Finding and keeping qualified staff feels harder than it used to, and you’re not the only one who’s noticed. Staffing and hiring challenges have officially topped the list of concerns for optometry practices in the second half of the year, and the outlook for 2025 doesn’t offer much relief.
According to a recent survey reported by Optometry Times, 6 in 10 providers say there’s at least a moderate shortage of qualified professionals. And over one-third (36%) of providers describe the shortage of opticians as severe or extreme. Anything categorized as severe or extreme is going to affect your patient flow, team morale, even practice growth.
Why the shortage?
The reasons are layered, but here are a few realities:
- Fewer people are entering the workforce in technical roles like optician or optometric technician.
- Training pipelines are limited and there’s a lack of visibility for these roles in high school and college career pipelines.
- Competition from other industries (with flexible hours or remote options) is pulling away potential candidates.
But as more practices adopt advanced technologies and grow their patient base, the need for skilled team members only increases.
If you’re dealing with this right now
The question becomes, what can be done? While 34% of providers suggest expanding training and educational opportunities to fill the gaps, there are some creative strategies your practice can explore right now:
1. Grow your own talent.
Consider hiring for attitude (and aptitude) and training for skill. Look into partnering with local high schools, community colleges, or workforce development boards to create internship or apprenticeship-style pathways. Such moves can fill your bench and inspire loyalty from day one. Incidentally, this method also improves staff retention.
Even partnering with a single local high school or community college to offer one non-clinical optical intern spot per semester can kick-start a sustainable pipeline and signal to your community that your practice is invested in local growth.
Pro tip: Consider offering tuition reimbursement for optician certification, as an example. It’s a strong incentive and could be a worthwhile investment in your future team. Speaking of hiring incentives: You might consider other perks like wellness benefits or student loan assistance. And here’s some very interesting salary considerations + one OD’s solution.
2. Build resilience.
Borrowing a page from retail, some practices are cross-training front desk staff in optical basics.
We’re not trying to turn a receptionist into an optician. But you might explicitly teach your front desk team to identify different lens materials, understand common insurance questions, or explain basic prescription terminology. You can create a quick-reference guide or cheat sheet at the desk with diagrams, FAQs, and optical vocabulary.
Important to note: Cross-training can backfire if you’re not clear about roles, if training is rushed, or if you are too understaffed. But if you set clear expectations and provide structured education, it’s a move that can boost team confidence and job satisfaction (and highlight potential for growth).
Recommended read: Explore the when, why and how of cross-training here (including when NOT to do it).
3. Use technology to lighten the load.
When your staff is stretched thin, automating some of the routine tasks can buy back time. And if you aren’t already using tech tools in the front office, now is the time to look into small adjustments. Common areas that can be automated: verifying vision and medical benefits, giving out-of-pocket cost estimates, appointment scheduling and reminders, electronic payment options, patient intake forms, patient communication, inventory management, internal reporting and analytics.
It’s about creating a smoother workflow, which, by the way, will improve the patient experience (in addition to keeping your team happy!).
