On March 19 2020, our world changed forever. California instituted the first shelter-in-place order, and our practice came to a grinding halt. At first, like most, I was concerned about the uncertainty of the future and how long it would take for us to return to normalcy. This mandatory pause gave all of us time to reflect on what was important to us. We had a unique opportunity to connect with our children, spend time reading and catching up on topics that our busy schedules typically didn’t allow. Zoom became the new normal as we started to connect online. Most importantly, we started to plan for what was to come.

First and foremost, my practice had to completely change the way we practiced medicine. Social distancing, limiting the number of individuals in our offices, reducing patient wait times and using telehealth became fundamental. Additionally, as we planned to reopen, we knew we had to invest in staff education to fill the void of our now reduced work schedules. What we were not prepared for, however, was the endemic workplace labor shortage that continues to affect us all today.

AFTER THE SHUTDOWN

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15%-20% of the country’s workforce disappeared (Supplemental data measuring the effects of the coronavirus [COVID-19] pandemic on the labor market, https://www.bls.gov/cps/effects-of-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic.htm ).

Some employees were afraid of contracting COVID-19 or took advantage of enhanced government unemployment assistance, while others chose to retire or find positions outside of health care altogether. In addition, we had to deal with employees contracting the virus and quarantining for up to 2 weeks at a time. All this translated into a need to onboard new staff quickly and efficiently, along with providing a uniform education process to enhance their knowledge base, while simultaneously cross-training various positions to better serve our patients.

THE OLD TOOLS WON’T DO

As I started to shift my focus to staff education and training, I already knew that many of the available tools in our industry were outdated. I can’t tell you how many Ophthalmic Medical Assisting training manuals I had bought for my staff and new hires, all of which just sat collecting dust. Our technicians have mostly been women who were raising children. They were reluctant to sit and read on the job, and even less so when they went home to their families.

This ineffective form of education undoubtedly led to frustrations for practice owners as well. In many cases, after the last patients were roomed and worked up, it was all too common for staff to congregate at the tech station to socialize, while physicians continued working feverishly to get through their remaining patients. This inevitably led to a staff culture of simply waiting for the clock to strike 5 to punch out. It became clear that this sort of behavior was a symptom of a lack of motivation, self-determination and knowledge that could inspire a sense of contributive purpose.

ALCHEMIZE A NEW PROCESS

As I pondered this problem, my friend and industry colleague, Flora Azucena, called me. Discussing our observations, we decided to embark on an exciting new endeavor: effective, efficient staff training. Flora worked tirelessly on the framework and organization, bringing Alchemy Vision Project to life with the two of us CEO and CMO, respectively. We then began talking with colleagues around the country who were experiencing similar staffing challenges. Alchemy Vision’s faculty was assembled from those discussions, composed of ophthalmologists, optometrists, COAs, COTs and COMTs with a mission to teach and transform ophthalmic technician education for the entire eye-care industry.

We recognized that many practices, like ours, employed programs primarily consisting of those problematic written materials and a la carte PDF files already discussed. Further, the conventional mechanism of sending technicians to accredited courses had become problematic, thanks to the pandemic and the financial burden on most practices.

As online webinars and Zoom conferences became commonplace among our peers, we realized our staff lacked an avenue to engage and learn in a similar way. Our team at Alchemy Vision Project has worked to modernize staff training through a comprehensive online video curriculum, quizzes to reinforce the learning process and regular live lectures that give staff an opportunity to engage with our faculty (Figure).

ENTER ENTRY

At Alchemy Vision Project, we understand the common eye-care practice pain points regarding technician education:

• Lack of desire or motivation on part of staff to engage with existing resources
• Lack of resource to provide consistent education as technicians onboard or change roles
• Cost-prohibitive education tools to both student and practice
• Lack of measures to monitor student engagement and achievement.

To counter these issues, our goal has been to offer a cost-effective, simple to implement and self-paced solution. Our solution: We recently launched our core product, ENTRY, a subscription based service — like a Netflix membership — for staff training. Like Netflix, it is easy to sign up and begin learning. Technicians can learn at their own pace, with accountability measures in place through:

• Assignments designed to promote interaction between staff and physicians for a productive working relationship
• Segments quizzes after each lesson
• Live-streamed weekly classes
• Additional study tools, such as terminology flash cards, to help employees new to eye care
• Monthly progress reports sent to practice administrators.

Lessons are dedicated to topics including “rooming a patient,” “ocular glands and lacrimal system” and “review of cataracts.” All of this material is created to help support and measure technician understanding and engagement with the curriculum.

ENTRY is designed to educate employees who have no experience in eye care and, in about 3 months of study, provide them with the resources and knowledge to become a COA-level technician. Our final exam is modeled after the COA exam, so anyone who can pass ENTRY’s final exam should also be able to pass the COA’s. 

MOTIVATED STAFF = SUCCESSFUL PRACTICE

As I encouraged my staff to adopt our new learning tool, I soon noticed more focus and participation among the team as they began going through the lessons. Now, instead of socializing at the tech station, our staff often spends down time watching modules. Employees who have undergone ENTRY education include scribes, receptionists, surgery counselors, opticians and back-office technicians.

While our robust education platform offers a turn-key approach to education for any practice, I have found value in complementing all the above with monthly lunch-and-learn sessions as well. These sessions focus on topics that my team has requested to learn more about, in addition to updating them on many exciting new technologies and clinical trials that we continue adding to our practice at a rapid pace.

I believe that investing in my team’s education, providing the tools for personal growth and facilitating their achievement of greater financial success through certification and promotion has led to a cohesive environment where I see many of them blossoming and realizing they have opportunities they never thought possible.

In the end, taking the time to let our work family know how vital they are to our practice’s continued success has been fundamental to keeping them hungry for more and passionate about the services we provide to take care of our patients. OM

Mitchell C. Shultz, MD, is the medical director of Shultz Chang Vision in Los Angeles and co-founder and chief medical officer of Alchemy Vision Project. He participates in ongoing FDA clinical trials for multiple companies. Email him at Mitch@shultzvision.com.