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Surgical and refractive coordinator recruiting. The seat that decides whether consults become surgeries.

Denali Recruiting places LASIK, ICL and premium cataract coordinators, patient counselors and surgical schedulers with eye care practices nationwide. The recruiter has trained coordinators for twenty years and teaches the ASCRS/ASOA courses on it. That is who screens your candidates.

I'm hiring a coordinator I'm a coordinator
  • Refractive, premium cataract, surgical scheduling, patient counselor roles
  • Screened on the skills that convert: phone, consult, follow-up, close
  • Denali Creative phone and sales training available for the hire
Refractive coordinator walking a patient through surgical options in a consultation room
Consult to scheduled surgery.Hired for the skills that convert

Coordinator roles we recruit

Coordinator means something different in every practice. We scope the actual job.

A refractive coordinator closing $4,000 LASIK consults and a surgical scheduler managing a cataract OR calendar need different people. The scoping call settles which one you are hiring.

Refractive coordinator

LASIK, SMILE, ICL and RLE consult volume, current consult-to-surgery conversion, financing and pricing conversations, lead follow-up ownership, whether marketing leads flow through the coordinator or the front desk.

Premium cataract / IOL counselor

Monthly cataract volume, current premium conversion rate, how the surgeon introduces lens options, where the counselor sits in the exam flow, and how compensation reflects conversion.

Surgical scheduler

OR and ASC calendar ownership, pre-op and clearance coordination, insurance authorization, surgeon block time, how many surgeons and cases per month.

Patient counselor / treatment coordinator

Elective and cash-pay service lines beyond refractive (oculoplastics, dry eye, aesthetics), consult structure, financing partners, and follow-up cadence.

Lead coordinator / surgical growth manager

Coordinator team size, reporting and conversion metrics, marketing coordination, training responsibility, and compensation tied to surgical growth.

Call center & lead response

Inbound call volume, speed to lead, booking rate from web and ad inquiries, call tracking in place, and how the role hands off to coordinators.

For practices

What a coordinator search covers, and how candidates are screened.

Coordinator searches can run contingency (free to list, fee at start, ninety-day guarantee) or retained for lead and growth-manager roles. The screening is the difference: candidates are assessed on the phone and consult skills that move surgical volume, by someone who teaches those skills.

  1. The seat, honestly describedConsult volume, current conversion rate, which procedures, who the coordinator reports to, how leads reach them, and why the position is open.
  2. Compensation that rewards conversionBase plus per-case or conversion bonus is standard for refractive and premium IOL roles. If the structure does not reward results, we say so on the scoping call.
  3. The practice as a coordinator sees itWhether the surgeon supports the coordinator in the exam lane, how pricing and financing are handled, marketing lead quality, and the tools in place (CRM, call tracking, texting).
  4. The search profileAll of the above drives AI-targeted sourcing: Denali's candidate database, targeted search, social and video campaigns in your market, and outreach to coordinators, patient counselors and strong sales people from adjacent fields (aesthetics, dental, hospitality) who are not on job boards.
  5. Recruiter screening on the skills that matterA recorded video interview on Zoom or Google Meet, scored on tone, questions and close; a consult role-play; references from a surgeon or manager; and a written summary of each finalist using Denali's coordinator hiring scorecard.
  6. Training before day oneDenali Creative's phone and consult training for the new hire, so the coordinator starts with a process, not just a desk.

For coordinators and counselors

What you get that a job posting cannot tell you.

Confidential, and never a fee. Your name goes to a practice only after you approve that specific introduction, and your current practice is never contacted.

Real consult volume and lead qualityHow many consults a month, where they come from, and whether the marketing behind them is working. Your bonus depends on it.
How the bonus is really paidPer-case, conversion tiers or revenue share, what the last coordinator earned, and how the offer compares across practices.
Whether the surgeon helps you closeSome surgeons set up the recommendation in the lane. Some leave it all to you. We know which is which.
The practice from the insideDenali Creative runs the marketing and phone training for many of these practices. We know how the leads flow and what the tools look like.
Coming from sales, aesthetics or dentalStrong consult and phone skills from another field transfer well. We will tell you which practices will train you on the clinical side.
A path to lead and growth rolesWhich practices promote coordinators into lead, surgical growth manager and marketing roles, and what those pay.
Send your résumé confidentially

From practice owners

Surgeons who have hired through Denali.

Denali Recruiting helped our practice find the most outstanding and experienced doctors and practice administrator. I would highly recommend them to anyone searching for a new recruiting firm.
Dr. Robert GladsdenNew Vision Laser Center
Paul and his team helped my practice with crucial interviews of fellows and associates throughout the years. His experience is an incredible asset to any practice.
Theodore Perl, MDCorneal Associates of New Jersey
Paul Stubenbordt not only helped me find the right candidates, but his team at Denali Creative helped train them to their fullest potential.
Paul Cutarelli, MDCutarelli Vision

Coordinator recruiting questions

Timing, fees, screening, training and compensation.

If your question is not here, call (682) 831-0900 and ask.

How long does it take to recruit a refractive or surgical coordinator?
Often three to eight weeks, longer for lead coordinator and surgical growth manager roles. Experienced refractive coordinators are rarely unemployed, so the search depends on reaching people who are working. A realistic timeline is set on the scoping call.
What does a coordinator search cost?
Usually contingency: free to list, fee (a percentage of first-year compensation, confirmed in writing) due when a candidate Denali presented starts, ninety-day guarantee. Lead coordinator and growth manager roles can run retained with a six-month guarantee. Candidates never pay.
How do you screen coordinators?
On the skills that convert. A recorded video interview on Zoom or Google Meet, scored on tone, questions asked and how they handle price and objections; a consult role-play; references from a surgeon or manager, and a written summary using the coordinator hiring scorecard Denali uses in its ASCRS/ASOA courses. Résumés alone do not predict who will close.
Can you train the coordinator you place?
Yes. Denali Creative provides phone, consult and follow-up training for coordinators and front desk staff, taught by the same person who runs the search. It can be built into the placement so the hire starts with a process.
Do you consider candidates without eye care experience?
Yes, when the practice is open to it. Strong consult and phone skills from aesthetics, dental treatment coordination, hospitality or sales often outperform eye care experience with weak sales skills. The scoping call settles which the practice wants; the clinical side can be trained.
How should a coordinator be paid?
For refractive and premium IOL roles, a base plus a per-case or conversion-tier bonus is standard and is what experienced coordinators expect. Pure hourly pay with no upside loses the strongest candidates to practices that offer it. We cover the structure on the scoping call.

Other roles

Also recruiting for the rest of the practice.

Ophthalmologists cataract · refractive · retina · glaucoma · corneaOptometrists associate OD · co-management · dry eyeAdministrators & managers administrator · clinic manager · growth managerOphthalmic technicians COA · COT · COMT · scribes

Start here

Hiring a coordinator, or looking for a practice that rewards closers?

Practices get a scoping call. Coordinators get a confidential conversation. Either way you hear back from the recruiter.

(682) 831-0900Monday to Friday, Central time
Book a call on the calendarPick a time that works. Opens Paul's HubSpot calendar.
Trophy Club, TexasSearches run nationwide
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