Distance Learning in Optical Education

[Roy R. Ferguson]

As many of you know, I've developed a program that uses Charter Oak State College as a means for experienced opticians to obtain fully accredited Associate in Science or Bachelor of Science degrees. Since the ABO/NCLE examinations have been evaluated for 20 semester hours of the 60 required for the Associate of Science degree, Charter Oak offers an outstanding educational opportunity to working professionals. By the way, Charter Oak will transfer college credit from all acredited institutions, regardless of age; even those for the 60's and 70's.

It's inportant to stress that these degrees are for experienced opticians. The courses I have written assume attendees have at least three years experience, ABO/NCLE certification and/or state license. The classes consist of a pre-class assignment, midterm exam, two days of class work and a final examination. When designing the classes, I had in mind trying to blend them into optical meetings so participants could obtain both CE and three semester hours of college credit in a couple of days. Again, these classes are for experienced opticians. Entry-level personnel should attend one of the two-year programs or enroll in one of the distance learning courses to obtain basic education relating to the ophthalmic field.

To speed everyone along I've also developed 13 (39 semester hours) DANTES review courses covering topics such as Art of the Western World and Environment and Humanity. These courses allow the student to study at their own pace and take the exams at their local participating college. All these tests are accepted by Charter Oak and help fulfill the General Studies requirements.

Why aren't opticians beating down the door at Charter Oak? I truthfully don't know. The degrees are fully accredited and completion requirements are very straightforward. The cost is low (approximately $1,000 for the BS) and you're not required to travel to Connecticut. I wish I had known about the Charter Oak degree when I completed my Bachelor's.

Roy R. Ferguson, Ph.D.

[Joann Raytar]

Originally posted by Roy R. Ferguson
By the way, Charter Oak will transfer college credit from all acredited institutions, regardless of age; even those for the 60's and 70's.

Does that mean that credits from Sacred Heart U. back in the Late 80's and early 90's are transferable?

Here are some links for anyone interested:

• Charter Oak State College, Distance Learning
• NFOS, US & Canada
• Middlesex Community College, CT - Opthalmic Design & Dispensing

[Steve Machol]

Originally posted by Roy R. Ferguson
As many of you know, I've developed a program that uses Charter Oak State College as a means for experienced opticians to obtain fully accredited Associate in Science or Bachelor of Science degrees.

Actually I didn't know that! When I was investigating ways to earn an IS degree, Charter Oak was consistently cited as one of the premier and most respected distance learning programs.

This sounds like an opportunity that every Optician should investigate. Good luck with the program!

[Roy R. Ferguson]

Yes Jo, the hours from the 80's and 90's do transfer. That's the beauty of the Charter Oak degree. It's possible to assemble credits from multiple sources and end up with a fully accredited degree. I'm happy to help any interested individuals learn how the Charter Oak program works.

Steve, Charter Oak is one of the best-kept secrets in the United States. It's a state-supported college that is respected in educational circles. The major problem I've encountered when discussing it is that people have difficulty believing that anything this good could be legitimate.

Many opticians have college hours laying around with no idea how to turn them into a degree. Charter Oak is the best way I've found, especially with the 20 semester hours granted for the ABO/NCLE.

[Jeff Trail]

Kevin & Alan,

You two are quick to see the negative BUT do you know the classes that are being offered through Tampa? I take those classes! I think it is great and EVERYONE of the opticians should be cross trained. I kind of have an advantage since I owned two retail stores as well as a wholesale lab, but I have gained a few things along the way in the classes being offered, anatomy&physiology being my biggest learning curve..and is it working? YES..how do I know? Some of my accounts have people in the courses and I have worked with them in the lab classes and have seen a very marked difference in the way they sell as well as dispense. I sure have an easier time trying to relate optical theory as well when problems arise.
I, for one, think it should be mandatory for EVERY optician to have lab as well as dispensing experience and UNDERSTAND the theoretical as well as physical side of optics... the optician should be a step above the retail person.. anyone can sell a SV .50 sphere or fit a FT.. but I have seen some questions posted here over the years by "opticians" that made me wonder how they got their lic. to begin with...
If you want to split it up, that's fine with me but someone should be in an optical that at least understands the reasons "why & and what" it means when they are recommending a lens to someone that does NOT fit in the cookie cutter dispensing of .50 spheres...
I, personally have worked with over 20 opticians who were sitting for the state board here in FL. over the last four or five years and what do they ALL want to do? Remember the formula's to get by, but do they KNOW what those formula's mean..nope, do they want to know? nope, the majority did not want me to explain it..and a lot of those opticians are still accounts of mine and they still do not understand slabs (why and how) and do not understand Fresnel's equation (really nice to know to sell those AR coats), or Prentice rule, or explain "how" a polarized lens works, what an optical cross is and be able to work out the powers, vertex compensation,snells law, figure radius or any of the other number of formula's I have TRIED to teach them..the usual answer is "why?..that's why we have you as our lab"
Alan, you and I are old veterans;) of this board and I think I do have a fairly wide grasp of optic's, both on the physical and theoretical side, but as a "student" of the web branch of Hillsborough C.C. (hi Laurie) I think it is a good worthwhile program... and if it was NOT for this program, in this state I would NOT even be able to get my FL. State ABO lic. without a lot of working under someone or going daytime schooling..and Laurie will attest to my time schedule, I am way to busy for that....
If you want "optician" to be a sales tech, then I would agree that any of this would be a waste of time, BUT if you think that an optician should get higher wages..then with higher wages come a wider scope of responsibilities and educational level...
I for one can speak about Laurie and Bill Underwoods hard work at H.C.C. and can say they have a very good program, a lot of it has been easy for me with my experience, but for the ones around me that are taking the same courses and working in OD's offices that are accounts of my wholesale lab I can see GREAT improvement, that to me is proof enough ;)
Now the bottom line, has it been beneficial and worthwhile to the OD's they worked for as well by learning a lot of the theoretical as well...YES.. and how do I know that? I am their lab and have seen the average cost of sales per pair increase more and more.. makes it a lot easier to sell those premium brand of PAL's when you can actually explain the differences, and upgrade to polarized over a "tinted" lens..or sell that AR coating by explain through Fresnel equation how the material effects the way the light is transmitted and on and on... The way I see it is don't knock it if you havn't gotten the whole picture...
I for one think the program has been worth it, maybe to me it has been fairly easy, but to others I have seen the "light bulbs" pop on when they have seen that "oh this is happening here when we give them this and it's doing this" :) I kinda like that...

