Hiring an optometrist is a pain if you do it wrong. Most people rush and end up with someone who doesn't fit their practice or their patients. Here's what actually matters.
Licensing & Insurance Questions
Ask for their license number upfront and verify it with your state board. This is a five-minute check that saves months of headaches. Make sure their malpractice insurance is current and covers the specific procedures you need — contact lens fittings, medical exams, whatever applies. If they can't produce proof of insurance before you schedule an interview, move on. Also check if they have any restrictions on their license. Some states limit what new grads can do without supervision.
Experience & References Questions
Don't trust a resume alone. Call two former employers and ask one blunt question: would you hire this person again? Listen for hesitation. Ask the candidate about the hardest patient they handled in the last year. If they can't give a specific example, they haven't seen much. For experience, what matters is volume — how many exams per day have they done consistently? Someone who did eight exams a day for three years is different from someone who did twenty for six months.
Pricing & Timeline Questions
Get their hourly rate or salary expectation in writing before you spend time on interviews. Don't negotiate against yourself by guessing. Ask how long they typically take per exam. A fast doctor who misses things costs you more than a slow one who doesn't. For timeline, a reasonable hire takes three to six weeks from first interview to start date. If they want to start next week, ask why they're leaving their current job so abruptly.
Contract Questions
Read the non-compete clause yourself or pay a lawyer to read it. Some will keep you from working within twenty miles for two years. That's a big deal if you're in a small town. Check the termination clause — can you fire them without cause with thirty days notice? Can they leave with the same? Make sure the contract spells out who owns patient records. You want to own them, not the doctor who leaves.
Once you have a shortlist, compare patient reviews and ratings for each candidate on RatingsNearMe.