172 Neb. Admin. Code, ch. 120, § 011 - DELEGATION TO OPTOMETRIC ASSISTANTS

Under Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 38-2607 and 38-2618, any licensed optometrist may employ optometric assistants and may delegate the performance of certain duties to optometric assistants under supervision. A licensed optometrist who chooses to delegate duties to optometric assistants must:

(A) Ensure that optometric assistants have received the appropriate level of training necessary to satisfactorily complete the delegated duties;

(B) Conduct the qualitative assessment of the data collected by the optometric assistant and make any appropriate diagnosis;

(C) Accept legal responsibility and liability for the accuracy of the results, as well as any consequences of the testing procedure; and

(D) Authenticate and direct, by full signature, the entire examination and treatment provided to the patient.

011.01 AUTHORIZED DUTIES. Optometric assistants, under the supervision or direct supervision of a licensed optometrist, may perform the following duties:

011.01(A) UNDER SUPERVISION. These services can be done under supervision of a licensed optometrist:

(i) Gather clinical information, which includes subjective and objective data (example - initial refraction and visual field testing); and

(ii) Provide educational information as instructed by the supervising optometrist.

011.01(B) UNDER DIRECT SUPERVISION. These services can be done under direct supervision of a licensed optometrist: 120-013.03B Under Direct Supervision

(i) Perform Goldmann contact tonometry; and

(ii) Instill medication as instructed by the supervising optometrist.

Each optometric assistant involved in the data collection must sign the chart indicating their participation.

011.02 PROHIBITED DUTIES. 120-013.04 Prohibited Duties: A licensed optometrist may not delegate the following:

(A) Ophthalmoscopy;

(B) Gonioscopy;

(C) Biomicroscopy for the purpose of ocular health assessment;

(D) Final refraction;

(E) Final nervous system assessment;

(F) Determination of any prescription, education or treatment plans;

(G) Removal of superficial eyelid, conjunctival, and corneal foreign bodies; and

(H) Ordering procedures and laboratory tests rational to the diagnosis of conditions or diseases of the human eye, ocular adnexa, or visual system.

Notes

172 Neb. Admin. Code, ch. 120, § 011

Amended effective 3/21/2022