Continuing Education

**rbaker** · 06-04-2005, 12:56 PM

Many recent posts are discussing continuing education either directly or by inference. I have very strong feelings and opinions in this area and would like to throw one of them out for discussion. In the interest of focusing my thoughts I will address them to the optician in the United States.

First of all, what little formal education that is available to opticians is on the vocational track at the community college level. These curriculum consist of optician stuff and some general liberal arts stuff. One problem facing these programs is that the transfer of credits to other schools is quite problematic. Yes, it can, in some cases be done, but much remedial work is often necessary. Therefore, these programs are terminal. Traditionally, vocational education worked closely with labor unions and, indeed, in many cases was instituted by unions. Opticianry has no trade union to guide curriculum and enforce compliance with wage standards and performance. This terminal vocational education model stands in contrast to the traditional model of higher education which places each level of education as a stepping stone to a higher level.

We must always be cognizant of the fact that the formal education of opticians in this country is vocational and not professional. It is not a rung in the ladder to a degree in Optometry or Medicine. Nor is it a place where one goes to learn profesional accounting or management That being said, opticianry programs must constantly focus on the improvement of the vocational skills required to perform as journeymen in the field of opticianry. Yes, they may also teach some rudimentary management and accounting stuff but until a 4 year BS curriculum is developed in a State College or University these efforts must be secondary to the “prime directive.”

The ancillary skills that an optician needs to advance, such as accounting, management, etc. are best acquired in the traditional four year college or university. Most State College systems have wonderful programs available for the working student either days or evenings.

Dick
www.aaerovisiontech.com

**wmcdonald** · 06-04-2005, 09:34 PM

You are correct, sir. While many AAS degrees will transfer to a four-year college or university, some will not. It is dependent on a number of factors and the school or college they wish to transfer into. But most accredited AAS programs are not merely vocational. Much of the curricula in (at least in COA-accredited schools) is very much on par with the education at colleges and universities across the country, and would easily fit the mold of many colleges 300-400 level courses. Transferability can still be an issue because of where the courses are housed and we need to be looking at that now to move them to specialized four-year colleges. Opticians can and should look to expand their educational requirements and your comments are right on the money. As a senior administrator at a university, and an Optician, I encourage the leaders on this board to do all you can to help Opticianry move ahead via education.

**Darryl Meister** · 06-05-2005, 12:16 AM

Much of the curricula in (at least in COA-accredited schools) is very much on par with the education at colleges and universities across the country, and would easily fit the mold of many colleges 300-400 level courses.

I suspect that the articulation policies at most universities would preclude transferring credits in at upper division levels (300 to 400) from a two-year college, but some might very well transfer certain opticianry courses in as natural science electives and such. Also, assuming that COA-accredited programs must still meet the general education requirements of the institution's AS degree (which I don't know for certain), those courses should certainly transfer to undergraduate universities.

I agree that an optical program shouldn't include a significant business management component. Personally, I don't see "business management" as a skillset intregral to ophthalmic dispensing, especially since very few opticians actually own and operate their own practice nowadays. A course that concentrates strictly on operating an optical dispensary might still be beneficial as an elective course though, since it could address topics relevant to many dispensers, including inventory management, patient record keeping, applicable regulatory guidelines (OSHA, FTC, ANSI, HIPAA, FDA, etc.), and so on.

Best regards,
Darryl

**wmcdonald** · 06-05-2005, 08:58 AM

What I mean by on par is that the material is not just fluff......it requires a great deal of effort to complete. You are correct that they would not generally (alomost never) be transferrred as upper-division courses, but that is not what I said. Transfer of AS and AA degrees (AS and AAS are different degrees) are easy. They are designed as transfer degrees with mainly general education coursework. AAS degrees are technical in nature with a limited general ed component. It can be done.....we take tham on a case-by-case basis, and many other universities will as well. They just don't receive as much transfer credit. But again, that was not my point. My point is that Opticianry degree programs are not easy and coursework requires just as much effort as many 300-400 level courses. Opticians with AAS degrees in opticianry need to look for other areas and gain additional education to make you more competetive in the business and professional world.