About this role
Job title: Ophthalmic Clinical Technician
Mercy Ships is an international charity that brings hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor through state-of-the-art hospital ships. Since 1978, our volunteer crew—made up of medical professionals and skilled workers from over 60 nations—has delivered free surgeries and medical care to over 2.8 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, transforming lives one patient and one port at a time. Join our global team of over 3,000 volunteers and help us change lives daily.
About this role
The Ophthalmic Clinical Technician is responsible to provide direct patient care working closely with the Ophthalmic Provider to assess potential ophthalmic surgical patients, acquire biometric measurements and scans, post-operative care and patient education.
What you will contribute
- Work closely with the Ophthalmic Provider to evaluate visual and ocular health status of prospective surgery patients to approve them for cataract, strabismus, or pterygium surgery.
- During the General Anaesthesia / Pediatric block, assist the Ophthalmic Surgeon in their assessment of patients alongside other ophthalmic clinicians. This may include performing ophthalmic testing, biometric measurements, and scribing for the surgeon.
- Acquire measurements using an auto-refactor and A-scan.
- Acquire B-scan ultrasound images; identify irregular ocular appearance to be reviewed by Ophthalmic Provider and/or Ophthalmic Surgeon.
- Acquire retinal photos and OCT scans.
- May assist in pre- and post-surgical patient education and scheduling.
- Train, monitor, and assist Day Crew in preliminary evaluation skills, medicine instillation, and dispensing basic glasses such as readers or sunglasses.
- Depending on clinical scope of practice, may also:
- Perform refractive evaluations in order to prescribe glasses to non-surgical and post-surgical patients.
- Evaluate visual, refractive and ocular health status of Crew and Day Crew (adult and pediatric) and recommend appropriate corrective measures.
For This Role, You Will Need
- Minimum requirement is Licensed Optometrist (non-therapeutic), Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA), Certified Ophthalmic Tech (COT), Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technician (COMT), or Optician
- May also include higher certification such as Medical Ophthalmologist, Therapeutic Optometrist, or Ophthalmic Nurse
- Fluency in English
- Flexibility and sensitivity to language & cultural diversity; adaptable and comfortable with patient contact
The experience of a lifetime is calling.
More than 1,200 volunteers from over 60 nations serve with Mercy Ships each year.
At Mercy Ships, we are proud to be recognized around the world for the life-changing surgeries and training we deliver. We could not achieve this without our dedicated community of talented volunteers.
Imagine finishing your shift and stepping onto deck as the sun sets—knowing that today you’ve helped transform the lives of those who need it most.