Who has their NCLE certification?

[Nettie]

Just wondering who has an NCLE cert. and was it required by the company or office you work for. Any incentives if you passed and what kind of training was available to you? And do you think it is harder than the ABO?

[OPTIDONN]

I have mine. It was not required by my work, and there was no incentive, I had to do all the studying on my own. I thought it was a bit harder than the ABO.

[iiiimonica]

i also have both, the ncle was eaiser for me because i was so facinated by the ocular health and contact lens stuff (nice technical term - stuff) i have gotten more money because of it,but i really don't use it

except to say that it helped me to understand more about the visual system, and now i will be starting optometry school in the fall

[JennyP]

I live and work in TN.

At least since 1996, the NCLC has been ONE of the requirements to obtain a TN dispensing optician license. Even uncertified opticians licensed before that year have to attend at least 4 proctored hours of NCLE-approved education (as well as four ABO hours) per year with we certified newbies.

The company I have worked for since 94 does not require an NCLC, but the TN licensing board rules require that we have licensed optician(s) on duty at all times the stores are open for business. So my multi-unit employer makes reimbursement of the cost of the initial (if passed) test and the fees for maintaining certification (CE class fees) part of our benefits. The company also reimburses us for the state fees ($200. every 2 years). We do have an annual maximum allowance for reimbursement, but it seems quite liberal.

Nowadays the company has a lending library of study materials and aids that are available to any store with ABO candidates (much of which applies for the NCLE as well,) and many areas have mentors to help students along with the in-store opticians already there.

I got a nice raise after obtaining my license, tho' not for passing the NCLE six months before.

I went into my NCLE less confidently than for my ABO, but mainly because I had little experience with contacts other than my personal history of wearing them occasionally, and anything I knew for the test was strictly though my own studying.

When I left the test hall, I felt actually more confident that I had passed it than when I left the ABO test hall. But confirmation of passing, about 4 weeks later, was still sweet!