Employee Retention in Ophthalmology
"I quit."
It's the phrase every ophthalmology practice owner or manager dreads hearing. You know that a productive clinic—and a happy doctor—depends on top-performing technicians, front-desk specialists, and scribes who can keep patients flowing seamlessly through the office. When a key player walks out the door, it can feel like a setback that slows everything down.
In a highly competitive market, the solution often seems to be throwing more money at the problem. But what if you could significantly boost ophthalmology staff retention by focusing on strategies that don’t cost a fortune? The good news is, you can. By making a few strategic shifts in your approach to hiring, compensation, and culture, you can build a team that’s not only motivated to stay, but also delivers a higher level of performance and patient care.
Hiring and retaining excellent employees in ophthalmology will help you win.
The Retention Mindset: It All Starts with How You Hire
The first and most critical step in retaining great employees is to hire the right ones in the first place. This may seem obvious, but many practices fall into the trap of prioritizing technical skills over character. While a new hire who can immediately refract and applanate seems like a quick win, this immediate gratification can lead to long-term pain.
In ophthalmology, a highly technical job also requires deep empathy, interpersonal skill, and a proactive mindset. A new hire’s motivation and drive matter as much as their existing knowledge. Knowing how to use an OCT or perform a fluorescein angiogram simply cannot make up for a poor attitude, low drive, or lax work habits.
Here are a few ways to focus on hiring for character:
Look for intrinsic motivation. During interviews, ask candidates about a time they learned a new, difficult skill or how they stay motivated during repetitive tasks. Their answers will give you insight into their drive and work ethic.
Prioritize humility and people skills. The best team players possess what's often called "people smarts" — the ability to read a room, be empathetic, and navigate conflict gracefully. You can assess this by asking questions about how they've handled a difficult colleague or a frustrated patient.
Align the job with the person. For long-term staff retention, the job itself must fit the person. Be very clear up front about the pay, commute, and daily duties. Give them every opportunity to see what they’ll be doing, perhaps by having them shadow a team member. When the job and the person are a good match, you'll both be happier in the long run.
For a deeper dive into this, I highly recommend a book called The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni. It's essential reading for any ophthalmology leader and perfectly captures how to hire for the key virtues of humility, hunger, and people smarts. For more on this, check out my article on The Three Virtues of an Ideal Team Player.
Rethinking Your Approach to Pay
Traditional pay structures in ophthalmology tend to be very narrow—a range from $19 to $23 per hour, for example. It’s also common to give standard, formulaic raises across the board. The problem with this model is that it ignores a simple truth: there is a vast variance in performance levels among staff.
Some employees are outliers; they are so efficient and effective they can carry the workload of two average employees. An ophthalmic scribe who accurately codes charts not only maximizes your revenue but also saves time for your revenue cycle management (RCM) team and speeds up the doctor. This is an incredibly valuable role, and the person who excels in it should be compensated accordingly. Paying them only 10% more than a lower-performing employee is a surefire way to lose a top performer.
Invest in your top talent. Instead of viewing pay as a simple expense, see it as a strategic investment. By paying your most valuable employees more, you’re investing in the productivity, accuracy, and efficiency they bring to your practice.
Ditch the standard formulas. There is no magic formula for getting pay right; it's a combination of research, relationships, and art. You must do the work to understand the market, but also be willing to flex to retain a top-tier person. You will always get a return on that investment.
Have an honest pay philosophy. A clear and fair compensation philosophy that rewards top performance and provides a clear path for earning more will drive greater employee engagement. For more on this, my post on Crafting an Employee Compensation Philosophy can provide a deeper look at this topic.
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Connection, Purpose, and Gratitude
The best employees don’t just work for a paycheck; they work for a purpose. In ophthalmology, you have a massive advantage: you improve or save human vision. This is a huge mission, but in the day-to-day grind, it’s easy to—pun intended—lose sight of it.
Continually remind your team of their value. Don’t allow patients to be just another case or another procedure to complete. Continually remind your team that everyone in the clinic helps to restore or preserve sight, regardless of their job title. Share stories of how patients’ lives have been improved by your work.
Show your gratitude. For your own sake, develop a personal gratitude practice. Start by making it a daily habit to list three things you are grateful for and to tell three people why you appreciate them. Why? Because when you express appreciation, you validate your team’s efforts and make them feel seen. This builds a virtuous cycle of motivation that benefits everyone.
Connect one-on-one. Lastly, connect with your team frequently through one-on-one conversations. This isn’t just for performance reviews. These connections are where trust is built. By connecting, you can identify flight risks sooner, understand when employees are feeling unhappy, and help them with their professional development. The trust you build through frequent connection will help them see that your office is a special place they’d hate to leave.
The truth is, building a team that lasts isn't about expensive perks or flashy benefits. It's about a consistent, intentional focus on hiring the right people, compensating them fairly, and creating a culture where they feel valued, connected, and purposeful. These are the core elements that will reduce healthcare turnover and foster the kind of employee engagement that drives your practice forward.
Navigating these intricacies while also managing patient care and the business can be challenging. If you’re looking for personalized guidance on how to strengthen your hiring process, refine your compensation strategy, or build a culture of retention, consider how a fractional HR consultant could provide the strategic support you need.
Ready to transform your practice into a place people don't want to leave? Visit my services page to learn more about how fractional HR can empower your healthcare practice's success.
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