But I’ve had it with the bickering, back-biting, smarter-than-you attitudes in this industry. I believe the reason behind our inability to communicate with each other across professional lines is simply that we don’t want to. Opticians seem to like the bottom of the optical food chain.
As a group, we don’t support college-based education in any meaningful way, because we don’t make it a prerequisite for hiring nor do we encourage co-workers or employees to seek it. After all, requiring that level of competency usually means higher salaries.
More than half of us don’t support state licensure, because more than half of the states don’t require it. We’d have to work together with state and national organizations to achieve it and that’s just asking too much. Most of our professional organizations represent only a fraction of the Opticians in their respective states. Too many of us see licensure as just another income source for state governments rather than an indication to the consumer that there is some level of skill and knowledge required to practice.
Many Optometrists and Ophthalmologists support the concept of college-educated and licensed Opticianry. However, the actions of their respective state and national organizations and even their own hiring practices belie their words. If a college-educated, licensed professional is good for your practices, then require it and pay accordingly. If state licensure is important to your practices then support efforts to achieve it, even if it means associating with Opticians.
My bottom line is this: If you want to fight, then fight. If you want to want to be the smartest one in the room, fine. I’ll afford you as much professional courtesy and respect as I’m given, but nothing more. At the end of the day, all any of us want is to have a meaningful profession, a modicum of respect and a decent lifestyle for our families and ourselves.
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