Announcing the Society
to Advance Opticianry
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The Society to Advance Opticianry, which I am pleased to announce, is now officially open for membership. Now, I know what comes immediately to mind, “Oh no, another organization, that is all we need.” But I am here to tell you, this one is JUST what we need. I did an article on its early development last year and it is now officially taking applications for membership. It is not the typical association, but a society of like minded professional opticians from across the country who want to see the profession advance. It officially “opened for business” at the ABO/NCLE Conference in Cincinnati and support for the concept was just outstanding.
The Genesis of the Concept
The idea for a new and different organization, now termed a “society,” developed after I read an announcement from the Certified Professional Accountants (CPAs) who were trumpeting the new, increased requirements to sit for their very rigorous certification examination. I marveled at this idea, because it is so foreign to opticianry. Today, to sit for the CPA requires a minimum of 150 semester hours of academic credit. This is now 30 semester hours beyond the bachelor’s degree. Wow! This said to me that these folks were serious about assuring that anyone who achieved this lofty status was well educated and trained. I really appreciated that fact, and realized that there are many accountants out there, and that only those with the finest credentials could actually use the CPA title.
Ergo, my pause for reflection! I immediately thought of the various requirements opticians face across the country (or in 27 states, the lack thereof). In my ongoing research, I find 22 states that require a state license. Each state varies in what they require and hold theirs as sacrosanct. None of them will work with another to make licensure across state lines easy to achieve and I have often pondered as to why this is so. Is dispensing a pair of spectacles different in North Carolina and South Carolina? If not, then allow me to use those states as examples. Why does my home state of NC require a 9-part, 2-day exam, while SC only requires the ABO and a 3-hour practical? Disparate requirements like that exist in all of the 22 licensed states. It is ridiculous……even bordering on silly, that there are such differences among the licensing boards of the various states.
Also of concern is the reduction in admission requirements by the ABO/NCLE. In the past, these national board certification examinations required a year of experience prior to sitting for them. Now, rather than improving the overall quality of the applicant, the ABO/NCLE has made it less stringent. All that is required is a pulse and a check that clears and boom, you can take the examinations. What affect has this had on the individual taking the exam? Pass rates are just slightly over 50%. In the past, those rates were in the 65%- 70% range. What affect has it had on the profession? You be the judge. While it is true that the ABO/NCLE now offers several advanced certification exams none of those higher level exams have been adopted for state licensure requirements yet.
The Discussion Continues
Optiboard is an online discussion forum for opticians. This is a very popular sight, owned by optician Steve Machol, that allows opticians to have a place to discuss topics in cyberspace. My argument has always been that opticians should be educated formally, and should do far more in practice than they typically can do now. Comparing CPAs and opticians, I asked if we needed to increase our entry requirements into the profession. The discussion was fast and furious, with no real consensus reached. Many feel that apprenticeship is adequate to train opticians, while many others see the need for formal education. But from that initial discussion the idea for the SAO was born. There were a large number of folks in that discussion who had similar ideas and wanted to meet to discuss them, which they did. After meetings in around the country, the organization made plans to move forward, and was introduced at the 2011 ABO/NCLE meeting in Cincinnati.
Society Membership
The overarching goal of the SAO is to recognize opticians who have advanced credentials, and allow them to advertise those to the public, much like the CPA. Those who meet the requirements for membership in the SAO, and it is not based on dues, but on qualifications, will receive the professional title, Ophthalmic Optician. It is not an open membership, but reviewed by a credentials committee. It is an honor that must be earned, and not bought. I asked Gary McArrell, the organization’s secretary to comment on those qualifications, and his response is found below:
Requirements for the Society to Advance Opticianry’s Ophthalmic Optician Designation
Applicants for the Ophthalmic Optician designation must be currently ABO and NCLE certified and state licensed if they live in a licensed state. Additionally, they must hold at least an AS/AAS degree in optical sciences from an accredited or approved college or they must hold at least an AA/AS degree in any field of study from an accredited or approved college plus an advanced certification from the ABO or NCLE.
Upon application and approval, opticians who have met the higher education, certification and licensure requirements will be designated Ophthalmic Opticians and be members of the Society to Advance Opticianry.
The SAO was established by a diverse group of opticians that believe formal education is necessary for opticianry to grow and flourish as a profession.
Opticianry is the only field of the three O’s that has no formal education as an entry point. Only twenty two states require licensure or registry of opticians. The remaining twenty eight don’t have even minimal standards to work as an optician.
Those that do require licensure generally require passage of the National Opticianry Competency Exam (NOCE) administered by the American Board of Opticianry (ABO) and the Contact Lens Registry Exam (CLRE) administered by National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE).
One of the goals of the SAO is to increase mobility and reciprocity between states for opticians. That will necessarily include standardization of licensure requirements among states and will certainly include passage of both of these exams.
Those who have earned a degree of some type have shown they have a certain level of critical thinking ability demanded by our ever changing ophthalmic marketplace. When they have completed an advanced certification from the American Board of Opticianry or National Contact Lens Examiners they have demonstrated a higher level of knowledge and skill than an optician that hasn’t earned those certifications.
A student who has earned an associate degree or associate in applied science degree in opticianry has likewise demonstrated a higher level of learning and skill.
Someone that desires to be recognized as an expert in ophthalmic optics should have a well rounded knowledge of all the disciplines in our field. That includes keeping current with the ever changing technologies in spectacles and contact lenses.
Our purpose isn’t just to recognize those that have met these goals, but to help those who desire to achieve a higher level of education get there as well. If you meet these qualifications, join us and help others get there as well. If you haven’t, we are here, ready and willing to help.
I also asked SAO president Laurie Pierce for comments on the organization:
The first gathering of like-minded opticians met in Atlanta at the SEOC July, 2010. Little did we know that we would be officially launching the new organization, The Society to Advance Opticianry at the National Opticians Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio a little over one year later. Many of the board members worked extremely hard, donating their time to gain legal status, create membership certificates, write press releases, create a booth, banner, and took their own time and money to fly to the conference to spread the word. The positive feedback we received exceeded my expectations. All of the opticianry organizations were there, and we had a chance to communicate our mission and goals for them. It can be hard for new opticians to navigate the optical waters. It can be equally hard for veteran opticians to be motivated to go back to school and to earn higher optical credentials. The SAO is dedicated to acknowledging those who have achieved a place where they are certified in all aspects of opticianry and have completed formal education. Additionally, the SAO is dedicated to mentoring those who wish to join this movement by means of Candidate member. We will meet again at the Opticians Association of America’s Leadership meeting in January. I am very pleased and excited to be working with such a great board of directors, who come from all areas of opticianry and help advance our profession further.
The Society to Advance Opticianry will not be offering continuing education hours or political support for opticians. Other organizations perform those tasks. The SAO will do only a couple of things they feel are important to recognizing the efforts of those with advanced credentials, the CPAs of opticianry, if you will:
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The SAO will offer those with appropriate credentials as spelled out above the opportunity to market themselves as someone with advanced credentials to solve the hard cases…….someone a cut above the competition!
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The SAO will offer a mentoring process, whereby those who wish to become an Ophthalmic Optician can do so with the guidance and support of those who have already achieved this lofty status.
I am excited to report the organization is now formed and accepting members. Please contact them at their website,
www.advanceopticianry.org
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