To be an ophthalmic technician, you need to become certified through an exam and continue your education for life. Find out more.
Becoming an ophthalmic technician can be a complicated process, especially if you do not know where to get your ophthalmic technician's training or what courses to take. If you wish to become an ophthalmic technician, ophthalmic technician programs can help you earn your degree and become an ophthalmic technician.
Earning your ophthalmic technician can be extremely rewarding, but how do you know what courses and prerequisites to take in order to become a successful ophthalmic technician?
As medical assistants who work in eye-care offices, ophthalmic technicians assist optometrists and ophthalmologists with various tasks. As an ophthalmic technician, you help provide the necessary care and support to people suffering from eye injuries or diseases. You assist the eye doctor in both surgical and clinical settings, performing diagnostic testing and recording exam results.
To become a certified ophthalmic technician, you need to understand what the requirements and prerequisites are that are pertinent to providing better patient care, as well as the general ophthalmic technician education for classroom and clinical training hours.
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Prerequisites for becoming an ophthalmic technician include a high school diploma or GED and meeting the grade point average requirements. Depending on the school, you will need to take English, social studies and math prerequisites to qualify for the ophthalmic technician program. Some schools require you to take an assessment test to determine your computer skills. If you do not pass, you will need to take additional courses.
In order to be eligible for certification, you need to be a certified orthoptist or graduate from an accredited school that offers ophthalmic technician education. Courses include:
- Equipment training.
- Patient assessment skills.
- Clinical fieldwork.
- Medical terminology.
- Anatomy and physiology.
- Ocular diseases.
- Visual and ocular technology.
- Eye treatments.
Certified ophthalmic technician training online is also available to help maximize your learning schedule.
Earning your ophthalmic technician qualification can take you anywhere between six months to two years to complete, depending on the school. If you graduate through a shortened educational program, then you need to take the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology's (JCAHPO) Certified Ophthalmic Assistant examination in order to be properly certified.
If you have not graduated from certified ophthalmic technician training, you will need a minimum of 2,000 hours of on-site experience or one year of full-time employment.
JCAHPO requires all certified ophthalmic technicians to recertify every three years either by earning continuing education credits or by passing a recertification exam. If you wish to earn continuing education credits, you will need to earn 27 credits by taking additional ophthalmic technician courses online at a workshop or teaching.
Whether you are starting a new career or deciding what your college major will be, understanding the necessary steps you need to take to earn your ophthalmic technician degree can help you choose the right schools and courses. Reply! can help steer your new career down the right path by supplying you with the necessary information to help you successfully become a certified ophthalmic technician.