How To Become A Paraoptometric: What It Is and Career Path

What is a paraoptometric and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average paraoptometric salary is $34,505. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an health care administration major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a paraoptometric. Paraoptometrics with a Certified Paraoptometric (CPO) certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 16% and produce 117,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreParaoptometricUS Average

Salary

2.7

Avg. Salary $34,505

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

8.2

Growth Rate 16%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.58%

Asian 5.85%

Black or African American 14.47%

Hispanic or Latino 12.28%

Unknown 4.68%

White 62.13%

Gender

female 91.24%

male 8.76%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress Level

8.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.6

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

8.8

Work Life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a paraoptometric

Explore paraoptometric education requirements

Most common paraoptometric degrees

Bachelor's

32.1 %

High School Diploma

26.4 %

Associate

23.6 %

Start to develop specific paraoptometric skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	38.15%
Scheduling Appointments	5.74%
Patient History	4.64%
Visual Acuity	4.43%
Blood Pressure	4.31%

Complete relevant paraoptometric training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New paraoptometrics learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a paraoptometric based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real paraoptometric resumes.

Research paraoptometric duties and responsibilities

Utilize organization skills in managing business operation keeping Dr. Rivera on schedule.
Follow strict HIPAA privacy protocols inpatient record management and use.
Aid the doctor during the exam and document the findings in the EHR.
Communicate relevant information on care and handling of contact lenses and educate patients on proper insertion and removal of contact lenses.

Prepare your paraoptometric resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your paraoptometric resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a paraoptometric resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Paraoptometric Resume templates

Build a professional Paraoptometric resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Paraoptometric resume.

Apply for paraoptometric jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a paraoptometric job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do paraoptometrics rate their job?