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Thread: Attention Opticians: Please stop blaming organizations for our failings.

  1. #76
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    Van,
    I appreciate it, and have offered a plan above (at least a brief note about it). It has fostered just what you say, and will continue, as long as we have folks who fear that others will get ahead of them somehow versus truly serving their profession by supporting change everyone sees is needed. Change can be painful, but change we must. Continue the dialogue, however. I would love to sit down with you one day, and show you the research I and others have done, and I know you will develop a better understanding of the path we need to take.

    Best,
    Warren

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    What is the national average earning for any health care profession that requires a two years assocaites degree..I'm guessing upper twenty to low 30s per hour wage. Now an Optician even my state of Florida, with a two year degree will make a starting 18 and maybe more...but an apprentice optician will make roughly the same...so until the wages go up college candidates are going to choose more profitable careers. Lets look at hearing aids, they require a six month course approved and given by only one course followed by a national test....and possibly a state test. yet they can earn 60k. The problem is really the ABO.

    Before any one says if one has joined or one has raised concerns within the organization...the answer is yes but to ones surprise they dont want to hear. They dont want to change. They just want to keep the status Q. so either they dissapear after a new one is formed or we simply keep feeding this inneficient beast more and more. I think its time to move on and start a new one with a more democratic selection of leaders. Everyone is afraid to change. Lets just demand a change. I am a true believer that a new organization must be lead by academia that rules over national certification programs. No less than that. Grandfather all the ABOs grandfather all the NCLC and start a new program based on academic achievements not on cheap labor.
    CNG
    Last edited by CNG; 04-11-2012 at 11:45 AM. Reason: course

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    I would consider these two concepts related... and crucial.

    Quote Originally Posted by wmcdonald View Post
    I understand, Van, but unfortunately Roy, myself and a few others have been unble to motivate current folks to any large degree..
    Quote Originally Posted by Diane View Post
    So much of what is not happening today is because current Opticians fear that their credibility will be less or questioned because they have achieved what they dreamed of and worked for without formal education. I am an apprentice trained optician from back in the 70's. ....Diane

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    Warren,
    I would love the chance to hear your ideas someday. I am open to other ideas, but I see more complaints on this forum (not pointing at you) that may be correct, but don't include realistic, practicle or incremental plans. Without plans, ideas are really nothing.

    Quote Originally Posted by wmcdonald View Post
    Van,
    I appreciate it, and have offered a plan above (at least a brief note about it). It has fostered just what you say, and will continue, as long as we have folks who fear that others will get ahead of them somehow versus truly serving their profession by supporting change everyone sees is needed. Change can be painful, but change we must. Continue the dialogue, however. I would love to sit down with you one day, and show you the research I and others have done, and I know you will develop a better understanding of the path we need to take.

    Best,
    Warren

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    Quote Originally Posted by CNG View Post
    .... The problem is really the ABO..... Before any one says if one has joined or one has raised concerns within the organization...the answer is yes but to ones surprise they dont want to hear. They dont want to change. They just want to keep the status Q. so either they dissapear after a new one is formed or we simply keep feeding this inneficient beast more and more.
    +1

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    Darryl,
    I appreciate your critisism of my plan, but I still am not seeing your own. What practicle steps can be taken? Its not enough to just "support" education, we have to make it happen, step by step. What is your plan if you disagree with mine? Like I said, we are all listening.


    Quote Originally Posted by Darryl Meister View Post
    I disagree with your argument regarding the availability of optical programs, which I see as a circular argument. We don't have enough schools, because most opticians have not sought formal education. In fact, we actually had more optical programs in the past, although several have shut down over the years. Even now, accredited distance learning optical programs have made opticianry available to just about anyone.


    I don't necessarily know that any apprenticeship program could qualify someone to teach college-level courses on the subject. And how is implementing a nation-wide "Advanced Apprenticeship" program any easier than getting an aspiring optician to take an online course? Or even taking the ABO-AC exam, for that matter?

    Perhaps I do not understand what you are proposing as your version of apprenticeship, but unless it differs markedly from the current so-called apprenticeship under which most opticians are currently trained, I really don't see how it could advance the profession in any meaningful way. If optometrists had relied only on apprenticeship to advance their profession, they wouldn't be making on average three to four times what opticians make.

    Best regards,
    Darryl

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    Quote Originally Posted by sharpstick777 View Post
    Again, the idea without a clear plan, although noble... will foster uncertaintly. That uncertainty will flow into resentment, and then resistance. That restistance will either lead to apathy or impass.
    I found a copy of this 1991 memo. This was the certificate program I proposed to take statewide and present to apprentice opticians. This is also the program that the state society and the state licensing board viciously opposed and ultimately destroyed. A clear plan was in place, it would have been available statewide, the expense was minimal, and it would have certainly elevated the entry level knowledge of opticians. It was not opposed by Optometry or the chain firms. This proposal was hunted down and killed by opticians.

