Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) / Ophthalmic Tech - Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Job Description

Job Description

Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) / Ophthalmic Tech - Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Role Type: Full-Time, Regular Employee (Permanent placement on company payroll, not contract/temp)

Shift: Day Job (Monday through Friday, typically scheduled between 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM. No weekends, holidays, or on-call shifts ).

Work Arrangement: On-site

Location: Pittsburgh, PA 15219

New Hire Starting Salary Range: $22.52 – $28.50 per hour base wage (After hire, pay increases can be earned, see below).

About the Opportunity

This is a permanent, full-time career opportunity for a skilled eye care professional to join a premier, high-volume Vision Institute. If selected, you will be hired directly as a regular employee of the organization we represent, placing you on their payroll and making you eligible for full corporate benefits from day one. This is not a temporary, contract, or "temp-to-hire" assignment. Supporting specialized Glaucoma, Motility, and Oculoplastics services, this role offers an exceptional daylight schedule with virtually no external travel required (less than 5%), providing excellent clinical stability and professional growth.

Purpose

The Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) / Ophthalmic Tech executes comprehensive clinical patient work-ups and complex diagnostic testing arrays under the direction of specialized ophthalmologists, fellows, and residents. Combining advanced technical skill with a compassionate patient approach, this professional gathers detailed ocular histories, conducts advanced refractometry, maps structural eye components, and assists with in-office surgical procedures. This position is vital to maximizing clinic workflow efficiency, ensuring absolute data precision for diagnostic decision-making, and delivering an outstanding, coordinated care experience for patients facing complex vision disorders.

Responsibilities

• Comprehensive Patient Work-Ups : Conduct thorough ocular, medical, medication, social, and family histories. Assess visual acuity across multiple ranges (distance, near, intermediate, pinhole, and brightness acuity).
• Advanced Refraction & Lensometry: Perform automated and manual lensometry, keratometry, auto-refraction, and advanced manifest refractometry, including the accurate transposition of prescriptions.
• Specialized Ocular Assessments: Execute pupillary measurements and evaluations, check confrontation fields, assess angles, perform applanation tonometry (utilizing Goldmann, ICare, and Tonopen), and execute sterile disinfection protocols for all diagnostic equipment.
• Ancillary Diagnostic Diagnostics: Independently run automated visual fields, fundus photography, corneal topography, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), and biometry/ultrasound diagnostics (A-scan via Sonomed/IOL Master/Lenstar, and B-scan).
• Motility & Contact Lens Support: Evaluate basic ocular motility functions, conduct cover tests, assess stereo-acuity, and provide clear patient instruction for contact lens insertion and removal.
• Clinical Scribing & Procedure Assisting: Act as a clinical scribe to document physician findings in real time and directly assist providers during in-office lasers, injections, and minor oculoplastic procedures.
• Service Efficiency Collaboration: Partner dynamically with attending physicians, clinical fellows, and residents to streamline patient throughput and optimize clinic templates.
• Clinic Operations & Sterilization: Restock examination rooms, clean and sterilize surgical instruments, maintain office inventory, and perform end-of-day room sanitization.
• Equipment Maintenance: Routinely inspect, calibrate, and troubleshoot complex ophthalmic equipment, reporting mechanical faults to management to initiate prompt repair pipelines.

Minimum Essential Requirements

• High School Diploma or GED equivalent.
• Experience & Certification (Must meet at least one):
  • Minimum of one (1) year of dedicated ophthalmic experience combined with an active Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) credential; OR
  • A minimum of five (5) years of comprehensive, hands-on ophthalmic technician experience.
• Technical Aptitude: Proven proficiency in operating specialized eye care technology (OCT, Visual Fields, Topography, Goldmann Tonometry).
• Clinical Interpersonal Skills: Exceptional communication, time management, and attention to detail. Must thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative teaching-hospital environment and interact with patients with high diplomacy and compassion.
• Operational Adaptability: Flexibility to assist sibling eye clinics or departments within the same facility building based on operational patient volumes.

Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances

• Valid Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) or Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
• Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) preferred (or equivalent minimum 5 years of experience, hands-on ophthalmic technician).

Performance-Based Earning Potential

This position features an established clinical tier structure designed to reward technical eye care specializations, advanced clinical tracking certifications, and longevity within the specialized vision network. Through sustained excellence in diagnostic precision, active contributions to sub-specialty clinics, and positive annual operational evaluations, employees have the structural opportunity to progress up to $37.40 per hour over time within the corporate pay scale.

Premier Benefits

• Exceptional Retirement Package: Secure your future with retirement savings accounts featuring competitive company matching structures (up to 8% total contribution framework).
• Comprehensive Healthcare: Direct access to top-tier health, dental, and vision networks with comprehensive preventive care options for you and your family.
• Generous Paid Time Off: Enjoy an exceptional PTO accrual structure along with 7 paid holidays per calendar year to support your work-life harmony.
• Tuition Assistance: Maximize your professional trajectory in healthcare or clinical leadership with up to $6,000 per academic year in tuition reimbursement, plus exclusive tuition discounts at over 30 partner institutions.