Optometrist (Locum Tenens) Browning, MT
Outpatient Indian Health Service Engagement Meaningful Full-Scope Medical Optometry
Are you a dedicated Optometrist seeking a predictable schedule while making a profound impact in an underserved community? The Blackfeet Service Unit is seeking a qualified clinician to provide comprehensive primary and medical eye care services to the Blackfeet Nation and its surrounding communities. This position offers an exceptional opportunity to practice independent, full-scope medical optometry in an area where specialty ophthalmology access is limited, giving your work deep clinical and community significance.
The Opportunity Step into a vital outpatient clinical role, managing a diverse case mix across a patient population of all ages, from pediatrics through geriatrics.
Clinical Scope: Provide comprehensive eye examinations, refractions, and independent diagnosis/management of ocular diseases and visual disorders. Routinely manage advanced medical optometry cases, including glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, post-operative follow-up care, and urgent ocular trauma.
Procedures Performed: Conduct essential in-office therapeutic procedures such as foreign body removals, punctal dilation and irrigation, lash epilation, bandage contact lens placements, and pressure patch applications.
Case Volume: Maintain a balanced, high-quality patient flow of approximately 10 to 14 patients per day, ensuring ample time for thorough evaluations and patient education.
Predictable Schedule: Enjoy an ideal work-life balance with a structured Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM 4:30 PM schedule. There are absolutely no on-call, weekend, or holiday responsibilities.
Advanced Equipment & Support: Practice autonomously with a supportive team consisting of dedicated reception staff and an optical technician. The clinic is equipped with modern diagnostic tools, including OCT, Optos imaging, visual field testing, autorefractors, and standard slit lamp examination arrays.
Documentation: Fully utilize the Indian Health Service electronic medical record system for all clinical documentation and referral coordination.
Location: Browning, MT Located in northwestern Montana, Browning serves as the culture and government hub of the expansive Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
Gateway to the Rockies: Situated just minutes from the eastern edge of Glacier National Park, offering breathtaking panoramic views of jagged peaks and rolling plains.
Outdoor Adventure: Spend your weekends exploring world-class hiking trails, alpine lakes, trout fishing streams, and unparalleled wildlife viewing in one of North America's most pristine wilderness ecosystems.
Cultural Heritage: Immerse yourself in a community rich with Native American history, home to the Museum of the Plains Indian and annual traditional gatherings that celebrate Blackfeet culture.
Compensation & Logistics Contract Structure: Competitive fixed hourly compensation with robust daily and weekly overtime protections (overtime rates apply after 12 consecutive hours in a single day).
Assignment Timeline: Secure a stable 12-month contract with potential options for extension based on community need and performance.
Onboarding: Dedicated recruitment and credentialing support will assist you through the federal background check and onboarding process.
Candidate Requirements Degree: Doctor of Optometry (OD) from an accredited school of optometry.
Licensure: Active, unrestricted U.S. Optometry License. Because this is a federal Indian Health Service facility, an active license in any U.S. state is fully accepted.
Certifications: Active Basic Life Support (BLS) certification.
Experience: A minimum of 2 years of recent clinical experience is highly preferred, along with a strong comfort level prescribing therapeutic ocular medications and managing medical retina and glaucoma cases independently.
If you are an experienced optometrist looking for a rewarding, long-term assignment that combines a perfect daytime schedule with a deeply meaningful clinical mission, we invite you to apply. This role is crucial for preserving vision and expanding specialty access apply today to connect with our recruitment team!
