Can you call yourself an optician if you're not licensed?

[paw]

I'm having an identity crisis! ;)

I can't decide what to call my occupation! I am not licensed, but can I call my self an optician anyway? If not, what can I call myself?

[chip anderson]

Dear Patricia:

I thought you were an O.D. you can call yourself a physician either way appearently no medical school or license is required now.

Chip

I used to have some stationary that said: From the desk of Charles Anderson, H.P.M.*





* High Priced Mechanic

Of course that was when there was still money in contact lenses.

[Joann Raytar]

Chip,

PAW's husband is an OD.


PAW,

It depends on your state. In Connecticut you cannot call yourself an "Optician" if you are not licensed; we are a licensed state. You would have to check on your state's statutes to get info on licensure.

What you could call yourself if you are in a licensed state will probably require a bit of creativity. If you are the bosses wife, that probably means you do everything but your husband thinks he is doing all the work. ;)

[dgentz]

Are you certified? I call myself an optician because I'm certified. No license required in my state. I call my employees who are not certified "dispensers".

[paw]

My state (Ohio) does license opticians, and I am not certified or licensed.

I think I have resolved my identity crisis.;)

My function in the office is not so much optician as it is paraoptometric (and administrative). There are 3 levels you can get certified as:

certified paraoptometric (this is the lowest level of certification)
certified paraoptometric assistant
certified paraoptometric technician (this is the highest level)

For anyone who is interested, visit
www.aoa.org/students/para-levels.asp

[Joann Raytar]

Ouch, and I thought the fees for all of our certifications were high!

If you decide to go the route of becoming certified, best of luck to you. No matter what you do, paraoptometric or opticianry, if you decide to go the extra step and become certified you deserve applause.

[Homer]

IMO, it is about how you think of yourself!.
Optometry would want you to think of being a supportive assistant to the practice of optometry.

Opticianry often views this position as subservant to another profession. Opticianry would rather view itself as a "stand alone" profession, which many of us have proved through the years that it can be.

While you may do all of the work of an optician in your office you apparently do some of the administrative stuff too. Many of of don't like to talk about that, but it comes with the terratory, especially if one is an independent business professional.

Assuming that you have some training as a "para" in various areas, it would seem that you could choose to call your self an optician if you wish to be identified with that profession as contrasted to optometry.

If this is more than simply self-identification for your own comfort, and your office wishes to advertise you as an optician (such as Optician on duty or Certified Optician on staff) this becomes a slightly different issue.

I assume that even in a licensed state like Ohio, that the eyewear dispensing staff of an OD do not need to be licensed. The name "Optician" or "Certified Optician" are probably not title protected by law so you can bill yourself however you wish. I could see that if you had some kind of certificate of attendance at paraoptometric courses you could legally bill yourself as a "certified optician"

IMO, if you like the work and you don't want to be only identified as "staff" then you should choose to identify with opticianry.

:)

[paw]

I see what you mean, however, I wouldn't feel comfortable calling myself an optician while unlicensed unless I was actively pursuing licensure (studying, sitting for tests, etc), so I guess I'm a paraoptometric for now! The doctor (my husband) would love it if I became an optician, but I don't feel up to pursuing that until my kids are older.

[Rich R]

At many optical shops I see name badges from Optician, Lead Optician, Certified Optician, and Licensed Optician, I'm sure there are more out there.
Rich R

[BobV]

I had the title of "optical specialist" at LC 16 years ago. They gave this designation if you worked both lab and front end.

We are not licensed here in Missouri, but I am ABOC and have no problem in calling myself an optician, because this is my livelihood.

Patricia, you can call yourself "Grand Poobah" if you wish. Pick a title that fits with what you do best.

Bob V.

[Laurie]

Hi Paw,

You are correct in not calling yourself an optician until you are certified/licensed because the state you are in requires it.

I want you to know that it is easier to become educated and licensed in opticianry than you may think. Our college degree program may be obtained via distance education. We have lots of young mom's enrolled who are able to fit it into their busy lifestyles. It requires one trip to Tampa at the beginning to register and learn our computer program, and after that, it is all at a distance.

Please email me if you are interested in more info in how to get an AS degree in opticianry via watching educational videos, practicing in your husband's practice and interacting on the Internet.

: )

Laurie

[hcjilson]

Paw,

I am delighted, as I usually am, after reading your posts. You are a welcome addition to this board and a breath of fresh air!

I would suggest you sit for the Ohio exam and get certified. I would worry less about what you called yourself because of the 5-15 people who visit my office daily, I can honestly sat, not one has asked me if I was an optician, at least during the past 5 years.

