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Developing Support for Educating Opticians
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This past month, I described an exciting new opticianry organization,
The Society for Advanced Opticianry (SAO).
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The society has sparked a flame in many different segments of the country, and even has an ongoing discussion on OD Wire, a discussion forum for optometrists led by my good friend, Dr. Paul Farkas and his very capable son, Dr. Adam Farkas. These gentlemen have invited the leadership of the society to join OD Wire in one of their open threads to discuss the purpose of the organization. Most of OD Wire is open only to optometrists, but they do have open sections they offer for free dialogue, and have encouraged our joining and participating. I encourage you to join in. If we can develop a clear understanding between the Os, it may prove fruitful for both sides. I do offer this warning: as you venture into this forum, you will find a few ODs a bit unfriendly towards opticians. That is OK, and to be somewhat expected. What I found interesting is that the folks there were largely concerned that this was merely a new path to allow opticians to provide refraction services. This seems to loom large in the minds of the general OD. |
I want to emphasize here that while I believe that opticians can and should be allowed, with proper training and in the right clinical environment to perform refractions, the society does not list that in its mission statement. What we wish to do is provide some recognition for those who have gone the extra mile in educating themselves and gaining advanced-level certifications. This should be appreciated and supported by other professionals, because it will allow opticians to provide a better level of patient care. That is a positive for us all. If the contemporary optician can think more critically, and communicate more effectively, it will be a big step forward. We need to require all opticians to graduate from a formal program, and this is simply a step in that direction.
Developing the Framework
There must be an educational framework developed that will allow those who want to be a member of this organization to gain a recognized degree if they do not have one. The society’s board of directors and executive leadership is working to do just that, and I hope, when it is developed, that many opticians without a formal education will want to upgrade their credentials. If not, that is OK as well, because our main focus is upon the future optician. However, allowing those currently in practice to improve themselves is a worthy goal. We want to provide the stimulus for new and existing folks to reach beyond the current educational quandary that currently exists in this field, and be able to move us into the future with a better understanding of the world of ophthalmic optics.
Many have said to me over the years that they would love to really learn the theory behind what they do every day, but simply cannot return to school and leave their jobs. That is completely understandable, and in today’s world you do not have to completely change your life to go back to school. There are a plethora of methods to accomplish that goal, and we will attempt to address several here, many currently available.
Technologically-Mediated Programs
Online learning has been long debated for its efficacy in higher education. Many colleges and universities that embraced these programs in their infancy have now abandoned their online programs altogether, but some persist. It would appear that the most successful online programs are the graduate programs because the learner is generally highly motivated and already understands what they need to do personally to learn. In opticianry, the most appropriate place for online learning is where the traditional brick and mortar institution is simply unavailable. Even under those circumstances, the lecture portion of the curriculum is the area that is most appropriate to be taught via online. Laboratory classes that are taught online are simply substandard. Be wary of any program that does not require on campus testing because that is simply the only way that educational integrity can be preserved. The National Federation of Opticianry Schools (NFOS) long ago developed a degree program that can be offered at any community or technical college and they are willing and able to assist in the development of new programs whether that new program is a hybrid of online and traditional or all traditional education.
I hope there will be other opportunities for the eager optician in the future. Even an institution like Penn Foster College, a distance learning institution that has been around for many years, has now developed a bare-bones program to train opticians. I am not familiar with the program or its quality, but have seen some advertisements for it. We will see how it stacks up as time passes.
Experiential Learning
Did you know that there may be formal recognition for what you already know, and can document? Some colleges and universities allow you to complete what many refer to as a Learning Portfolio that may be reviewed and appropriate college-level credits issued for those experiences. This is likely a standard approach at most every college and one that I used in completing my degree many years ago. It is certainly not new, and may be available to you as well. There are also colleges that will build a degree around what you may have completed in college coupled with work or life experience. There can even be college credit given for some professional continuing education credits that you may have completed over the years. Charter Oak University in Connecticut is one such example specifically for ophthalmic science. Talk to your local college about these opportunities, and look to SAO for help as it develops.
Equivalency Examinations
The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a widely used program that allows one to test out of many different courses. I would encourage anyone who seeks to complete a degree to take a look at CLEP and use it as a short-cut to gain credit. Some may say this is “cheating”, but universities and colleges recognize them across the board for transfer credit and they are widely used. Information can be found at the following address online:
www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html. As a side note, if you are successful with a CLEP examination, your college transcripts will show the credit as coming from Princeton University!
The Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) was designed primarily for the military, but it is also available for civilians for a small fee. These tests cover a wide variety of subject areas and provide a second short-cut to academic credit. They can be found at:
www.dantes.doded.mil/Dantes_web/DANTESHOME.asp.
There are others, but these are the primary examinations used. If you feel confident, but still need to develop a deeper understanding of the process, go to: www.bain4weeks.com and see how a gentleman named Lawrie Miller completed his degree in four weeks by testing completely out of the 90 or so hours he had remaining. It is a worthwhile read if a degree is in your plans.
Recognition for Existing Credentials
The American Council on Education is an organization that reviews existing programs and provides credit for those activities deemed appropriate. The ABO/NCLE has been approached about having their examinations reviewed for such credit and hopefully we will see something like that in the very near future. In the past, Professor’s Raymond Dennis and Rene ‘Skip’ Rivard worked with Charter Oak State College in Connecticut to develop a Bachelor’s Degree completion program for opticians, which is still available. This degree utilizes some of the ABO and NCLE examinations for college credit along with some professional continuing education certifications that are also granted college credit. If these and the advanced-level examinations were officially reviewed, many opticians would have a substantial amount of credit already in hand towards a recognized baccalaureate or associate degree at the college of their choice. With the ABO/NCLE seeking an ACE evaluation at some point, there will be yet another avenue so that all opticians who pass these examinations will gain some level of recognized college credit.
Conclusion
I offer this article as food for thought. I hope it makes you think about the needs of the profession in the future. Keep in mind, opticians still must have all of the technical expertise that qualified opticians currently possess, but gaining a solid educational credential should be required as well to allow us to secure a larger seat at the professional table.
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