Para/Optician/Staff Course Schedule & Registration
Illinois 2025 Annual Meeting
Speaker: Sharon Carter
Sharon Carter has over 30 years of optometric experience including working in an office as an office manager, sales and training for an optometric software company to consulting for private practices. She started her own consulting company, Eye Care Optometric Consulting (ECOC), in 2001 and personally consults in offices all over the country spreading her team building philosophy. She is very energetic and enthusiastic and for more than 15 years has been speaking and motivating staff at state associational meetings, national and international conferences sharing her company’s philosophy of “provide the best patient care possible and the money will follow.”
Speaker: Lynn Lawrence, CMSgt, USAF (ret), MSOL, CPOT, ABOC, COA, OSC
Lynn E. Lawrence is currently a national lecturer, staff development and ophthalmic technician for Mills Eye and Facial Plastic Surgery. He has a Master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership. As the owner of See The Light Consulting, LLC., he develops staff development, educational, and compliance materials for office use. An American Optometric Association, American Board of Opticianry, and Joint Commission for Allied Healthcare Personnel in Ophthalmology approved speaker. In 2009 he retired from the USAF after 30 years of service. During his military career he was promoted to the top 1% of the enlisted ranks to Chief Master Sergeant, and then assigned to the Army/Air Force Exchange Service HQs, Dallas, Texas as the Optical Program Manager. He oversaw quality control for 133 optical stores worldwide. He was also appointed by the Air Force Surgeon General as the Ophthalmic Career Field Manager where he oversaw 540 Optometry/ Ophthalmology technicians at 90 locations around the world. Lynn was 1 of 4 nationally recognized technicians selected to attend the industry sponsored 2020 Summit where industry and optometry collaborated to identify hurdles within optometry. Was a keynote speaker for two national organizations.
Lynn is a native of Saint Louis, Missouri. He graduated from Ritenour Senior High School, St. John, Missouri. He joined the Air Force's delayed entry program in January 1979. He entered Basic Military Training School at Lackland AFB, Texas in August 1979. He is currently an AOP volunteer for SECO International.
Friday, September 26, 20259:00am - 10:00amMarketing Benefits Not Products (1 hour AOA-CPC & ABO) Are your optical sales where you would like them to be? If not, it could be the way you are presenting or “selling” in your optical. This course will teach you how to educate your patients on the benefits of each product you have to offer and how to present that in a way that is not perceived as high pressure selling. When a patient is educated on the benefits they are buying rather than being sold to they understand the value of what they are paying for. This eliminates remorse after the sale and promotes a good referral for your optical. Everyone loves to buy but hates high pressure sales. |
10:00am - 11:00amDynamite Dispensing (1 hour AOA-CPC & ABO) When a patient comes to pick-up their new glasses, this is one of the most important times you will spend with the patient. This is the beginning of the service side of their purchase. You have already collected their money so now you have to show them they are more than a cash sale. Are your patients getting the same care and assistance as they received during their exam by the doctor and when you were making the sale? This is where we can really show our customer service or you drop the ball and leave your patients feeling like you only care about the sale. This course covers the steps that should be followed in dispensing to leave the patient feeling good about their purchase and comfortable coming back for adjustments in the future. Following these simple steps will take you from average to dynamite! |
11:00am – 1:00pmExhibit Hall & Lunch |
1:00pm – 3:00pmWHERE IS MY MONEY!!?? It’s My Money and I Want It Now! (2 hours AOA-CPC & ABO) This course will identify potential places where practice funds may be tied-up and directly affecting bottom line profits. Such locations may be a significant amount in a single area, such as insurance receivables. Ask yourself these questions. Are you struggling to get patients to return yearly and keep your schedule full? Are you maximizing the three potential streams of income? Are you educating patients on the benefits of products you have in your optical? Do you have the proper number of frames of the right mix based on gender and age of your patients or do you have a hodge-podge of frames based on what your frame reps said you need? Are your staff salaries out of balance? Is your staff working together as a well oiled machine or is there “sand in the gears”? Find the answers to these questions within this period of instruction. |
3:00pm - 4:00pmDoes Your Digital Presence Tell Your Story (1 hour AOA-CPC - Pending Approval & ABO) Why is it important to have a digital presence in optometry? Surveys show that 85-90% of new patients are choosing their optometrist and optical based on their digital presence online. We may be missing the mark on how we allocate funds to attract new patients. Practices need to be knowledgeable about their digital presence so they are spending their advertising dollars wisely. Savvy patients search online and have several things that motivate them to make their decision. This course will walk you through some key things to help you have a compelling digital presence. |
4:00pm – 5:00pmExhibit Hall Happy Hour with drinks & appetizers |
Saturday, September 27, 20258:00am - 9:00amVendor Selection and Evaluation (1 hour AOA-CPC & ABO) This course will help you understand how many frames you need based on your practice’s demographics. You will learn how to select the companies you need to work with based on their willingness to work with you and once you have selected them make a plan to work with your frame reps as an effective team. This is an area where you spend a lot of money so it needs to be managed properly. |
9:00am - 10:00amOffice Scheduling and Flow (1 hour AOA-CPC & ABO) The schedule is one of the heart beats of your practice. It is vital to have a system that everyone in the office understands. We all make appointments in our offices when that is not our primary job and if we don’t schedule patients on a regular basis it is confusing where to put a patient. How well you schedule will determine your growth from year to year in your practice. This course outlines how to set up a schedule so the doctor sees the number of full exams he wants to see and it is easy for anyone in the office to determine where a patient can be booked. |
10:00am - 11:00amBuilding an Unbeatable Team (1 hour AOA-CPC & ABO) Why build a team? I do my job; you do your job. What if we worked together to achieve a common goal? T.E.A.M.-Together Everyone Achieves More. This course will teach that building a team starts with the individual as a building block. You will learn that to be a team player requires effort, right attitude, communication, goal setting, and example setting. Wow! What could you do if everyone practiced these attributes? |
11:00am – 1:00pmExhibit Hall & Lunch |
1:00pm - 2:00pmBasic Optics and Refractive Principles (1 hour AOA-CPC & ABO) Covers basic principles in ophthalmic lenses and characteristics in myopic, hyperopic, astigmatic lenses. Basics in prisms, and the refractive qualities lens characteristic associated with the different refractive conditions that these lenses are used for. The discussion will include conditions and terminology used in ocular optics. |
2:00pm - 4:00pm Skills Demonstration Workshop (2 hours AOA-CPC & ABO/NCLE) The focus of this course is to identify 10 Pre-Screening techniques performed during a routine eye examination. A discussion will take place on the purpose behind each test and how to perform it. There will be a demonstration on how the testing is accomplished according to national standards. |
5:00pm - 10:30pmIllinois Optometry's Celebration |
Sunday, September 28, 20259:00am - 10:00amChildren's Eye Exams (1 hour AOA-CPC & ABO) This course will discuss the ocular development and growth of young children. The discussion will cover issues dealing with the pre-screening and preparation of young children. It will go over scenarios and possible outcomes. It will discuss set-up, testing, and concerns in treating young children and dealing with parents. |
10:00am - 11:00amOCT Basics (1 hour AOA-CPC & ABO/NCLE) This course will discuss a review of the anatomy of the eye and the use of the OCT in primary eye care practice. It will discuss the types of diseases monitored with the OCT and how to effectively incorporate the use of the OCT into a clinical setting. |
11:00am - 12:00pmPremium Customer Service (1 hour AOA-CPC & ABO) This course is designed to enhance staff members’ customer service skills. A discussion of customer service techniques using real scenarios and desired customer service techniques will be used. This interactive course will engage the audience in participation. |