I say that you guys should be trying to help not keep talking about how it's not working..... You want that $50 large Kevin? Then get out their and fight to get simple refracting laws passed and widen the scope of those people with A.S. degree's in opticenry .. I do fairly well as an owner of a lab, and I know a lot of opticians that are private owners that make that $50... Got to work for it if ya want it... You want the Lic. to mean nothing to the OD's then sit back..you want it to increase pay then get out there and fight.. here in FL. we have VERY strict rules about what can be done by an optician and by the retailer and it does mean that the opticians pay scale is higher!! Just my .02 worth

Jeff "boy are my fingers tired" Trail

[Alan W]

Jeff . . . Uh,Uhhhh!
Please reread my posts. I am very much pro DE and CBL. I have done some authoring myself. I am very much PRO national licensing. In fact, I am trying to promote multiple/advanced certification for Clinical Optician, Cosmetic Optician, and Manufacturing Optician. I am NOT against ABO Certification. I AM in favor of new line function analysis to bring ABO up to date. I DO believe that advanced certification will be possible when the training function is prepared for rapid delivery to large numbers, so that no one is excluded. I DO believe that national licensure will happen, but after advanced certification. I DO believe that opticians have been exploited and by their own choice have been underutilized because thay have not insisted on advancement as COT or other advanced certifications have.

There are people out there called opticians with certain acquired skills that have had incredible impact on their own or employers business or practice. Some of these people run big time circles around the rest of us. They should be recognized for the effort they have put in for acquiring those skills. I know many of them and they make substantially more money than so many of us. I hope you are in favor of that recognition. You yourself probably have acquired many of the additional skills that could earn you certifcation as a Manufacturing Optician, should that specialty certification happen.

Finally, No one has more respect for the work of these training professionals I have met here on the Board, Roy Ferguson, Laurie Pierce, and others. So, lets not confuse my statements. What I said, I would say to these folks as I would say it to myself as a professional trainer . . . Not to be construed as critical or negative, but in the words and spirit of the Japanese school Kaizen, which translates into "Continual Improvment", I have pledged my support to these professionals.

If I came across negative . . . my sincerest apologies.

[JRS]

Say Alan, have you ever seen Kaizen applied? I went into a lab once that had been "Kaizen'd" - wasn't impressive.

[Alan W]

I can imagine.
The people at Kaizen Institute have the right idea, but are taking TQM, as relates to optical, the wrong way. I met with them in Austin and offered to help. The response was "bring us clients and we'll talk." So, that ended that.
But, I have a world of respect for the system as it applies to the training environment. They, and Deming, so on and so forth, have done wonderful things around the world.
I suspect that the chemistry of optical and TQM have a problem to begin with. I took Benson to the door step of The Malcom Baldridge Award for service excellence, but it was an incredibly painful experience. TQM had minimal results on the lab floor, even under Mark Pratts direction. Then along came Pembridge Holdings. BAM!

