Salud Para La Gente logo
Salud Para La Gente
Watsonville, California

Optometrist- On-Call

OptometristPer Diem

Listed compensation

$70.17-$86/hr

The week · per this posting

Schedule not stated in this posting — no days, weekends, call or nights given.

Ask the employer about call expectations, weekend coverage, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 4mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Salud Para La Gente (SALUD) provides high quality, comprehensive and cost-effective healthcare to underserved low-income communities in Santa Cruz County and North Monterey County. We began in Watsonville in 1978 as a storefront “free clinic” and in 1992 we became a federally qualified community health center (FQHC).

Today we have grown to a primary health care network with 11 clinic sites, over 400 employees, and continue to provide high quality services to patients of all ages.

We are seeking an Optometrist to join our Optometry Department and to provide direct primary eye care and guidance to our patients.

  • Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • To serve as an advocate for patients and their families during their entry into Salud health care system.
  • Perform assessments, general and ocular history, and eye examination on new and returning patients.

Assess visual status, ocular motor status, ocular pathological conditions, ocular development status, and optometric needs of patients through appropriate ophthalmic examination methods.

Develop the optometric treatment plan with the patients for visual problems and abnormalities to be implemented.

  • Communicate when necessary with patients and or patient’s family by phone or letter.
  • Provide guidance to patients and or their families relevant to ocular health education.
  • Provide sympathetic care, communicate effectively and respectfully with people from different racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds and lifestyles
  • Provide consultation for the professional staff.

Provide Technical Supervision to Para-optometric Staff

  • Efficiently use the EHR system and complete chart write-ups and review laboratory works in a timely manner.
  • Participate in Salud’s Continuous Quality Improvement program.
  • Comply with the referral/utilization procedures and standards.
  • Comply with all regulations pertaining to the practice of optometry and licensure in the State of California.
  • Comply with the principal of practice.

Minimum Qualifications

  • Doctorate Degree from a school of Optometry approved by California.
  • Possess and maintain a current California License to practice optometry.
  • Must have and maintain a certificate in Ocular Pharmacology issued by the State Board of Optometry.
  • Must maintain an average of sixty post-graduate hours in Optometric-Medical Education in the last three years.
  • Bilingual, Spanish and English highly preferred.
  • Valid CA driver’s license
  • Current valid CPR certification.

Salary & Benefits

  • Salary: $70.17 - $86.00 an hour
  • Benefit: CA Sick Pay, prorated per hours worked

Salud is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information.

Salud is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation, contact the Salud Human Resources Department, [831-728-8250, and HRDept@splg.org].

Key Responsibilities

Provide direct primary eye care, perform ocular examinations, and develop treatment plans for patients in underserved communities. Responsibilities also include supervising para-optometric staff and maintaining electronic health records.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Ocular ExaminationPatient AssessmentTreatment PlanningEHR ProficiencyPatient AdvocacyClinical SupervisionBilingual CommunicationSpanish Language

Optometry Career Context

Of the 50 active Optometry listings this role was benchmarked against, 84% have no call, 32% require no weekends.

Optometry pay on WeekdayDoc is up 3.8% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Optometry by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedOptometry median $156k (middle half $140k–$162k)177 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingCalifornia index 110.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Optometry listings in California176 active2,037 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 84% no call · 32% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia healthcare professional listings: 16% state a sign-on bonus · 6% offer loan repayment180 active listings, Nov 2026
New Optometry listings633 in the last 30 days404 the 30 days before (+57%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Optometry pay trend+3.8% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top contract/1099 Optometrist Jobs

49 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

30 jobs · 9 employers
10
<$165k
8
$165k-175k
6
$175k-185k
3
$185k-195k
3
$195k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

36 jobs · 9 employers
401k / retirement match
97%
Sign-on bonus
83%
CME allowance
61%
Loan repayment
58%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

(USA) Associate Optometrist (Part-Time) - Walmart

Walmart · Albuquerque, New Mexico

$64.9-$96.15/hr
#2

Optometrist On-CallPer Diem

Chapa-De Indian Health · Rocklin, California

$80-$95/hr
#3

Optometrist, PT (PC) - Menlo Park Mall

$75-$86.73/hr
#4

Optometrist, PT (PC) - The Mall at Short Hills

$75-$86.73/hr
+ 47 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 2.8this job 2.8
Better work-life than 50% of Optometry listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 2,038 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
Salud Para La Gente logo

About Salud Para La Gente

Hospitals and Health Care
Watsonville, California
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

CA Sick Pay (prorated per hours worked)

Living in Watsonville

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$829k
Typical market rent
$3,332/mo
Residents’ average commute
26 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
109.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.