Active Paraoptometric (PS) Member Survey 2008

• Full Survey Results

The AOA Paraoptometric Section conducted a survey of its active membership in December of 2008. The following results are compiled from those active members who responded. Responses (195) represent about 10% of the PS active membership.

Highlights of Active PS Member Survey

Practice Demographics

• 47 % work in a solo practice
• 83% work for an optometrist
• 25% have been in the field for over 20 years
• The top services they perform for patients are: 80% receptionist duties. 78% contact lens dispensing/training, 77% clinical procedures/pretesting,

Continuing Education Benefits

• 43% say their employer pays for all expenses, including travel, registration & meals for continuing education/training
• 48% say that both the employer and employee make the final decision on CE courses taken
• Travel (66%) and Lodging costs (58%) are the biggest barriers to attending state and national meetings
• 77% say their employer encourages participation in local, state, and national paraoptometric associations
• 58% say their employer pays for their membership in such organizations

Employment Benefits

• 64% work a 25-40 hour work week
• 74% receive health coverage from their employer
• Employer pays partial premiums 40% of the time, with 27% of employers paying the entire premium
• 91% offer holidays with pay, 86% offer vacation with pay, and 61% offer retirement packages

Employment Satisfaction

• 64% say they are very satisfied with their employment
• 53% felt that an increase in pay/improved benefits would increase their satisfaction with their employment, 40% felt becoming certified and learning more technical skills would be helpful,

Certification

• 67% viewed their job as a profession
• 92% were certified
• 95% of those certified were CPC certified
• 50% said their employer gave them recognition for becoming certified
• 36% of those certified were CPC certified at the CPOA level

Base Salary

• 19% made a base salary of more than $35,000 per year

PS Benefits

• The top 5 most used AOA PS benefits are AOA Publications,(77%), Free Online CE articles (46%), PS newsletter (43%), Reduced registration at OM (36%), and access to Web protected pages (36%)
• The top 5 most valuable PS member benefits are Online CE articles (90%) AOA publications (62%), Discounts on educational materials (60%), Reduced registration fees at OM (54%), and Article Archive for CE (46%)