An ECP shares tools to implement cross-training in your practice.

Diana Canto-Sims, O.D., practices at Buena Vista Optical in Chicago, which she and husband, Todd Sims, O.D., opened in 2005. She is also founder of La Vida Eyewear, a brand with a decidedly Latina flair. With 12 staff members and three part-time O.D.s at Buena Vista, she knows firsthand the importance of cross-training.

“Whether someone has quit or calls out, being understaffed with a full schedule is overwhelming for employees that did come to work,” she says. “When your entire team is cross-trained, however, they can move from the front desk to clinical to sales efficiently.”

The Process

In the case of new hires, there is a four-hour boot camp training that is conducted by two managers. The same holds true if someone is having trouble learning a procedure.

On an ongoing basis, however, Buena Vista Optical conducts a mandatory two-hour meeting every two weeks for the entire staff. “Every meeting teaches our team something new or reiterates a process or procedure,” explains Dr. Canto-Sims.

“The meetings are videotaped and uploaded to our network for staff to access if needed,” she adds. “At the end of a session, we ask the group for takeaways.”

Meeting Leaders

Who leads the sessions? “Instead of one manager, we have three to four leaders in the practice—staff who have been cross-trained in every department. That includes clinical, optical, administration, claims, laboratory, specialty contact lenses, communication skills, etcetera.”

Each of them has been trained to conduct the four-hour boot camp. “That allows us to rotate leaders.”

It pays off regularly, but especially during a crisis like Covid-19, she recalls. “When a staff member calls off, has an accident, or gets sick, we move staff around to support the understaffed departments,” she says.

Who Excels Where?

“Only some staff will excel in certain departments,” she explains. How do you determine who fits where? Buena Vista Optical uses personality tests when hiring and onboarding, such as Myers-Briggs, DiSC, and Sally Hogshead’s How to Fascinate. “They will help you determine where to place your staff member full time and where to cross-train them for emergencies.”

While all the personality tests help, she says that the biggest game changer has been “implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System’s Level 10 meeting system... It creates a standard structure for productive meetings. It’s made a world of difference.”