The patient had a recheck with our doctor to verify a prescription she had filled elsewhere, and she was having a problem with the glasses. She had gone back to the optical shop that made the glasses, but they told her the problem was with the prescription, and referred her back to the doctor. The doctor found no change in the prescription and sent her to us to find the problem. It didn’t take long to discover that, although the lenses were made correctly to the prescription, the progressive lenses were set four millimeters too low.
I gently explained to the patient that it was the measurement that caused her problems. The woman shook her head and said, “You know, the people working with me said they were opticians, but I had the feeling they weren’t opticians until yesterday. Why would they do that?” I told her diplomatically that I couldn’t answer for another optical shop, but I was sure that given my findings, they would correct the problem. The patient said she’d take the glasses back to where she’d gotten them, but it was very likely she’d return to us to have them remade.
The problem wasn’t only about an incorrect measurement. Mistakes happen. More of the problem was the time the patient took to return to the first optical shop, see the doctor again, then see us and now return to the first optical shop. A little troubleshooting in the first round would have saved a great deal of time and effort, not to mention that they may have lost a patient, or at least her confidence. The real answer, of course, is training. Having been in management, I know that payroll is a significant part of a business’ overhead. We tend to hire only in a crisis, and possibly at a lower experience level at a lower wage, believing we can quickly train someone to the needed skill level. Hiring when the need is greatest all but negates time for training. But lack of training comes with a cost, too, in remakes, staff frustration and insecurity, and lower patient satisfaction. It’s almost a Catch 22.
Time for training has to be part of the new hire process and budget. Consider the times, usually during flu season, when more than one staff member called out sick. Did you find a way to make it through the day, or did you close up shop? The hiring process can be long, and training prolongs the agony of short staffing, but if you can get through flu season, you can make it through proper training.
The key is to be ready to train, even if your staff is happy and stable. Life happens, and sometimes with little warning. Have a logical training plan and schedule, one that won’t overwhelm and allows for review. Assign a mentor whenever possible to keep training consistent. New employees need to know about your office systems as well as optics. Take things one step at a time. Great optical training materials are available from ABO/NCLE (free videos), state and national organizations, and frame and lens vendors. Of course, 2020mag.com/ce has a wide variety of courses, many of which are free, supported by educational grants from sponsors. Browse them to find the ones that fit your plan. Training now will pay you back tomorrow.
