Why we Believe in Staff Certification

At our office, becoming a certified paraoptometric is of great importance. There are several reasons we make this a priority for our staff, the first reason being our patients. We want to be able to care for our patients to the best of our ability. Just working in an eye care facility for a few months provides plenty of knowledge to successfully care for patients, but pushing yourself even further to learn on your own and taking a test to receive certification takes it to another level. In Illinois, a college degree is not required to be a paraoptometric (anyone who assists optometrists in providing eye care), but you have the option to further your career/development by taking the Certified Paraoptometric exam or CPO. There are 3 levels of certification a paraoptometric can achieve: Certified Paraoptometric (entry), Certified Paraoptometric Assistant (intermediate), Certified Paraoptometric Technician (advanced), and Certified Paraoptometric Coder which is mainly beneficial for para’s working in the billing department. We do not require any of these to work in our office, BUT for the first time in TEC history all of our technicians have some level of certification. These tests are specifically written to test para’s on their knowledge in the field, they require you to truly know the industry operations and not just memorize study materials. To pass, you must have a working knowledge of ocular anatomy/physiology, special testing, front desk operations, ocular medications, ophthalmic lenses, and contact lenses! There’s so much more to your eye care experience than getting glasses. It takes someone who truly knows what they’re doing to make you the perfect pair of glasses and fit you in that perfect frame. Once someone has passed their exam, they are required to get at least 18 hours of continuing education every three years to maintain certification. These hours can be received by going to classes in person or by taking online classes. This field is and always will be evolving. Technology for exam equipment and lens designs are always being upgraded. At TEC, one of our core values is to embrace beneficial change… and we certainly do. Continuing to learn and change with the times is an absolute must to be successful. We love providing care and utilizing our knowledge to help the lives of people in Southern Illinois! Talk soon, Morgan DiMaggio, CPOA