needing info on taking the practical exam in Ky--taking in one month---can anyone give me any info at all??? especially about contacts---I only dispense glasses, but I know there's gonna be something about contact fits---
need help! anyone!
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needing info on taking the practical exam in Ky--taking in one month---can anyone give me any info at all??? especially about contacts---I only dispense glasses, but I know there's gonna be something about contact fits---
need help! anyone!
Good luck on your practical!!
Good luck with the exam! I'm a 20 year optician in KY, still no license. I have yet to pass the NCLE. This could possibly be that I am not that bright, or because contacts have never been part of any optical job I'v held. At any rate the system they have here for getting a license is whacked. So, because of my experience I can manage and train opticians, yet have been told in writing from the State board to "cease dispencing eyewear". Whatever! Its a joke. I'v raised a family, paid a motgage, and maintained a modest but comfortable lifestyle for my family and I against the better judgment of our state board. The license thing all started when some guy with an optical shop freaked out because someone opened another one accross the street. They say the license is to protect opticians. I say it hurts the good ones. I'v met soo many lousey licensed opticians, and made good opticians out of them. Sorry for the rant.
I have heard through several opticians the our state board test is more of a formality than anything. They just want to make sure you have your ABO,NCLE, have been paying dues for at least 2 years I beleive it is. Then, in the end, have you jump through some more hoops and pay a fee. It does open doors, and I wish you well.
I was wondering if you took the test and how did it go? Maybe you could give me some suggestions on how to pass the NCLE. Also, I can't beleive that no one argued with me About this State license thing. It just validates my point. Take care, fellow optician!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Goggle
I am curious what makes you think you can call yourself an optician? Afterall in KY that term is a protected title. You are actually an example of why the system works, it is to prevent the public from recieving goods from those that claim to be an optician. If you want the title either pony up and study for the test and pass it or move to a state that doesn't require licensure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Goggle
I am sure this post will come off as confrontational, but it truly isn't meant that way. You used lack of arguement as a proof to your assumption that licensure is not required and I believe it is so I ha to give an example and what better then the most obvous example present here.
peace be unto you.
:confused: Yet no one answered the question originally posed. I would also like to know some tips for what to expect on the KY practical. There are some of us who are trying & yet it doesn't seem any of our peers would like to help...:(
Well let me shed some light on that for you. Not only can I call myself an Optician, but a damn good one. Mainly because I have spent hundreds of hours researching lens design, lens material, fitting tecniques, optical science, business management, and I have an extensive track record in customer satisfaction, and accuracy. I'v worked in a lab, then supervised, then managed, then worked retail, then supervised, then managed, then became an educator, ect...Quote:
Originally Posted by YrahG
I'v paid my dues. I plan to "pony up" and get a license, but the whole point that I was trying to make was that the system that KY has in place, does nothing to insure that a consumer is getting eyeglasses from a capable eyewear professional. Its just all about revenue. Otherwise there would not be so many crappy licensed opticians in our state. And beleive me, there are MANY!
As for the term "Protected title", well thats what the bureaucrats who created this mess call it.
And yes I did find you're post somewhat confrontational. You're opinion of me certainly won't effect any part of my daily life or status. I will still be out here doing what I do and doing it well. You should be thankfull for that. By the way I live 5 minutes from the Indiana state line. Indiana has no system for license in my feild, but I prefer to work where I am at. Thanks.
One more thing, I am sorry for using this nice KY optician's thread to have this discussion. I wish you well! Perhaps we should discuss this in seperate thread. Anyway, God bless you all!
It sounds like you have a great grasp of ophthalmic optics, but you have to see that licensure in the state is to prevent those without the proper credentials from masquaradeing as professionals. In your case you may have all the knowledge but their is no credentials to differentiate you from the guy who's worked for 25yrs. in the business who doesn't know squat and there are many of those out there. You are an exception not the rule so your particular situation doesn't really apply to the arguement about licensure, I hope I didn't come off as too rude I just saw an opportunity to shed some light.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Goggle
Boy ive heard this one before from working in florida. first im sorry i cant answer the original question but can only say if youve studied and you take your time on the test thats all you can do and i wish you good luck on the exam. back to the ranters though in florida some people would go livid if you called yourself an optician and werent licensed so we called ourselves manufacturing opticians which was okay. does having a lic. make you good? hell no! I work in indiana as a lab manager in a "one hour" and if it wasnt for my sense of pride in doing the best i can {" if you can make them than you can make them right"} then im positive the customer gets whatever comes out of the lab. Believe it or not but when I started there at a place with 20+ "opticians" I was the only one who knew how to use a lensometer. Having not worked in all 50 states yet Im sure in all non-lic states it must be similar. liscensure does help the consumer though because it forces people to take thier "profession" more seriously and with c.e. and MONEY out of pocket poeple I believe are more apt to do a better job. I feel all states should have liscensure I fell it makes us better opticians .The states that dont, hire " I use to manage a shoe store therefore i can manage an optical shop just the same" People if you dont know optics then dont apply for a managment position at an optical shop.
What many are failing to forget here, is that it is not an individual issuse. For the profession of Opticianry to legitimize itself, licensure is a must. The protection of the public also requires that you prove to someone other than yourself that you actually do know what you are doing. Some have said they only fit eyeglasses and do not see why they should be tested on CLs. Well, CLs are a part of the scope of Opticians in many states, and historically we have fit them. Dumbing the requirements down by testing individual knowledge of what you do individually is what has weakened the field over the years. Those of you who shout to the roof tops about your wonderful level of knowedge have absolutely nothing to prove that knowledge, beyond your statement. That said, I know many in unlicensed states who are great Opticians, but even they have no foundation to provie that unless the received a degree. It is a shame some of you are in the predicament, and we must develop consistent standards in every state to eliminate this very real concern.
The Kentucky exam is NOT a difficult test, and the pass rates are high. Quite frankly, if you cannot pass that test, I would not be too certain of your vast knowledge. Opticians many times do not know what they do not know, because they were trained in poorly structured on-th-job training programs that limited them to the knowledge their trainer emparted. Go ahead and take the exam! It is a very do-able test and I wish you well.
The problem in unlicensed states is there is NO requirement, beyond a pulse, to call yourself an Optician. That is why we see som many questions here, stated by experienced Opticians, regarding very easy topics any first year Opticianry student would learn in the first semester. Indiana is trying to establish an association. Join it! They need knowledgeable people. There are excellent folks in these states, but they are few.Quote:
Originally Posted by adam f sizemore