medical office assistant

registered nurse - operating room

counselor

ophthalmic technician

marketing coordinator

Fraser Valley Cataract and Laser

Working here at first was great because the clinic is very busy and everything was super new to me. However, the more I worked here and the more I got comfortable, I quickly realized that this is not where I want to work. Firslty, all you do everyday is the same exact thing on anywhere between 40-100 patients. I performed the same tests on basically everyone. I had a script memorized as to what I would tell the patients. It gets very boring and very repetitive very fast. Secondly, the clinic is way to busy and I do not support this medical culture. In my opinion they schedule way to many patients in a day that can be appropriately cared to and handled by the doctors and staff. However, with that bein said I totally understand that there is a shortage of doctors and there may be a need to book a lot of patients. Thirdly, the clinic is veryyyyy fast paced. You are barely allowed to talk to patients and coworkers, otherwise doctors would fall behind schedule. As an employee you only get a lunch break and no coffee breaks. The lunch breaks themselves do not have a set time either. You basically go on lunch when there is no patients or testing to be done. This is a go-go-go environment and you barely get a breather or time to collect yourself. Fourthly, the patient demographic is mainly old people which posses many difficulties and challenges on the job. 

On the flip side this clinic is very friendly and everyone that works there is super nice. Everyone is always willing to help you if you fall behind which is awesome. It was also super neat learning more about the eyes and eye diseases. Unfortunately, I wish I had more positives about working here.

Overall, if you are someone that always like to be doing the same thing over and over and over again in a very fast paced environment then this is the job for you.

Avoid if you can. You'll learn a lot from working here and most of your teammates are lovely to work with. However, there is very little trust between staff and management+department leads+HR, especially HR. Everyone puts on a smile, but staff know how toxic it really is there.

You are expected to work overtime when required, but you don't get overtime pay. You are expected to work in other locations, but you don't get reimbursed for gas. You are required to continuously add to your workload and responsibilities, but you do not get any appreciation/compensation.

Turnover is high, especially in some locations. One of the owners of this company is just insufferable to be around with. Given the leadership from him, management and HR, it’s clear that the issues stem from the top. It's a shame because they hired some great people who would've been really good assets to the company. 

Working at FVCL has genuinely been one of my favourite jobs. It is a fast-paced environment with no dull moment and you will always feel like you are serving a strong purpose towards helping patients. The co-workers, the leads and the doctors are all kind and respectful. Something I always admired about FVCL is how all staff is very open to self-improvement and value everyone's feedback and suggestions on how to make the workplace enjoyable. There are often several opportunities to train and work in different departments. A major plus point is that you get to understand a routine structure (as all workplaces function on some type of basic routine) while at the same time have your own ideas welcomed and valued. FVCL also dedicates its time to team activities (painting, games etc.) so staff get to spend time together and enjoy free food! :)


My job is to my expertise and I am happy about the position that I am currently in, team in Surrey is great, we are constantly striving to be better in communication, team work/effort and customer care. Management in Surrey is understanding majority of the time. Pay could be better but always in discussion. Communication could be better between Surrey and Abbotsford office, management could do better with staff retention in Abbotsford as turn overs could be higher at times, better training to help new people learn easier. Again we are in the works of becoming a more fluid company. Both clinics do get busy and chaotic at times but what clinic doesn't. Must be able to handle high stress/volume.

I worked here briefly and had to leave - the sheer volume of patients booked vs technicians/doctors is inhumane. We literally had to her patients through their test like cattle. Often there was a language barrier and there as no time given for communication.
Even several patience said they felt like they were like cattle herded through. I left on principle. Also the pay isn't great, and the hours are all over the place and sometimes starting very early. No good if you have a young family.
The owner never bothered to connect with us, let along acknowledge us or show his appreciation, therefore we felt no loyalty to him. With these reasons, this is why I believe they have such a high staff turnover and will continue to do so until there are changes from the top.

My experience working here was bs. They cut your hours last minute, some days you’ll just be cut off the schedule even if you work full time. It seems they like to fire anyone who doesnt fit in with the staff thats been there longer and the older staff are all rude/always have an attitude. Its a depressing job where you do/say the same thing a million times a day and if you dont learn everything within 2 weeks youre not quick enough. The doctors are amazing but the “leads” and management are terrible and dont even try to get to know their employees or have a conversation. 

I have been working for FVCL Abbotsford for a while now. I love the job and appreciate the staff here. There are lots of opportunities to grow and move into other more challenging positions (assistant to the doctor in the room, surgical counselling, slating for the hospital, admin, cosmetic technician, etc.). They hire staff without background knowledge in ophthalmology which I appreciate. The doctors are great! You need to enjoy working in a fast-paced environment and patient care in order to work here, otherwise it is difficult. I like my shift start times, they typically range from 6:30am-7:30am, sometimes 8am.

The office manager is unapproachable and awful. Very demoralizing overall. The staff is not given adequate training and is often chastised for no apparent reason. The turnover rate is awfully high and not a surprise as the Doctor does not even care about the staff, there were no attempts to connect or even introduce themselves. Diagnostic practices and staff role keep changing regularly and if you want to work there don’t expect that you’ll get even an ounce of respect. Horrible experience overall

I worked here for two years in every area of the office and never saw a raise. We were expected continually to triple KPIs and that was never enough. At one point I literally trained a new staff member, a practicum student AND a shadowing interview all at once. Thats THREE people hovering around me with no idea what  they were doing while checking in over 200 angry patients.

You wont make higher than min wage in Abbotsford and Surrey is way less busy but gets paid double.



Although the workplace is very fast paced and busy at times, I feel like I learned a lot at this company and enjoy working with patients.  They value their employees education and willingness to learn.  The staff and management are all very friendly and approachable.  You must be a quick learner. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Medical office assistant 3 salaries reported	$20.33 per hour
Registered nurse - operating room 2 salaries reported	$52.73 per hour
Counselor 17 salaries reported	$21.59 per hour
Ophthalmic technician 9 salaries reported	$20.94 per hour
Marketing coordinator 1 salary reported	$23.50 per hour

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