Another one bites the dust

[ziggy]

Optidonn had let us know about Randy Smith's optician program at Arkansas State a few months ago. Well I got all of my stuff together,(you get credit for experiance,ABO,NCLE,ect) got a student loan and was ready to go. Called the bookstore yesterday to order my books for the semester and was told the program got scrubed as of Monday! It has taken me a number of years to come up with the nerve to go to get that degree and then the program gets shut down, guess I should have jumped a few years ago. Good luck to Randy, Sorry to see another program go by the way-side.

[Judy Canty]

I agree, it is a shame. But don't give up. Go to the NFOS website, www.nfos.org, and enroll in one of the many very fine distance programs that are available.

[wmcdonald]

....is seeking a faculty member to run the program according to my source at OAA this weekend. It will hopefully be up and running again. Don't give up, there are other programs around.

[Ed_Optician]

It is unfortunate to hear of another opticianary program dying. THis is a problem for all of us. I am a firm believer in ophthalmic education preferably with a full AAS degree. Opticians are being hammered from all sides....Doctor's office staff is excluded from licensure requirements in many states, OD and ophthalmology lobbies eviscerate our scope of practice and the corporations want the removal of licenses all over. NOW is the time for all of us to protect our license and livelyhood.

Ed
PS I wonder if a certain Bentonville Arkansas retailer had any influence in the decision

[ziggy]

PS I wonder if a certain Bentonville Arkansas retailer had any influence in the decision

After speaking with the admin at ASU yesterday, lack of enrollment seems to be the issue. I am in contact with some of the other programs and something will pan out. I just hate to see the futher erosion.

[chip anderson]

I just had a lady in a few minites ago that said her daughter wanted to be an optometric assistant and she needed to go through a two year degree program before she could even apply for employment. What could an optometric assistance be doing that would require two years of preparation?


Chip

[shanbaum]

What could an optometric assistance be doing that would require two years of preparation?

Spelling correctly, maybe.

[Judy Canty]

PS I wonder if a certain Bentonville Arkansas retailer had any influence in the decision

I doubt it. As usual, we're our own worst enemy.

[rbaker]

I am sorry to hear of the demise of yet another school. I graduated from WITI in Worcester, MA and that program also fell by the wayside a number of years ago. Too bad, but I am afraid that falling enrollments will continue to be a problem. In face, as opticianry slides further and further down the slope from an allied health care profession to that of a retail clerk we will see additional closings. What person in his right mind wants to invest in two years of higher education so that he can earn a less than living wage while working crappy mall hours?

The debate over whether opticianry is a health care profession or a fashion retail profession has been decided. The verdict is that it is a sales oriented retail job. Now, those who believe that it is a “profession” will just have to go to our rooms without supper and be quiet.

Isn’t it a shame that the trend is away from education. Isn’t it a tragedy that no one can do anything about it.

[Ed_Optician]

We have a two part job. We are the pharmacist to the OD and MD filling a prescription for corrective lenses. On the other hand we are selling fashion to the customer who knows little and cares less about how we do the other part. THe consumer wants glasses that look good yet do the job.
Unfortunately some of us work for companies that want us to push high mark up product to every Tom Dick and Harry who walks in our retail location despite a lower cost product serving their needs as well if not better

[hcjilson]

Paul, the Benjamin Franklin Institute is begining a 2 year program this fall in Boston. It is my understanding that Blair Wong will be heading it up. I heard today that there is all kinds of assistance available after remarking that the cost seemed on the high side. I have no other details than that but the last email address I had for Blair was this:

OpticianMA@aol.com

which also doubled as the OAM contact site . If you are unsucessful in contacting him PM me and I'll track him down for you. I know they are looking for students.

let me know how you make out. hj

[omisliebling]

I am also very sad to see the program at ASU faced out. I completed all optical classes except contact lens theory 2 and of course all general education classes. Now I'm hoping some how they can work with me to finish the last optical class, they said they would get back with me, will see what happens. Check out JSRC in VA, that's wehre I started with Randy before he moved to ASU and I followed him :)
I'm not sure how and where I will get my degree now, I'm so close and yet so far away from completing
Anyways, I wish Randy the best of luck at Baker College in Jackson, MI and hope he gets the new program up and running online soon, he's such an awesome teacher, he rocks.

[Diane]

Is it that Randy is leaving, and they just need another program director/instructor, or is the program closing and that's why Randy is leaving? My question comes from Warren's post about looking for a faculty member.

Warren...?

Diane

[OPTIDONN]

WHAT!!!!! THIS IS NEWS TO BE!!! This makes me insane!!!!!:angry: I'm sick and tired of this!!! There needs to be a way in which some one could create a distance learning program for either a certificate or degree in ophthalmic optics! Dispensing and all the hands on stuff can be learned on the job. I know WMCDONALD knows how to get accreditation and there's enough brain power on OB alone to develop such a program! Of course this will never happen.

