Medical therapy aides

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

Rehabilitation aids

• Prepare and maintain equipment and supplies

• Assist in activities for the rehabilitation of patients as directed by health care professionals

• May perform routine office functions.

• Ophthalmic assistants

• Take patients' general medical and ophthalmic history

• Operate ophthalmic testing and measuring instruments to aid ophthalmologists in assessing patients' vision

• Instruct patient on diagnostic test and record results

• Assist ophthalmologists in minor office surgery

• Administer eye drops, ointments and medications as directed by ophthalmologists

• Clean and maintain ophthalmic instruments and equipment

• Perform various administrative duties.

• Optical/ophthalmic laboratory technicians and assistants

• Operate laboratory equipment to grind, cut, polish and edge lenses for eyeglasses according to prescriptions received and fit lenses into frames

• Make minor repairs for customers such as replacing frame screws or straightening frames

• Maintain and repair optical laboratory equipment or machinery.

• Sterile processing technicians

• Operate and maintain sterilization equipment such as instrument washers, sonic sinks, cart washers and steam autoclaves to clean and disinfect trays, carts, linens, supplies, instrumentation and equipment for re-use according to standardized safety practices

• Reassemble equipment and assemble packs of sterile supplies and instruments for delivery to hospital departments.

• Blood donor clinic assistants

• Set up and dismantle equipment

• Prepare and maintain cleanliness of collection areas

• Maintain supplies

• Monitor donors throughout procedure and assist with post-donation care and donor reaction care as assigned under the supervision of a registered nurse

• Record information on donors

• Label and process donated blood.

• Morgue attendants

• Assist pathologists at autopsies by laying out surgical instruments

• Prepare solutions for preservation of specimens

• Transfer bodies from morgue to examining table

• Remove organs and tissue specimens, as instructed by attending pathologist, and placing them in preservative solutions

• Clean and sew up bodies for release to funeral home.

• Ophthalmic assistants require completion of a six to twelve month ophthalmic assistants college program or a minimum of one year of on-the-job training under the supervision of an ophthalmologist, and completion of an approved ophthalmic assistant home study program.

• Certification by the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology may be required by employers.

• Health care courses or short-term college programs related to the work of medical therapy aides,  such as recreational therapy programs, are available and may be required by employers.

• Certified Ophthalmic Assistants may also have additional specialty certification such as Registered Ophthalmic Ultrasound Biometrist (ROUB) or Certified Diagnostic Ophthalmic Sonographer (CDOS).