Silly question....maybe...?

[gmc]

Optician = anyone licensed to practice opticianry in the state of FL.
Board Certified Optician = ABO certified licensed optician.

If you are not licensed in FL you can't call yourself an optician in Florida, but you can call yourself an optician online. Oh BTW take down your cert, one of these folks may decide to report you to the FL board for something they would falsely assume you are wrong of doing.

Glad to see you changed your password to the ABO site. ; )

It's a little different. Board certified in Florida means that a so certified licensed optician may "fill, fit, adapt, or dispense any soft contact lens prescription without the direct supervision of the prescribing doctor."

Also, board members have said in our rules and laws CE classes that ABO and NCLE certificants may display their credentials. The letter of the law and rules doesn't say that, but no one has ever been disciplined by the board for displaying them.

[CCGREEN]

Attachment 10917 Wow, I didn't realize I had to prove myself not to be a liar on this thread. But apparently some of you need to be educated. Here you go!

LOL. Agreed. You are a ABO certified Optician as long as you have kept up your ed hours and paid your fees.

But you are NOT, listed in the state of florida as a "Florida Board Certified Optician". To be that you must first have a Florida Optician License. Floridahealth.gov medical quality assurance license verification list a person with the same name as you, as one, who had a apprentice license that was labeled null and void 11-22-2000. That being the case here in Florida you can call yourself "Board Certified" but you cant hold yourself out to the public as a "Optician" because you do not have a Florida licenses as such.

[CCGREEN]

Kinda stirred the hornets nest there didn't she?

[Jubilee]

This thread makes me sad on many levels.

While I agree that being able to adjust for focal lengths is something every optician, ABO or state certified should do, it sounds like the real issue is one of legality. Simply pointing to the statute, or stating the adjustment of a prescription for focal length in under the scope of practice for an optician would have been enough.

To see it taken to this extreme will only turn off folks from asking the questions that will help them become better opticians. We have all different skill and knowledge levels here. Being brutal with anyone who does not fit in your optician mold unfortunately does not make them instantly better. It instead turns away those who care enough to ask and learn.

[TLG]

Your state of Florida statute states very clearly that unless you are licensed by the state of Florida, you may not call yourself an optician. You may not mislead the public, so take down your certificate, since it states, Optician. You should have listened to Warren. If you, indeed, have something frome Florida saying Certified Optician, please scan it and display it here for all to see.

Diane

So this is where we are now? We gotta prove ourselves to post here. Sheesh.

[Steve Machol]

This thread makes me sad on many levels.

While I agree that being able to adjust for focal lengths is something every optician, ABO or state certified should do, it sounds like the real issue is one of legality. Simply pointing to the statute, or stating the adjustment of a prescription for focal length in under the scope of practice for an optician would have been enough.

To see it taken to this extreme will only turn off folks from asking the questions that will help them become better opticians. We have all different skill and knowledge levels here. Being brutal with anyone who does not fit in your optician mold unfortunately does not make them instantly better. It instead turns away those who care enough to ask and learn.

So this is where we are now? We gotta prove ourselves to post here. Sheesh.

Go be honest, I've been concerned about this as well. It's one thing to offer information and advice, but sometimes the words and tone we choose do more harm than good. However I also realize that the written word is a tricky form of communication at times and can lead to coming off a bit more harsh than intended. Hopefully that's the case here. After all, we are here to support each other, right?

[m0002a]

This thread makes me sad on many levels.

While I agree that being able to adjust for focal lengths is something every optician, ABO or state certified should do, it sounds like the real issue is one of legality. Simply pointing to the statute, or stating the adjustment of a prescription for focal length in under the scope of practice for an optician would have been enough.

To see it taken to this extreme will only turn off folks from asking the questions that will help them become better opticians. We have all different skill and knowledge levels here. Being brutal with anyone who does not fit in your optician mold unfortunately does not make them instantly better. It instead turns away those who care enough to ask and learn.

There are two separate issues here. One is how to make the adjustment, and the other is whether one can be called an Optician in FL if they are not licensed by the state of FL. Although these issues are different, they are probably both of interest to members of this forum. Even if the most knowledgeable Optician in the world moved to FL from another state, they cannot call themselves Opticians to the public until they are licensed by the state of FL. That is important information to know for ECP's in FL and I don't think there is any intention to insult anyone just because they are not licensed by the State of FL. Obviously, not all states have the same exact licensing rules.

