How to Become an Optician in Nebraska

There are many benefits to working in Nebraska as an optician.

Maybe you want to know more about what this career entails, so check out the article below for more info.

Optician Job Description and Duties in Nebraska

As an optician, you need to provide the correct eye-wear to your clients.

Among the daily job duties, you will perform are the following:

• Preparing eyewear
• Fitting and adjusting eyewear
• Educating customers about eyewear issues and maintenance
• Keeping sales records
• Determining insurance co-pays
• Keeping the inventory
• Interacting with the labs that make lenses

Optician Job Requirements in Nebraska

In Nebraska, you have to get a license first.

This license will allow you to work as an optician in a facility of your choice.

You will also be able to get a job much easier once you have a certification.

The main test for opticians in Nebraska is the American Board of Opticians (ABO) exam.

You can also take an additional exam which is the National Contact Lens Examiner’s (NCLE) exam.

Licenses in Nebraska are released by the Nebraska Board of Optometry.

You will also be required to show some documents, such as:

• A high school diploma or GED
• Graduating from a training program or having a formal education
  • An associate’s degree diploma is highly appreciated by employers
• Good interpersonal skills

Optician Education in Nebraska

If you want to get the needed license, you need to join a training program.

Nebraska currently doesn’t have any schools with programs designed for opticians.

This doesn’t mean you can’t attend such a course, as the ones available online or in other states are perfectly acceptable.

To attend an optician training program, you have to follow the below requirements:

• A high school diploma or GED
• Completing specific classes with a minimum grade of C
• 2 letters of recommendation
• OAT scores – not older than 5 years
• Minimum GPA of 2.75

Students can choose between an internship or externship, in order to get more experience.

You will get to attend classes such as:

• Introduction to Optometry
• Ocular Anatomy
• Systems 1: Neuroscience
• Ocular Microbiology
• Ophthalmic Imaging
• Public Health Optometry
• Glaucoma
• Physics

Optician Certification in Nebraska

Only after the completion of your program, you can sit for the licensing exam.

You will also have to meet one of the next criteria:

• A license in a reciprocal state
• At least 3 years of experience
• Can be an apprenticeship of 3 years in the past 6 years
• Can be from working as an optician in a state with no licensing requirements
• Graduate from an approved post-secondary optician program with a year of apprenticeship

The exam you need to pass is the National Opticianry Competency Examination (NOCE) with the ABO.

This optician certification exam has 3 levels of difficulty, as below:

• Beginner
• Intermediate
• Advanced

The topics for the easiest level are:

• Reading prescriptions,
• Fitting and dispensing spectacles
• Using standard ophthalmic equipment

The test requires a $200 fee.

Most often, this fee is paid by the employing entity.

If you decide to dispense contact lenses you will need to take an additional exam, the National Contact Lens Examiners.

You also have to pass the Contact Lens Registry Examination (CLRE).

The Contact Lens Registry Examination (CLRE) requires a $200 fee.

This fee is also usually paid by the company who you are working for.

The licensing exam topics usually are:

• Pre-fitting for lenses,
• Diagnostic fitting,
• Dispensing of lenses,
• Patient education,
• Delivery
• Follow-up

Keep in mind you will need to submit some documents, which prove:

• Age over 18
• A high school diploma or GED
• To fill out an application
• To pay some fees
• A clean criminal record
• Passing the State Practical Examination
• Proof of completed training, education, or at least 3 years of experience

Your optician license in Nebraska will last for 24 months.

When it expires, you have to renew it so that you can keep working.

Renewing the license requires 44 additional hours of education.

Optician Employment and Salary in Nebraska

Some facilities hiring opticians in this state include:

• Stores
• Offices
• Optometry practices
• Hospitals
• Clinics

In Nebraska, you will earn anything from $37,200 to $48,600 a year.

Regional Salary in Nebraska

Additional Information for Opticians in Nebraska

The resources below could help in your job search:

• Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry
• National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO)
• Nebraska Association of Eye Physicians and Surgeons
• Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
• Nebraska Doctors of Optometry
• Nebraska Optometric Association
• Nebraska Society of Dispensing Opticians