This constant erosion of technical knowledge is infuriating! So what a good time to mention a little club the ASSOCIATION OF TECHNICAL OPTICIANS. A whole bunch of us from Optiboard became so irritated with the 'dumbing' down of opticianry and the high cost of OK, at best, study guides costing an arm and a leg we decided to start the Association of Technical Opticians. First let me say it is not group with a political agenda, nor is it a group that trying to become a certifying body like the ABO. The whole purpose of the ATO is to become a resource for opticians to learn the more technical side of opticianry. Within the next year we will have a free down loadable study guide for people taking the ABO or state exams. We will also be offering free calculators and papers on specific topics such as ophthalmic lens design. Of course this is all done with volunteers so it takes a while. We wanted to wait a little before we went 'public' but this is as good a time as any.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SOME UPCOMING PROJECTS:
-Free down loadable ABO study guide
-Free down loadable NCLE study guide
-Free down loadable ABO-AC & NCLE-AC study guide
-Free down loadable worksheets to aid with study guides
-Free down loadable original technical papers

If interested contact:
THE ASSOCIATION OF TECHNICAL OPTICIANS

www.technicalopticians.org

PHONE:
1-866-884-4237

EMAIL:
board@technicalopticians.org

MAIL:
ASSOCIATION OF TECHNICAL OPTICIANS
P.O. Box 114
Shrewsbury PA 17361

[wmcdonald]

is what I see as the answer. I did, as many know a nationwide study on the role of the US Optician in the future. My data indicates a clear need for more educational opportuunities, and a need from within Opticianry to seek higher levels of education. Unfortunately, many of the existing schools with distance education programs have requirements of coming to campus every semester and high out-of-state tuition that most will not find acceptable. I was approached by The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology 2 years ago regarding an article I wrote on refraction, and went to the school to review their programs. What I found was exciting! They have a program, based around apprenticeship, that provides the didactic portion we so lack in our traditional apprenticeship programs. Not only did I find the Sight Testing Program outstanding in every regard, but the basic Eyeglass Dispensing Program and the advanced practice Contact Lens Program are simply superb. They asked me to serve as the US representative for the Optical Science Program, and I gladly accepted. We are in the process of completing our first state agreement with the Registered Opticians Association of Texas. NAIT then becomes the educational partner with the state societies to deliver our distance education prorams. The students, who are required to be members of the state association, register throught the state association and begin taking courses. We want to work with you.

Anyone can enroll, so long as they are members of the association, and we actuually have enrolled a young man from the state of confusion, Washington, DC as a member of ROATx! We are also looking forward to serving the students in Oregon in the very near future. If your state association is interested in partnering with NAIT contact me. The Optical Science Program, in essence, becomes he state association's program and the association actually receives a part of the student's tuition and fees to provide administration locally, and hands-on workshops annually to assure competence in every regard. I will look forward to seeing how we can asist your student/apprentices. If you are interested in completing an academic program and you do not live in Texas or Oregon, we can help you there as well. Tuition is low, and very affordable, and I can promise you a well-rounded program of study that will make you a better Optician. NAIT is the primary education source for all of Canada and I am pleased they want to work with the US as well. The Institute serves approximately 70,000 students annually, and have just announced a major new building campaign that will raies that number to over 100,000 annually. It is quite a place. Contact me at warrenm@nait.ca or via email and we will see how we can help.

Warren G. McDonald, PhD
US Representative
NAIT Optical Sciences

[wmcdonald]

Diane,
I understand they are seeking someone to teach in the program. Jerry Himes would be the most knowledgeable person to contact.

Enjoyd seeing you in Atlanta, as always!

Warren

[wmcdonald]

I am sorry to hear of the demise of yet another school. I graduated from WITI in Worcester, MA and that program also fell by the wayside a number of years ago. Too bad, but I am afraid that falling enrollments will continue to be a problem. In face, as opticianry slides further and further down the slope from an allied health care profession to that of a retail clerk we will see additional closings. What person in his right mind wants to invest in two years of higher education so that he can earn a less than living wage while working crappy mall hours?

The debate over whether opticianry is a health care profession or a fashion retail profession has been decided. The verdict is that it is a sales oriented retail job. Now, those who believe that it is a “profession” will just have to go to our rooms without supper and be quiet.

Isn’t it a shame that the trend is away from education. Isn’t it a tragedy that no one can do anything about it.

has always been away from education, unfortunately. The leadership at the national and state levels in the early days of the schools felt they would have to pay us too much if we had a degree, and of course, if apprenticeship was good enough for them, then it must be what is needed for the future. We STILL have no planning in place in Opticianry organizations to address the clear need for better educated Opticians in the future to meet the demands of new technology and the changing scope of practice. We will continue to decline until we instituie mandatory education. At OAA, one of the major announcements from ABO was support for a new appreiticeship program. Here we go again!

[omisliebling]

Diane,
I understand they are seeking someone to teach in the program.

After speaking with the admin at ASU yesterday, lack of enrollment seems to be the issue.

This is what I was told, lack of enrollment and a complete facing out of the program at ASU.

[Laurie]

Hello Everyone,

Gotta jump in here...

L-O-V-E that we are in agreement that opticianry education is important...

An AS/AAS-OPT educated optician is not a threat...let us (opticianry colleges) teach optics, and some sales skills, while the seasoned vets among us help them polish their art/skill. It is possible to have the best of both worlds working together for the same goal.

Randy will be successful in an new venture...he is a talented guy...we all wish him well.

And, congratulations Warren! I have no doubt that your new program will thrive.

While there are other optical programs that are thriving (for many different reasons...), we continue to need support from our profession.

I am, however, the ultimate optimist...I believe that opticianry education will be OK, and continue to grow stronger. Support from our profession is key...

: )

Laurie Pierce
Hillsborough Community College
Tampa, FL

[wmcdonald]

.....it is programs like yours (Hillsborough) that should be shining examples for others. You are correct. The profession wants increased education, and we must offer it. NAIT Optical Sciences is entering states with no existing schools and partnering with state Optician's Associations in delivering a great program. I am there in a consulting role to help get them started, and so far Texas and soon Oregon will be providing their members with a program of study designed to complement the apprenticeship program, and letting the student/apprentice gain the correct didactic component to a well-rounded optical education. I appreciate all you have done for education, and appreciate your comments. We also have great Advanced Practice programs in Contact Lenses and Sight Testing that I would encourage students all across the country to consider.

Best regards,
Warren