Pivoting Might Not Take As Long As You Think

If you’ve been a reader of my blog, you’ll know that I have keratoconus, which causes my cornea to not be round like a ball, but it’s the shape of a cone. One treatment is to have cross linking surgery. Luckily, I had this procedure at one of the best research hospitals in the Atlanta area on Monday.

While I was laying on the table, which I was not put asleep for, my technician was very friendly but talkative. I was prepared to continue to listen to a novel I had started during this process, but she continued to talk. I’m sure to help me feel comfortable and relaxed, but instead of being annoyed with her, and I wanted the best energetic vibrations for this procedure, I decided to ask her a few questions.

I explained that I had a blog on careers and I wanted to know how she got into this career. She indicated she started out as a restaurant manager and the guy she was dating at the time was working in an optometry’s office. He asked her to come over to the office and get a job. She did and then she found out about being an ophthalmologist assistant.

Up to this point in my life, I never really cared to distinguish the difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist. But, laying there under the influence of Valium, I was able to understand the difference. Humm, maybe I should have been under Valium during high school algebra, I’d probably know more than I do now.

Anyway, when I was able to return to my office, I did more research. I found the International Joint Commission Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology.(IJCAHPO) I spoke with someone who confirmed what my lovely technician had shared with me.

How to make this pivot

This is an ideal career if you want to make a pivot from what you are doing currently. All you need to have as a prerequisite is a high school diploma or GED. You can receive training in one of two ways.

1. Attend an accredited training program which could take 6 months to 2 years depending on how quickly you want to get through and sit for the exam, or like my technician,
2. Get on-the-job training; you will need 1000 hours, and sit for the exam.

Four levels to choose from

There are 4 levels you can have a career in in this field.

1. Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (Entry Level)
2. Certified Ophthalmic Technician (Intermediate Level)
3. Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technician (Advanced Level)
4. Ophthalmic Surgical Assistant

The representative at IJCAHPO confirmed that there is a shortage in this field. This program through them allows you to be certified for the United States as well as international certification. To get more information visit discovereyecareers.org on salary and benefits.

Just like I found this little known career as an option to make a pivot into, there are many careers out there that you probably encounter everyday that you could inquire about getting into, fairly quickly and low training. All it took was for me to, ASK.

There was an elder who gave me advice a few years ago. She said, “Closed mouths don’t get fed.” This is so true. All I did was ASK and found all of this information.

Genola Johnson helps passionate people craft profitable professions with the foundations of their life’s purpose. She lives with her husband and two super model daughters in Atlanta. You can find her on GEBJohnson.com Follow her on Twitter@gebjohnson.com or IG gebjohnson