I've been contemplating the future of opticianry, and I don't see a light at the end of the tunnel. I honestly think the field will be phased out in the next generation or two in exchange for automation and salesmen. Unfortunately, with our leaders and the prevalent "sales technique first" attitude, there really is no incentive for change. Also, I'm betting that there will be tv ads that indicate: 3d printers could allow customers to print out their own frames and insert the lens themselves!
Unless Opticians expand education and training to allow them to do more, they will continue to decline fathers of Optometry, originally Opticians, had the necessary vision, while our leaders slept. I suspect there will always be someone called an optician, but it is a shame we have allowed others to dictate our fate.
It's all political. Optometrists generate larger revenue in the health sector than do opticians, so of course, we get the short end of the stick. That's probably why our lobbying efforts have never been successful. We need to rebel like the physicians' assistants do against the nurse practitioners.
I am not sure what you mean by the PA/NP issue. They both require graduate degrees, and are advancing every year. PAs now are Master's prepared, and we require a pulse in most places. Until we get better, we become more and more irrelevant. Some say it is too late........probably correct.
PA's operate under the medical model of care, while NP's operate under the nursing model of care. The latter is starting to infiltrate other sectors in the medical community that needs to operate under the former.
As far as opticianry goes, we're being pushed aside and are being forgotten. Even if education/licensure goes up, why would an employer pay more for an "educated eyeglass salesman". I think the war should be focused on ODs since they're preventing us from refracting, and are taking away our rights. We should learn from the PA/NP issue - it may be our only hope.
You start at the bottom and end at the top of the profession ........................
Originally Posted by Wisconsin ABO
Do not blame the Optometrists, they are the end product of the optical carrier cycle the world over, with the exception of North America.
Blame the USA system with individual States laws, that were never consolidated under the countries flag, as it is in most other countries, were proper certification is a must.
You start at the bottom and end at the top of the profession, by a continuous learning cycle. If you have the funds, or access to them, you can also reach the top in a few years, of continuous education over in Europe.
As Warren McDonald says, it might be too late for the free for all system in the USA, were the end product can be made in non regulated States of the USA and Canada and sold anywhere else.
As a university professor with one of the top PA programs in the nation, and a wonderful Nursing program as well, I am well aware of the differences between the two providers. I lecture almost weekly to both groups. Most research indicates there outcomes are comparable, and in fact in multiple AHA studies, NPs were the preferred providers in hospital settings. That was my point, I do not see any issue. We are in such need of primary care providers that they get along quite well in most places. I am surprised to see that may not e the case in your lovely state. Interesting discussion.......thanks.
Chris, Opticianry's problem started many years ago when the "profession" was forming. We remained allied to MDs. We were fat and happy a long as the benevolent benefactors we were chained to sent us Rxs. We learned via a faux apprenticeship model that was really cheap labor. As the ODs, who were at the time poorly organized and nowhere near what they are today started their goal of licensure and expanding scope of practice, many Opticians wanted to do the same. Unfortunately the "leadership" in many states also owned the larger optical firms, and felt they would have to pay more for staff if they were educated and licensed appropriately. Licensure did develop in a few states, but we never could get it done across the nation. Does this sound familiar? Still happening today. ODs had to attend a school......initially a 6-month course (I have a copy of the curriculum). Then to two years, then 3 (Columbia University, and others), and finally they decided to make it a professional doctoral-level degree. They required a 4-year OD program with at least two years of science and other related pre-requisite coursework. Now they require a Bachelor's degree to get in most of them. OK.....enough history.
I provide that information to point to the real issue in Opticianry. In a nutshell, I have teen the enemy and it is us! We did not advance ourselves through education and learn to do more. In fact, in the last few decades we have dumbed down significantly. We had very poor leaders who sought to serve themselves versus the profession, and that still remains true today. I teach leadership all over the world, and one thing I know if that true leaders develop leaders behind them. Look at some of these boards......ABO/NCLE is full of people who have been there for many years. Their service has been valuable and appreciated, but it goes against the entire idea of leadership development. They are just an example. Many states, and especially mine her in MC is significant need of change in the professional association's leaders who have been in place for decades
Another issue.......with all this, we no longer attract the best and brightest (if we ever did, but at least most entering the field saw it as a professional endeavor), we now attract folks who see the field as kind of professional, but without a great deal of effort to enter. It is now a job for spouses as a second income, and it is sad. You are right, it is no ODs fault, nor the corporates. Our plight is of our own making. If you look back over my writings of the last 30+ years, you will hear the same song. I have shouted from the rooftops the need to improve, but we were fat and sassy, and felt no need. That is a lack o leadership......no vision, and therein lies our issue. I have tired of it lately, but just can't give up the ship completely, so I keep subjecting myself into this argument I know I will not win. But no one can say I have not tried.
As to state requirements, however, we must disagree, my friend. When America, the greatest nation on the face of God's green earth was forming, it was a alignment of individual states, and our constitution gives those states the rights to specific things like professional licensure.......and driver's licensing for that matter. I know it is the same in Canada. Each province issues a license for the professions......and for drivers. So I am not sure where this idea of national licensing comes from, but it will never take place here.
I have rambled enough. When you get old, you tend to do that, but I want folks to think about the future. What we can be of we try. I really do not think it is too late, but I sense it soon will be. If we do not right this ship, we will sink it........in fact, it is taking on water now, and many are jumping on the life boats.
Our leaders knew opticians were limited in regards to optometrists, so they stood still and filled their wallets as long as they could. They hoped it would be someone else's problem in the future, but no one took the responsibility or the initiative to fix the problem. The optometrists saw this, and took more of our share and pushed us aside.
The whole downfall of opticianry is a result of our leaders, optometrists, pa/np, and of course, us opticians. We allowed this to happen since we took the money that came in, and pursued short-term successes. The problem with short-term success is whenever a field makes money, people jump on the bandwagon. So, we attracted people that were more salesmen than optician, and this brought down our field. When the money was gone, the salesmen left and tarnished the optician reputation.
I see a strong parallel in the np/pa fiasco that's taking place. I honestly feel the CNAs are being pushed aside as a result, despite being qualified in some capacities.
Going back to opticianry, I don't see how we can recover. Technology is improving, and with digital printing/online designing, customers will be less likely to visit opticians. We need to refract, and increase our rights to stay relevant and to take the ODs down.
My favorite subject.
Hey, we're all in the same boat.
I see the future.
Let's start with this:
We will have "big optical retail" and "big medicine".
"Big optical retail" will be online, brick-and-mortar, etc. It will probably shake out to a few big players eventually.
"Big medicine" will probably be public, I hate to tell you, but it may be private/public partnership. We'll see. Think "Mayo Clinic" with a bunch of branches.
So, opticians and optometrists can work for Essilux, or whatever. Or, we can work under the auspices of some super-health corporation/HMO or something.
Of course, that leaves room for those who want to be small and independent. Granted, it will be harder and fewer will be able to do it, but anytime there is "big" there is going to be "impersonal", "non-innovative", "bureaucratic", etc. So a really good craftsman/artist/customer service type will be able to scratch out quite a decent living.
This description already feels like today. The last 2 decades even. And the "insurance" companies are only hastening the decline of quality, lack of choice and any hope of real profitability for the majority of "private" offices. Are you really "private" when you're completely beholden to the "insurance" cartel? ;)
Well, yes, we're private in the sense that we're not "public" or government-run (and that's going to be an important distinction in the future, I feel).
But we're not "independent". Far from it.
In a very real sense, we "work for" the insurances that we contract with. We play by their rules. We use their labs. We provide the materials on their formularies. It's the same with medical care in an HMO.
Truth.
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