Its not what you call yourself thats important. Its how you do your job! If you do your job well and professionally....the rest will take care of itself. I would ask any of the respondants to your post if anyone has asked for their credentials lately. My educated guess would be that no one has asked. If you do your job professionally, no one will ask! If your husband is, in fact, an OD, ask him the last time anyone has requested his credentials! Keep those posts coming!

hj

[BobV]

Harry, I beat the patients to the punch by handing them my business card and pointing out that I'm ABO certified. I also let them know what it means and that they have a professional taking care of them.

Bob V.

[hcjilson]

Bob makes an excellent point. Put your certification right on the business card!

hj

[paw]

Thanks for the nice comments Harry.

We are not real big on titles in our office, and I never really concerned myself with an occupational title until I noticed everybody had an occupation listed in their Optiboard profile but me!

It would be useful however to have a title to give when someone asks me what I do. When I say I work in an optometric office, they think I am a receptionist. I may just answer "optician" in those situations, since "paraoptometric" sounds...strange.

[chip anderson]

Patricia:

The dictionary definition of "Optician" is: Anyone working with, the sale, manufacture or distribution of optical products.

This includes microscopes, eyeglasses, telescopes, magnifiers and such.

So you can call yourself an Optician if you have anything to do with any of the above.

Chip

[Joann Raytar]

In Connecticut:

CHAPTER 381*
OPTICIANS

http://www.ctopticians.com/TOCstatut...0of%20Contents

Sec. 20-145. Definition of licensed optician. A licensed optician, for the purposes of this chapter, shall be defined as follows: One having a knowledge of optics and skilled in the technique of producing and reproducing ophthalmic lenses and kindred products and mounting the same to supporting materials and the fitting of the same to the eyes.

However,

Sec. 20-160. Deceptive ownership or management of optical establishments. Misuse of designations. Any person, firm or corporation, owning, managing or conducting any store, shop or place of business, not holding an optical permit or an optician's license, or not having in his or its employ a licensed optician for the supervision of such store, office, place of business or optical establishment, or including in any advertisement, whether in a newspaper, book, magazine or other printed matter, or by radio, the term "optician", "licensed optician", "optical establishment", "optical office", "opticians" or any combination of such terms, within or without such store, in such manner as to mislead the public to the belief that the same is a legally established optical place of business, licensed as such, or owned, managed or conducted by a person holding an optician's license, or that such person, firm or corporation is the holder of an optical permit, when, in fact, it is not, shall be fined not more than two hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than six months or both.

In a licensed state, I would check the statutes before using the "optician" designation if you are not an optician. Who's gonna check? That may be a valid question but it only takes one complaint to get caught. A customer in an unamed CT optical shop didn't like the customer service she received. She asked the "apprentice" who dispensed the glasses if she could see his paperwork; he didn't have it because he wasn't registered with the state. She complained and the state board took a look at the optical. There were a couple of individuals who weren't registered and they got hit with a heavy fine. It only takes one person to ask about licensure and registration status to land your company one heck of a fine and to hammer the supervising LO responsible for the dispensary.

[paw]

Laurie said, "Our college degree program may be obtained via distance education. "

Now I'm confused. This is opticianry's greatest problem, IMHO:

Some states, opticians can become licensed, and in other states there is no such licensure. In the states that have licensure, people can still perform the same duties even though they are not licensed. (Compare this to medicine where if you practice without a license and you are in big trouble.)

Now I discover that opticianry can be obtained through a college degree program, although some states don't require this degree, they just require that you pass the licensure test.

Opticianry's greatest problem is that the requirements for practicing opticianry are not consistent across the board and it all makes no sense.

Add to this the fact that opticianry involves 2 areas: the lens fabricating aspect and the dispensing aspect. Does a licensed optician have to be proficient in both, or do some states have separate licensures for each of the 2 aspects?

Do any of you feel all of this is a problem for opticianry?

[Joann Raytar]

paw said:
Do any of you feel all of this is a problem for opticianry?

Definitely; we are not a standardized profession. I would like to see the formal education requirement become a mandatory part of the standard. Right now, many licensed states require either formal education or apprenticeship (some of states require ABO/NCLE certification only).

This is why some of us got our dander up over the TN threads; the formal education requirement is being fought in certain states. Formal Education is important to ensure a good future for Opticians but it is getting shot down by the other two O's and some Opticians as well.

[Homer]

Jo said:
This is why some of us got our dander up over the TN threads; the formal education requirement is being fought in certain states. Formal Education is important to ensure a good future for Opticians but it is getting shot down by the other two O's and some Opticians as well.

Insert Soapbox:

It is largely opticians who have shot down the standardization process! Either they don't want to be foreced to be formally educated (which I think is quite rare) or they think they are educated and can prove it with their "licenses", which are stupidly different from state to state, and refuse to see the whole picture and give up anything.

