Photo By Douglas Stutz | Eyes-on exam support… Lt. Courtney C. Rafferty, assigned to Navy Medicine and...... read more read more
Seeing is believing.
When the Armed Forces Optometric Society (AFOS) was accepting nominees for annual awards, there was no shortsighted hesitation from Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Bremerton.
Lt. Courtney C. Rafferty, assigned to Navy Medicine and Training Unit (NMRTU) Everett, proved to be an eye-opening candidate and was selected as the Navy Junior Optometrist of the Year.
“The recognition is incredibly important to our small Optometry Clinic because my goal is to improve the environment I’m in, regardless of where it is when I arrive,” said Rafferty, Primary Care Department head. “When I leave here, what changes did I make that will go on to make life better for future patients and our staff members? Typically our tours are only about three years, which isn’t a very long time. It can be hard to try and implement long-lasting change. That is my focus.”
The AFOS Awards Board criteria – leadership roles, major accomplishments, initiatives - provided a vision of the overlapping qualifications which Rafferty brought to her multiple duties at the clinic.
According to Cmdr. Matthew Behil, NMRTC Bremerton deputy director of Medical Services, Rafferty professionalism as the sole optometrist was an eye-full for the fleet. She supported seven departments at NMRTU Everett delivering health-care to over 5,400 beneficiaries, including six Navy destroyers, 23 tenant commands on Naval Station Everett and two U.S. Coast Guard cutters.
“She invested countless hours in improving the Optometry Clinic. She improved access to care by 51.4 percent, reduced wait times from approximately 34 to 16 calendar days for active duty service members and increased appointment availability by 11 percent. She also significantly reduced Optometry patient wait time within the clinic by 87 percent, from an average of 35 to 5 minutes, saving 994 patient hours per year. Her work ensured all patients are now receiving care within the TRICARE standard of less than 28 calendar days for Optometry appointments,” explained Behil.
Rafferty affirms that any far-sighted progress accomplished to make the Optometry Clinic better was a result of team work and not just her individual efforts.
“I’m incredibly proud of my corpsman, Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Veronica Vargas,” Rafferty said. “I wanted to empower her to make changes. Over the past year she continues to come up with new suggestions and recommendations to improve our space. I am so grateful to work with her. When she is working way harder than required, people see her efforts. She has made a positive impact on our Optometry clinic.”
For the Mishawaka, Ind. 2009 high school alumnus and 2017 graduate of Optometry school at New England College of Optometry, Boston, Mass., the ongoing effort to help stop the spread of COVID-19 has led her to adapt flexible, eye-care methods for optometry services during the pandemic outbreak.
“Optometry unfortunately is not a very mask-friendly field as the majority of glasses-wearers could likely attest to. There is quite a bit of lens fogging that makes the exam a bit more exasperating for the patient and the doctor,” commented Rafferty. “However, I am proud of my corpsmen for identifying solutions to show our patients we are going above and beyond to keep them safe. We have been sanitizing every single pair of glasses that patients try on which involves additional time and work. But our team has been really efficient. We have worked hard to minimize the time patients spend in office due to concerns about being physically present inside a medical clinic.”
Adhering to the Navy surgeon general’s priority of operational readiness by ensuring that there’s a medically ready force as well as a ready medical force, Rafferty coordinated with the command’s Ophthalmology Clinic to expedite the refractive surgery process and decrease patient consult wait time by nearly 50 percent. She also enhanced joint operations with Army leadership to timely update vision readiness for all Army personnel who receive eye care at her clinic. All of which stood out to the AFOS Awards Board.
Still, others need convincing that an eye-exam is not an inconvenience slight of their sight.
“The most challenging part is getting buy in about the importance of eye care in the military. I was an ophthalmic technician before I attended Optometry school and assumed optometrists basically just fitted glasses and contacts. Why do people need to have frequent eye exams if their vision is fine? I learned that there are so many systemic diseases that optometrists can be the first to detect,” stated Rafferty, noting that eye exams are done without any scalpels or needles, just lights and lenses.
“Our clinic performs imaging on every patient and helps engage patients when they are able to see the inside of their eye, get excited seeing their retinal photos and ask questions about what pathology we can detect with routine eye exams,” continued Rafferty. “Unfortunately, I have had patients who make it up to twenty years in the military without much more than a simple vision screening. My goal is for patients to leave with a better familiarity of their ocular anatomy and why routine eye care is still important even for those with 20/20 vision.”
Rafferty’s Navy career began on an epicurean – not eyesight – whim.
“In college, my friend and I attended nearly every single event that provided food. We were always hungry and living on a budget. I heard about an opportunity to learn more about Navy Medicine. I remember the pasta. But more importantly I still recall the recruiter was so incredibly professional and articulate, I wanted to be just like her. I was interested in public service and was initially leaning towards working with the Indian Health Service, until I found out more about Navy Medicine. The chance to travel while serving was an ideal career choice,” related Rafferty.
And travel Rafferty has done. As part of the humanitarian and civic assistance mission Pacific Partnership 2018 aboard USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), she journeyed to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Hawaii, and Guam. Her work during the deployment contributed to the AFOS Awards Board criteria of ‘service to the visual welfare of the public.’
“One of my favorite moments was having the chance to participate in community health engagements during Pacific Partnership. We were able to fit children with their first pair of glasses that their families knew they needed but couldn’t afford. I didn’t get my first pair of glasses until nearly high school and it completely changed my experience. My teachers assumed I was not engaged and not a strong student until we realized I couldn’t see the board. My first pair of glasses changed my life. I’m very lucky to get to pay that forward as an optometrist now,” shared Rafferty, who served as community health engagement lead for 16 missions and delivered eye care to more than 2,000 patients.
The final criteria for award consideration was providing ‘service to AFOS and professional organizations.’
Although the current pandemic has led to many plans being postponed or simply cancelled altogether, Rafferty still presented a virtual – and visual – presentation on optic neuritis to the American Academy of Optometry of over 100 attendees.
When asked to describe the best part of her career, Rafferty readily acknowledged allegiance to those she works with and provides for.
“I am so grateful to have patients who have shared their stories with me. The military has some of the most resilient individuals with incredibly diverse backgrounds. I have met so many patients who have surprised and impressed me with their experiences and positive attitudes in spite of countless hardships,” said Rafferty. “In the Navy I have been exposed to awesome mentors who motivate me and have gone out of their way to try and set me up for success. Thank you to Cmdr. Christopher Abbott, Cmdr. Matthew Behil, Lt. Cmdr. Scott Williams, Lt. Kevin Hoang, as well as my husband who reminds me to take breaks when I start bringing too much work home.”
| Date Taken: | 12.15.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.15.2020 13:45 |
| Story ID: | 385031 |
| Location: | EVERETT, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 340 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The Ayes have it for this Navy Medicine Eye Care Expert, by Douglas Stutz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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