CEENTA’s assistants and technicians do a fantastic job assisting the doctors who treat you every day. But you might not know that some of those doctors do facial plastic surgery in addition to Eye and ENT care, and the people who work with them, like Certified Ophthalmic Assistant Amy Craig, assist with those patients.Life as a facial plastic surgery assistant Ms. Craig has worked at CEENTA for five years, joining the practice at the same time as Ophthalmologist and Facial Plastic Surgeon Usha Reddy, MD, who she has worked with since. Ms. Craig serves as Dr. Reddy’s scribe and her surgery coordinator, and assists with all in-office surgeries, such as blepharoplasties, ptosis repairs, and lesion and chalazion excisions. During the day, Ms. Craig assists Dr. Reddy when she sees a good mix of functional and cosmetic facial plastic surgery patients. “I hand Dr. Reddy her instruments, make sure the patient is comfortable, and more,” she said. “It’s interesting to follow the functional patients as they go through their care, and to watch the cosmetic patients as we help them feel better in their own skin.” On top of that, she travels to all three locations where Dr. Reddy practices, carrying surgical supplies and anything else the doctor might need for clinical or surgery cases. Every day could bring something different, Ms. Craig said. “Plastics is unlike anything else in ophthalmology,” Ms. Craig said. “There are so many facets to it. The nice thing is, you never know what you’re walking into in the clinic. We often have to do unplanned procedures.”Learning and working at CEENTA While you can go to school to become a certified ophthalmic assistant, most of Ms. Craig’s training was on the job. While she started off performing just scribe duties – which include taking notes, billing, and coding – she learned enough over the years that she became a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant and was able to assist Dr. Reddy with facial plastic work. “I’m always moving and always learning,” she said. “Even being with Dr. Reddy as long as I have, there’s still always something new to learn.” Not only does she enjoy working with Dr. Reddy, but she enjoys having a career at CEENTA. “We have lots of support, from other doctors to billing, the front office, IT, and marketing,” she said. “We’re really well supported.” If helping people feel and look good in their rejuvenated skin feels sounds like a job for you, consider a job as an assistant with a facial plastic surgeon today. Visit our Careers page for a complete list of our open positions or to join CEENTA’s Talent Community.