When the opticians in licensed stated can agree on a plan of uniformity for both education & reciprocal licensing, THEN we have something that we can sell to national corporate opticals as well as the unlicensed states. It would only be counterproductive to have another state licensure for opticians that is unique and nonreciprocal.

While I am not familiar with all states, it is my preciption that the MD's have never really been the problem. The "good ol' boys" of independent optometry (which is fading fast) have been strong opponents as well as the "chains".

There's a new world comming! Optometry will soon be made up of a majority who want to be optometric physicians and don't want to have or be tied down to an independent practice. They'd rather work for Wally World or the local MD-owned eye center and have set hours and then have a life after hours.

If we made our own COW (collation of the willing), OD's who support opticianry, OD's who support reciprocity of state licenses and national chains who want the freedom to easily move both Doctors and Opticians, we could take "Bagdad" by storm. That would be "Shock and Awe"!

[paw]

Homer said,
"The "good ol' boys" of independent optometry (which is fading fast) have been strong opponents as well as the "chains".

There's a new world comming! Optometry will soon be made up of a majority who want to be optometric physicians and don't want to have or be tied down to an independent practice. They'd rather work for Wally World or the local MD-owned eye center and have set hours and then have a life after hours."


1. Homer, the vast majority of optometrists don't WANT to work for WM (or any other chain) or for MD offices. However, they often have to start out their careers that way because they graduate from OD school with great debt (think $80,000 as a conservative number). New ODs take the chain job so they can pay off their school loans and support a family too. The lucky ones "escape" the grasp of the chains if they are lucky and do transition to a private practice eventually.

There are not too many established independent ODs who can take on an associate and pay him/her the starting salary that WM can. On top of that, for a new OD to buy the practice from the established OD means yet another loan. Even worse for the new OD is starting a practice from scratch (more loans and slow income those first few years).

The lament of established ODs is that new ODs should take the long view: a private practice OD will almost certainly attain a higher income in the long run by having a private practice rather than working in a chain for his entire career. But that is an OD issue that I won't bore you with here.

I just want you to understand that there are more issues at hand than you realize.

2. Regarding your disdain for optometric physicians, re-read Dr. Watson's magnificent post on the "Exam / Refraction" thread (last post of page 1). ODs are a different animal now, Homer. Not refractionists and haven't been for a long time. ODs evaluate the visual system. When they find a health issue they can treat, it only makes sense to remedy it then and there. The only people who are unhappy about this are opticians. Haven't heard ANY of OUR patients complain about the OD being able to treat their red eyes.

[Laurie]

Hi Paw,

The OD issue is not as simple as you suggest.

Now that you know that you can be formally educated to be an optician, will you take the next step?

And, will your husband step up and promote the fact that opticianry is, in fact, a profession... not just a receptionist'type?

My husband (also OD) has done just that.

And, my husband was in private practice in Massachusetts for 18 years, and now makes far more money associated with a corporation....he does not make money from retail items, just from professional services.

None of this fits in a tidy little box, I'm afraid....

Welcome to the wacky world of optics.

: )

Laurie

[paw]

Sorry, Laurie, we have to agree to disagree!

BTW, if your husband doesn't already, he should check out Seniordoc.org, an excellent OD closed forum.

Please don't paint me as a newbie. My husband has been an OD for 13 years (and bought his practice 12 years ago) and I know the profession inside and out. I am new only to dispensing opticianry, since I just started working there 2 1/2 years ago.

The only reservation I have about pursuing opticianry as opposed to paraoptometric certification is that I don't want to be a part of the anti-OD sentiment I see in opticianry as represented by this Board.

[chip anderson]

Dear Patricia:

Every opticianry licenseing law or proposal, every regualtion regarding opticianry exempts: Ophthalmologist and thier Employees, Optometrist and those under thier direct employ.

So where is your conflict. On many occasions Optometry attempts to pass laws that would restrict opticianry, put opticianry under the control of optometry, etc. But employees of O.D.'s and O.M.D's are always exempt. They are also exempt from the rules opticianry would pass or attempt to pass to regulate themselves, so where is your conflict?

Chip

[Joann Raytar]

paw said:
The only reservation I have about pursuing opticianry as opposed to paraoptometric certification is that I don't want to be a part of the anti-OD sentiment I see in opticianry as represented by this Board.

Then obtain your license but don't get on that old bandwagon. If all of the O's are going to play nice together, somebody has got to start the co-operation somewhere.

It may sound a bit angry in here sometimes but at least we are talking with each other; that's more than you would get in a great many other areas where all of the optical fields come together.