear and learn from them.”

Evaluate external education

While larger and academic practices are more likely to have internal trainers, for the small- to mid-sized practice, where in-house training opportunities might be limited, Jane T. Shuman, MSM, COT, COE, OCS, president of Eyetechs and co-editor-in-chief of Ophthalmic Professional, recommends external education.

“With outside educators, you don’t have to delegate training to an already overburdened staff member,” explains Ms. Shuman. “An outside educator can teach skills and foundational knowledge that help develop critical thinkers early in their careers. Along with that, I also think it’s important for new staff to shadow different team members and also follow patients through the practice so they can get the full experience.”

Already developed training programs also can remove a lot of the guesswork. BSM Consulting, for example, offers the Certified Eyecare Professional (CEP) program and the Certified Patient Service Specialist (CPSS) program in order to provide an online training solution for busy practices.

With this approach, Emily Whitley, MBA, senior director of client education services for BSM Consulting, explains that practices can tackle training at their own speed with short, interactive training modules. Quizzes and skills assessments follow each of the various modules.

Laura Baldwin, senior consultant for BSM, adds that with the vast majority of new eyecare hires having zero experience, a new approach to training was imperative.

“We know that practices need to get people out on the floor as fast as they can,” Ms. Baldwin says. “But we also know that turnover is very high, and part of that is that people feel they were thrown out there without any support. We’re looking to solve both pain points with training that is efficient and effective and allows new team members to develop competency and confidence that promotes satisfaction and retention.”

Alchemy Vision, a subscription e-learning platform for eye-care teams, is another training option with video-based training that is online and accessible from any device.

“Our modules take someone with zero experience ­— from how to greet a patient all the way through to teaching the eye and the equipment — in a way that will help them really understand what they’re doing and why they’re doing it,” explains Mitch Shultz, MD, medical director of Shultz Chang Vision and co-founder and chief medical officer of Alchemy Vision. “With so much turnover these days, we find that a lot of practices want to cross-train, and these different modules make that easy.”

Dr. Shultz says that Alchemy Vision aims to improve workflow and help technicians anticipate what the doctor might want to be done.

“It’s important that technicians feel confident enough to talk to the doctor and ask questions so that there is better communication between the doctor and the staff,” he says. “When a technician is more knowledgeable and can answer questions, it makes the experience better for the patient, too.”

Find the solution for your practice

At the end of the day, it’s important to find the solution that will fit your practice best. While it’s challenging, finding time for training is critical.

“So many practices say that they’re just too busy — but then they end up losing people,” Ms. Shuman says. “Time has to be made to make training work. Make it a condition of hire that once a month, team members have to stay late or give up a Saturday. People ultimately appreciate training because it makes them feel valued and more confident in their role.”

Ms. Whitley agrees. “Training is an investment, but it also has a great ROI,” she says. “Employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention are exponential benefits. And the cost of turnover is high. It’s simply not something you can afford to skip.” OP