[Jeff Trail]

Alan,

Glad to see that we are on the same "page", maybe we differ slightly on those "types" of opticians though, I for one would rather see it split in just two lines..a "optician" and a "refracting optician" (with the proper education level)
My case is kind of weird, I have owned two retail stores as well as a wholesale lab, but in FL. you have two ways of getting your state lic. that is needed (sponsorship or school) I could have had my opticians sign off on my sheet and turn it into the state, but I always thought that was do a disservice to the opticians that worked for me to get them to do that, mainly because of having all three locations I was never in one place for very long :-), and how could you, on one hand, ask an employee to do something that is technically illegal and expect them to be an honest employee? I guess I'm one of those weird people who actually has ethics :-) ...now could I pass the test? yep, took them all but in this state you have to play "politics" to get the state lic...I even got to take a version of the ABOM and passed that, but technically since I was never sponsored none of it was valid in the eyes of the state board. That is the reason I have to go through H.C.C and the web to get my lic. (state boards)
Now can I pass it, I think so, do a lot of the people I do work with and for pass it? probably not, and more than a few just remembered enough to pass it and do not really understand "what" they are learning.. I think they should move it all up a step and pass laws like we have here in FL., if it's retail and you do NOT have an optician on the floor than you can not even make a frame adjustment.. if you do and get caught then you are going to pay a hefty fine. We even had one guy that was tossed in JAIL for dispensing without the FL. lic. !! (30 days in the can) he is, well was, about 20 miles from my lab...
I think what they ought to do is get the OD's (national) and the opticians.. and move them all into another stage of the game...with the proper educational background being required...even though, technically, I am unlic. can I refract? yep..shoot I own two lanes and have a trial frame set at the lab and do a lot of low vision and visual problem work for MD's that are accounts.. one of the reasons I wanted to "boost" my anatomy and pathology through the school...
I would think if you want to cut it into groups you could have a dispensing optician, refractionist (simple refraction no pathology). Than increase the OD's scope of responsibilities, more along the lines of an O.D.P.A.,..you get those guys on your team then you are going somewhere, they are getting it from both ends now adays.(OD's) Between third party **** and HMO's and now the trend of MD's getting into the dispensing as well the market is shrinking for them (money wise)
One thing we both seem to agree on is that a national standard is needed..of course chains are going to fight tooth and nail to not have that. I have taken the ABO and found that to be a very "simple" test.. we need to have a more advanced testing and than we can weed out the ones that want the "lic." and then do cookie cutter optics,that is more of just a tech not an optician. The ABOM I took was more math intensive and had a lot of theoretical stuff that should in my opinion been on the ABO..I have tons of books at home and here at the lab and programs out the ying yang, and know formula after formula..do I use them all the time, nope.. I have used them all one time or another over the years..hmm ..probably, I do a lot of "optics" that fall outside of our usual scope for companies like Radon, AT&T and even helped out on a few things at NASA.. but still a lot of those formula's I do use at times in the visual optics end of our field..
I hope that we can at least get all 50 states just to have a basic Lic. , shoot thier are still some states that do not require anything at all :-) Than we can expand from there (hopefully)

Jeff "fighting back every chance I get" Trail

[Alan W]

What really bugs me is that with it all, recognition isn't on the horizon.
I still hold firm on three certifiations, You have the essence of two of them. If an optician can perform the duties of a OT, NCLE certified tech, and all the things that happen in a doctors office including refracting, that person is very strong in a clinical environment.
But, all across the country there are pockets. I know them well because my job put me in seven major markets. Those pockets of opticians, and believe it or not, some OD's work in an environment that's completely non-clinical. They are up to their ears in makeup and fashion and high end and very very high fashion eyewear. Please don't try to convince me they are the same. I had a young man working for me when I owned The Wizard of Eyes and this "kid" was incredible. He had 160 hours of cosmetology and 60 hours, an Associates Degree in Fashio merchandising. He made my store look like and perform like a Beverly Hills Designer boutique and we attracted that clientelle. They know what make up is all about, because they talk about it in the sale. They know what fashion is all about because they usually came from that environment, and talk the talk of fashion during the whole session. They sell higher priced eyewear to higher end customers whos life is vanity driven, whose careers are centered around "la lunette soire" eyewear of the party (or something like that). These people have no interest in corneal topography, nor do clinical people have much interest in matching eyeshadow and blush to frame and lens tints while wearing a certain outfit. Those people are 100% died in the wool cosmetic and fashion animals. Bless both their hearts and brains. Each should be recognized for specialty. Each IS a specialist. Need I say more about people who run labs, master technicians, so on and so forth. Think about Jeff Trail for a moment. Should Jeff be certified as a manufacturing optician with all that background? Should Jeff be a Certified Clinical Optician? You betcha. If you combine an ABO certification generalist with one certification in a specialty, you have a highly desireable individual who should automtically be licensed. Then in five years, that same person should have a degree to be licensed. I'll bet 80% of the opticians out there are undertrained and don't deserve a license. We should NOT license people just becaause they are born. But, someone who has passed the horrors of the certification process deserves at least specialty certification and then maybe a license, and AFTER THAT . . . tickets to EPCOT! Yes, Yes, Yes!

[Cindy Hamlin]

July 24th, a district manager and I met with the Opticianry department at J. Sargeant Reynolds (Richmond, VA) to learn more about their opticianry program as well as their distance learning opportunities. I was very impressed by the accomodations they make for their distance students to have the technical hands-on knowledge they lack right in their own neighborhood.

I applaud Randy Smith and Ed DeGennaro on the fine program they conduct at J. Sarge.

Here's the link for those interested:
http://www.jsr.cc.va.us/itde/cde/default.htm

~Cindy