8 Smart Training Tips
From onboarding to ongoing training, finding the time for education for practice staff can be daunting. Here, EB checks in with two optical businesses that have integrated staff training into their regular routines:
» Diana Canto-Sims, O.D., founded Chicago’s Buena Vista Optical.
» Jessica Schwager, ABOC, CPOT, general manager of Webb Eyecare with three locations in Nebraska. Webb Eyecare was recently named a Practice of the Year finalist in the 2023 Transitions Innovation Awards program.
These eyecare pros share the following intelligent tips for consistency in staff training based on how they approach the endeavor at their locations.
Webb Eyecare
1. INCLUDE EVERYONE: Schwager shares that everyone at Webb Eyecare attends training.
“We tell new hires that this is a profession where you can never stop learning because there is always new technology,” she says.
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2. SPECIALIZE: Training is ongoing at Webb Eye-care, especially on the Transitions lenses front. “Each year, we require staff to do the education necessary to become Transitions specialists,” explains Schwager. “It’s part of our culture of offering patients their best vision. We educate staff so they become believers, too, and never have to ‘sell’ the lenses to a patient. We also track our Transitions metrics and report them each week in staff meetings.”
3. MIX MODALITIES: Using Leonardo and Vision Source learning, along with Vision Source’s onboarding guide, Webb Eyecare created an onboarding program that is a mix of online modules followed by hands-on practice between each module.
Jessica Schwager, ABOC, CPOT, shares recommendations based on Webb Eyecare’s training success.
• “Be consistent.”
• “Have a formal program.”
• “Not everybody learns the same way or at the same pace, so be flexible.”
• “Set expectations.”
• “Work in one area until the trainee is comfortable.”
• “Have them train each other.”
• “Teach everyone everything.”
• “NEVER stop learning and training!”
• “Everyone needs to get the same message.”
• “Try to let people work in areas they enjoy and in which they excel.”
“Going back and forth keeps trainees more engaged and excited about learning,” shares Schwager.
4. CROSS-TRAIN: Webb Eyecare conducts cross-training for all staff members, as the practice shares this makes for well-rounded employees who can step in to help a patient where they’re needed.
Buena Vista Optical
5. STANDARD PROCEDURES: “You need standard operating procedures (SOPs),” says Dr. Canto-Sims. “Every new hire goes through the same process and is taught the same way even if it’s by a different person. Every department—front desk, concierge, pretest, and stylist opticians, plus clinical, administration, and lab—has their SOPs.”
6. TRAIN NEWBIES: Dr. Canto-Sims shares that new staff members meet with one of five practice leaders, all of whom have been trained in all departments.
“The leader does a check-in on what the new hire has learned so far,” she says. “We explain what they’re doing well and where they need help and then we address that.”
7. ASSIGN MENTORS: Buena Vista Optical has a template for mentoring, designed to empower staff members, and especially practice leaders, whom Dr. Canto-Sims meets with weekly. Each practice leader has specific mentees with weekly mentoring for 10 to 15 minutes.
8. FOLLOW-UP: “After someone starts, we do a follow-up in three days. Then there is a check-in three weeks later, and again every three months for the first year. After that, it’s twice yearly,” says Dr. Canto-Sims.
Buena Vista motivates employees in another way, too. “The way we pay encourages employees to keep learning. For every skill, you’re paid more. This,” concludes Dr. Canto-Sims, “has been game-changing.”
