Eye Specialists

ANZSCO ID 253914

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
850
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
81%
Female Share
28%
Average age
47

Summary

Eye Specialists provide diagnostic, treatment and preventative medical services related to diseases, injuries and deficiencies of the human eye and associated structures.

Tasks

  • Read patient's history.

  • Examine patients and determine whether surgery is necessary.

  • Consults with anaesthetists about the operation and the patient's treatment.

  • Gives instructions about preparing patients for operating theatres.

  • Performs and manages operations.

  • Provides instructions for post-operative care.

  • Monitors patients after surgery.

  • Keeps medical records and sends final reports to general practitioners.

  • May teach trainees.


Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Other Medical Practitioners, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 81% of people employed as Eye Specialists work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 15 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 47 hours per week in their main job. This is 3 hours more than the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Health Care and Social Assistance
97.2%
2
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
1.1%
3
Education and Training
0.6%
4
Other Services
0.5%
5
Other industries
0.7%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

35.7% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

28.5% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

15.5% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

8.2% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

9.0% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.9% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.4% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

0.9% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Eye Specialists All Jobs Average
NSW 35.7 31.6
VIC 28.5 25.6
QLD 15.5 20.0
SA 8.2 7.0
WA 9.0 10.8
TAS 1.9 2.0
NT 0.4 1.0
ACT 0.9 1.9


  • Around 81% of Eye Specialists live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

    New South Wales has a large share of employment relative to its population size.

    The regions with the largest share of workers are:

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
47
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
28%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Eye Specialists is 47 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 35 to 44 years.

    Females make up 28% of the workforce. This is 20 percentage points below the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Eye Specialists All Jobs Average
15-19 0.0 5.0
20-24 1.3 9.3
25-34 14.9 22.9
35-44 25.8 22.0
45-54 22.7 21.6
55-59 14.0 9.0
60-64 9.0 6.0
65 and Over 12.3 4.2
Median Age 47 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Medical Practitioners need to undertake further training with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists to become an Ophthalmologist.

Registration with the Medical Board of Australia is required.

Visit

  • Course Seeker to search and compare higher education courses.
  • ComparED to compare undergraduate and postgraduate student experiences and outcomes.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Eye Specialists All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 59.0 10.1
Bachelor degree 37.8 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 1.6 11.6
Certificate III/IV 0.5 21.1
Year 12 1.1 18.1
Year 11 0.0 4.8
Year 10 and below 0.0 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Other Medical Practitioners who are caring and empathetic and can work well in a team, with the ability to communicate with a diverse range of people.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 79%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 70%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 68%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 64%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 63%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 63%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 61%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 61%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 61%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 61%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 59%

    Science

    Using scientific rules and methods to solve problems.

  • 57%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 57%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 57%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 55%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 55%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

  • 52%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 50%

    Systems evaluation

    Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

  • 48%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 46%

    Systems analysis

    Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 92%

    Medicine and dentistry

    Diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities, including preventive health-care measures.

  • 75%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 74%

    Biology

    Plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, how they rely on and work with each other and the environment.

  • 72%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 72%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 66%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 63%

    Therapy and counselling

    Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and career counselling and guidance.

  • 59%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 57%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 52%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 51%

    Chemistry

    Chemical composition, structure, and properties. How chemicals are made, used, mixed, and can change.

  • 50%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 47%

    Physics

    The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.

  • 46%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 41%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 39%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 38%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 38%

    Engineering and technology

    Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.

  • 37%

    Philosophy and theology

    Philosophical systems and religions, including their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and impact on society.

  • 34%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 79%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 79%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 77%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 75%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 71%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 71%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 70%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 64%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 64%

    Arm-hand steadiness

    Keep your hand or arm steady.

  • 61%

    Finger dexterity

    Put together small parts with your fingers.

  • 61%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 61%

    Control precision

    Quickly change the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.

  • 59%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 57%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 57%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 55%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 55%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 54%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 46%

    Colour discrimination

    Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.

  • 45%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 90%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 88%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 86%

    Helping and caring for others

    Providing personal assistance, medical attention, or emotional support.

  • 85%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 83%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 82%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 82%

    Monitoring people, processes and things

    Checking objects, actions, or events, and keeping an eye out for problems.

  • 81%

    Controlling equipment or machines

    Operating machines or processes either directly or using controls (not including computers or vehicles).

  • 78%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 73%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 73%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 73%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 72%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 72%

    Working with the public

    Greeting or serving customers, clients or guests, and public speaking or performing.

  • 70%

    Explaining things to people

    Helping people to understand and use information.

  • 69%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 69%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 68%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 67%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 65%

    Scheduling work and activities

    Working out the timing of events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 100%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

  • 76%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 71%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 43%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 33%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 29%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 86%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 86%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 81%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 76%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 76%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 71%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 100%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 100%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 100%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 99%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 98%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 98%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 98%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 97%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 97%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 96%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 95%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 95%

    Using your hands to handle, control, or feel

    Spend time using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls.

  • 94%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 94%

    Disease or infection

    Be exposed to disease or infections.

  • 94%

    Physically close to people

    Work physically close to other people.

  • 92%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 92%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 92%

    Responsible for outcomes

    Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

  • 91%

    Consequence of error

    Work where mistakes have serious consequences.

  • 90%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 29-1069.06 - Ophthalmologists.


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