[Diane]

Attachment 10917 Wow, I didn't realize I had to prove myself not to be a liar on this thread. But apparently some of you need to be educated. Here you go!

Sorry, but you are mistaken. You said that my actual state certificate says Certified Optician...not meaning to be snarky. ;o) This is your national certification from ABO, not from Florida. As we stated, Florida does not grant a certificate. You have to be licensed to call yourself an Optician in Florida. I applaude your ABO Certification, but until you are licensed in Florida, they don't recognize it, and the Florida Statute is very clear about title protection. Don't display it...don't call yourself an optician.

Diane

[Diane]

drstewart74,

I do not believe that either Warren nor myself intended to anger you, however, we DID attempt to educate you, which is very important. He and I have both been in this wonderful profession for a very long time. Please take it in the light as it was intended. No one called you out as a liar. I simply hoped that as you looked at your own certificate, you would understand that it was your ABO certificate not a Florida certificate. Obviously, I was in error with my hope for your understanding.

I love the passion of the young people, today, but I also believe that you should look at the intent, rather than jumping to conclusions. While some may say that the Florida board hasn't challenged called anyone out regarding the title protection, they certainly can, and quite frankly, because they define Optician correctly in the actual statute/LAW, I believe it would be wise to follow the law. You are on your way to licensure, by having your ABOC. Keep on going, and educate yourself.

BTW, I've had Board members attend my courses in Florida on Laws and Rules, and clearly stated that unless one is licensed, they cannot display their ABOC, as it could be misleading to the general public, since the word Optician is included.

Diane

[FL-Opt]

drstewart74,

We are not trying to blast you on here about your qualifications as I'm fairly confident that if you have passed the ABO & NCLE exams, then you are able to convert an Rx into a computer Rx. Since you're not an Optician according to FL law, ultimately, your employer is responsible for your actions in the optical dispensary and how you fill Rx's. There are many misconceptions about Florida Opticianry law (by Opticians and non-Opticians alike) and the legal use of the title "Optician". For the record, there is no such thing as a "Licensed Optician", "Non-Licensed Optician" or "Certified Optician" in Florida, there are only "Opticians" who must be licensed and everybody else must use some other term to refer to themselves. We all applaud you on becoming ABO and NCLE certified and we encourage you to continue educating yourself. However, if you represent yourself to the public as an "Optician" in any way, whether on a business card, say it out loud to patients or others, hang your ABO certificate on the wall for the public to see, etc., then according to FL law, you are in violation of Florida statute 484.002 and could be subject to fine and criminal charges. We don't want to see an example made out of you in Florida for referring to yourself as an Optician when you're not and don't want to see you have to deal with all the legalities because of that. We hope you continue to post on here and value your input. If you ever have any questions about FL Opticianry or laws, feel free to private message me. Good luck on your professional career journey.

Please read my thread, I NEVER once used the term licensed, in any manner, so I'm not sure at all what "they" are saying...Ya know what, this is childish, I'm done....signing off now...

[CCGREEN]

drstewart74,
For the record, there is no such thing as a "Licensed Optician", "Non-Licensed Optician" or "Certified Optician" in Florida, there are only "Opticians" who must be licensed and everybody else must use some other term....

So much truth spoken here. No one ever ask for a licensed or unlicensed Optometrist or medical Dr. of any type. And for that matter I have never heard the general public ask for a licensed or unlicensed Optician so why do we in the profession throw around the term? Are we stroking egos when we do that or handing out accolades? The OD and MD get their egos stroked and accolades handed to them every time some one address them by using the Dr. title. Other then that they are just Optometrist or Ophthalmologist just as we are simple Opticians.
No real direction with this post. Just thinking this stuff through on the fly.

[m0002a]

No one ever ask for a licensed or unlicensed Optometrist or medical Dr. of any type. And for that matter I have never heard the general public ask for a licensed or unlicensed Optician so why do we in the profession throw around the term?

It is the state of FL that has determined that anyone who is calls themselves an "optician" to the public must be licensed, presumably because they think it protects the public. There are usually similar rules for other professions such as engineers (only those who provide external services to the public outside their own company). Not all states have these types of rules, but apparently FL does.

As mentioned above by others, there is no such thing in FL as an unlicensed optician, since the term optician in FL means that the person must be licensed. I suppose anyone else who works in a retail optical shop who is not an optician is a sales associate, etc.