OptomConnect is a new service designed to match Australian optometry practices with locums.
Developed by Kyrillos Mansour, who practised as an optometrist in Sydney before pivoting to app development, OptomConnect is able to match locums with practices within seconds.
“When I worked as an optometrist, I experienced the inconvenience that arose for patients and staff when a practitioner suddenly couldn’t come in – not to mention the loss of revenue,” Mr Mansour explained. “Locum positions were often filled by word of mouth, or via WhatsApp/LinkedIn or Facebook and that can take time, especially for regional practices. I could see it was a nightmare for practice owners, so I decided to find a solution.”
Launched earlier this year, OptomConnect requires optometrists to create a professional profile to ensure opportunities are presented that match their level of experience, clinical interest, and geographic availability. Having put themselves forward for locum work and been verified as registered with the Australian Practitioner Health Regulation Agency, they receive instant notifications as positions become available. Locums can put themselves forward for a role and manage their shift schedule online. They can also communicate directly with the practice, ensuring clarity, confidentiality, and efficiency.
For optometry practices, shifts can be posted to a wide pool of optometrists in seconds, then managed and tracked directly from the app. Insights into a practice’s use of locums can be drawn from the app and used for human resource management and budgeting.
… practices are reporting as many as 98% of locum positions advertised on the app are being filled within 24 hours
24 Hour 98% Success
With around 500 optometrists already listed on the app as available to work, Mr Mansour said practices are reporting as many as 98% of locum positions advertised on the app are being filled within 24 hours, especially in metropolitan areas.
“Regional areas can be more complex for obvious reasons, but we’re working to create locum incentives to help practices attract the resources they need quickly,” he said.
OptomConnect is free for locums to use and available via subscription for practices. The app is user friendly and has been developed on a secure system to protect data for all users.
Practice Owner Perspective
Elie Tawfik, owner of Glassery optometry practice in Cronulla, in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire, has found the app invaluable for his relatively new business.
“As a new business owner – we’ve been open for about 14 months now – I am pretty much the business. Sometimes I’m here up to seven days a week and it gets very intense. Sometimes you just need a break and it’s not easy to find a locum,” Mr Tawfik explained.
Having previously worked as a principal optometrist in corporate optometry, Mr Tawfik appreciates the efficiency the app brings compared to traditional methods of finding temporary cover.
“With OptomConnect, within an hour or two, you definitely get people interested in the shift,” he said.
For Mr Tawfik, one of the greatest advantages of OptomConnect is the accessibility he gets to a wide pool of optometrists. “The best thing is you don’t need to have all those connections as a store owner. For anyone opening a new store or looking to expand their business into multiple locations, it makes it much easier.”
Future Growth
Having developed the app, Mr Mansour said he is already receiving interest from other allied health industries that are eager to adopt the technology.
“It’s a platform that has taken me two years to finesse. I have developed the strategy and the user experience, and I have worked with developers to build functionality that is user friendly and adaptable across the health sector. It’s really exciting to have created a platform that can be so beneficial for both individual and business productivity, and to see the potential for growth so early on,” he said.
