Optometrist (Ark Valley Vision Care) - La Junta, CO

Ark Valley Vision Care, in southeast Colorado, is looking to welcome a new optometrist in summer 2026, with a target start date between July 1 and September 1, creating an exciting opportunity to step into a growing practice at a meaningful time. Travel accommodations will be provided for candidates visiting La Junta, offering the opportunity to shadow the team, experience the practice firsthand, and get a true feel for the lifestyle and community that make this opportunity so unique.

Why join us? Ark Valley Vision Care is a thriving, independently owned optometry practice proudly serving the communities around La Junta and Lamar. Since opening in 2016, the practice has been driven by a clear mission to become the most trusted eye care provider in the Arkansas River Valley.

As the only in-person optometrists in the valley, the team provides a broad scope of care, including general optometry, vision therapy, and medical optometry for patients of all ages, giving you the opportunity to build clinical confidence, care for a wide variety of cases, and make a meaningful difference in a community that truly values local eye care.

With the La Junta office expanding into a larger renovated space and demand continuing to grow across the region, this is an exciting opportunity for a new graduate or early-career OD to step into a high-impact role with strong mentorship, lasting patient relationships, and future partnership potential for the right candidate.

What you'll do: In this role, you'll provide full-scope optometric care for patients of all ages, performing comprehensive eye exams that include routine vision assessments, refractive evaluations, and ocular health screenings.

You'll diagnose and manage a range of medical eye conditions, including dry eye, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, conjunctivitis, and macular degeneration, while also delivering urgent and emergency eye care for injuries, infections, inflammation, and foreign body removal.

You'll prescribe glasses and contact lenses, recommend personalized vision solutions, and use your clinical judgment and therapeutic authority to support treatment plans for a variety of ocular conditions.

In addition, you'll provide pre- and post-operative care for cataract and laser procedure patients in coordination with ophthalmology partners, while helping identify signs of systemic health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension and guiding patients to appropriate follow-up care.

This opportunity is designed as a 40-hour-per-week role, though the practice is open to part-time hours, with an overall patient load of 24 to 28 patients per day across all doctors, with flexibility, especially for new graduates.

Who you are: You’re an Optometry professional who is licensed in Colorado or eligible to obtain licensure, with strong full-scope clinical skills and, ideally, therapeutic licensure.

Just as importantly, you’re passionate about delivering exceptional, patient-centered care and excited by the chance to build a meaningful career in a rural community where your work truly matters.

You bring a warm, relationship-driven approach to care, a willingness to grow, and an enthusiasm for practicing at the top of your license while making a visible impact in patients’ lives every day.

Whether you’re a new graduate eager to launch your career with mentorship and hands-on experience or an early-career OD looking for a rewarding long-term opportunity, you’ll thrive here if you value close-knit communities, meaningful patient connections, and the chance to be part of a practice with real momentum and future ownership potential.

Spanish fluency is a plus but not required, and candidates with a background or special interest in rural medicine, a love for small-town living, are especially encouraged to apply.

Why you'll love La Junta: Life in La Junta offers a welcoming small-town feel with rich history, scenic High Plains beauty, and easy access to outdoor adventure.

Nestled in the Arkansas River Valley, this southeastern Colorado community is known for its friendly atmosphere, affordable living, and strong sense of local pride.

Residents enjoy exploring nearby attractions like Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, the Koshare Indian Museum & Kiva, and the Comanche National Grassland, where hiking, wildlife viewing, and wide-open landscapes create endless opportunities to unwind.

With local parks, schools, community events, and everyday conveniences close to home, La Junta delivers a relaxed pace of life while still offering plenty to see, do, and enjoy.

You’ll enjoy a range of benefits, including: Starting salary of $120,000 (negotiable) Production bonuses after year one 401(k) with up to 6% employer match, eligible after year one Employer-paid health insurance 4 weeks of paid vacation Continuing education allowance Free eyecare and eyewear for you and your family Free membership to the local gym Assistance finding housing in La Junta, with strong local connections from the doctor Future buy-in or ownership pathway for the right candidate Minimum Qualifications: Optometry license in the state of Colorado Special Notice This is not a career opportunity with VSP Vision or its companies.

VSP Vision is helping PECAA Max Members recruit qualified applicants for their private practices. VSP Vision is not acting as a job placement agency or staffing firm. Applicants are not guaranteed a job interview or job offer.

The hiring decision and acceptance of this position is solely between the hiring practice and the applicant. The above information in this description was provided by the hiring practice. It has been designated to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by an employee in this role.

It is not designed to contain, or be interpreted as, comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees hired in this role.

VSP Vision OD Recruitment Support VSP Network Practices who are PECAA Max members in good standing benefit from access to dedicated VSP Vision recruiters to help them find qualified Optometrists. VSP Vision is not an employment agency and does not guarantee the placement of any practice professionals.

The practice shall have sole responsibility for all decisions in the hiring process including interviewing and hiring of practice professionals.

VSP Network Practices also benefit from access to other hiring related resources, including free job listings on the VSP Vision Optometry Career Site, which is linked to over 300 career sites.

VSP Vision is an equal opportunity employer and gives consideration for employment to qualified applicants without regard to age, gender, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

Unincorporated LA County Residents: Qualified Applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act, and any other similar laws.

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Click here to learn about our application process and what to watch for regarding false job opportunities.

As a regular part of doing business, VSP Vision (“VSP”) collects many different types of personal information, including protected health information, about our audiences, including members, doctors, clients, brokers, business partners, and employees.

VSP Vision employees will have access to this sensitive personal information and are subject to follow Information Security and Privacy Policies.

As the only not-for-profit eye health company in the U.S., we offer flexible doctor positions in five different settings, allowing you to build a rewarding career in eye care. Find the perfect fit, enabling you to improve people’s lives through better vision.

With nearly 70 years in the eye health industry, we’re driven by compassion, care, and a shared mission to ensure everyone has access to quality vision care. When you join our global family of nearly 15,000 teammates, you’re stepping into a world where innovation meets impact.

At VSP, we value collaboration, inclusion, and belonging, fostering an environment that’s as supportive as it is inspiring. Let’s work together to create a clearer, brighter future—one person at a time. Follow your heart to VSP! #VisionWithHeart