    TO: (President RSCC)

    FROM: Roy R. Ferguson

    DATE: 24 May 1991

    SUBJECT: Statewide Expansion of RSCC Opticianry Program

    Presently the Opticians within Tennessee are being trained through the use of an apprentice system which is lacking in the formal educational experience necessary to produce highly qualified health‑care professionals. By implementing a statewide certificate program,the Opticianry Program at Roane State Community College has the opportunity to fill this void. This program can be installed with minimum expenditure through the use of other facilities within the Tennessee Board of Regents and by utilizing adjunct faculty. This program will involve offering 24 semester hours of opticianry credits taught by qualified instructors across Tennessee. These instructors will operate as RSCC adjunct faculty and utilize Tennessee Board of Regents facilities during periods in which the classrooms are not otherwise utilized. These credits will include:
    OPT111 Optical Theory I
    OPT112 Optical Theory II
    OPT 121 Optical Finishing I
    OPT122 Optical Finishing II
    OPT232 Contact Lenses I
    OPT233 Contact Lenses II
    OPT222 Ophthalmic Dispensing I
    OPT223 Ophthalmic Dispensing II

    TOTAL SEMESTER HOURS 24

  8. #83
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    I am not sure if this has been suggested. It seems logical to me that there could be 2 different optician certifications sponsored by an organization like the ABO. One would be a practical exam with no educational requirement. Maybe this certification should require experience or sponship by a certified member. The second would be a certification with a more difficult exam and an educational requirement (either an associate or bachelor degree). This would enable those with practical experience to be certified as well as those with additional education to also be certified, but at a differentiate level. Eventually, the educated level may be able to perform certain functions above and beyond the more basic level.

    Just an idea from a guy in the cheap seats. If we can't figure this out, I am going to start telling my friends to buy eyewear online.........just kidding.

    Regards,

    Stosh Tabor

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    Opticians of all people do not like change, nor do they like being wrong! But then again, that is most people not just opticians

    Diane, I agree with your whole statement. I was also an apprentice. I trained under a optician who moved to Florida from Canada where she was an optician there for 15 years. I was in a primary care practice for 15 years and besides being an optician I held the hands of many patients during a close angle glaucoma episode or drove someone to the ER when their blood pressure was through the roof. We all come from different backgrounds but bring much to the table. People... current opticians do no want to feel less than... if they truly have put there heart and soul in this field and we tell them they are not professionals, that they lack formal education....in their reality they are successful and that is what matters to them. They will feel alienated from their peers, a group they have belonged to for a long time. That is why I agree with Van, there needs to be a path for current people in the field to advance to a professional level. There are current programs in place for opticians to gain credit for their experience or certifications/licensure towards an AA degree.
    There is clearly room to make a career path toward a degree for everyone. We need a plan and we need to execute it. Our industry is changing and we must change with it, we must embrace it and move forward. But generally people are afraid of change, complacency can be very comfortable. In order to get anything done we have to move in a spirit of collaboration, which I find it also hard for some to do. Looks like we maybe on our way with discussions like these.

    Currently a career path plan that has been in place in some combination is this:

    Non Certified Optician
    Certified Optician ABO
    Certified Optician ABO/NCLE
    Licensed Optician by Apprentice
    Licensed Optician by AA Degree
    Licensed Optician AA Degree and BS Degree

    Currently Advanced ABO/NCLE and Board Certifications are basically optional...not required.

    The content/education/certification for each of those stepping stones are different, not perfect or even current, but would you eliminate any of those steps?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Angela Lehmkuhle View Post
    There are current programs in place for opticians to gain credit for their experience or certifications/licensure towards an AA degree.
    Several years ago I designed a program through a fully accredited state college that would have given 21 credits for successful completion of the ABO/NCLE. Only 60 credits were required for an AAS. After that I wrote and had approved a series of classes for opticians that provided both CE and college credit. The only required coursework that would have required classroom attendance were two English courses and one in Math. To my knowledge no state society, no optical group,or any individual took advantage of the opportunity.
    Last edited by Roy R. Ferguson; 04-11-2012 at 01:09 PM. Reason: spacing

  11. #86
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    I appreciate your critisism of my plan, but I still am not seeing your own. What practicle steps can be taken? Its not enough to just "support" education, we have to make it happen, step by step. What is your plan if you disagree with mine? Like I said, we are all listening.
    Honestly, I'd have to go through all four pages of this thread to really understand what it is that you are proposing, since I have only seen reference to the kind of apprenticeship model that has already failed to advance this profession. You certainly don't need a new plan to realize that the current plan isn't working.

    Earlier, the following point was made:
    So much of what is not happening today is because current Opticians fear that their credibility will be less or questioned because they have achieved what they dreamed of and worked for without formal education
    This point highlights a critical rift among opticians regarding the notion of "opticianry," which more than anything has probably thwarted our chances of reaching a consensus. Some apparently feel that an optician is someone who owns and operates their own dispensary. Heck, even the folks responsible for developing the ABO's core competency guidelines have now included questions regarding practice management on a spectacle dispensing exam.

    However, in reality, the vast majority of individuals who fit and dispense eyewear do not own their own business. And those who currently do run a successful business apparently see less need for advancing our profession compared to their colleages working for retail chains or even for other independent practitioners. They do not acknowledge that opticianry for most is an ancillary medical profession.

    I agree that as a small business owner in retail sales, you have a greater earning potential than someone who is only employed by the same, whether your business is selling eyeglasses or stereos. Of course, you are also at greater risk of making less, if your business is not successful. But this is not really a reflection of your professional status or trade skill as an optician, any more than the success of a retail optical chain is a reflection of the CEO's professional status or skill as an optician.

    Your professional status is not measured by your retail mark-up or profit margins. This is why optometrists will command a consistently good salary in any state, whether working for a retail chain or running his or her own practice, compared to opticians, whose income can vary dramatically. And I suspect that it will become only harder and harder to run a successful small retail optical business in the future.

    As for my plan, I can't say that I really have one at this point. But, years ago when I was actually dispensing, my plan was to see Missouri become a licensed state. And I was on the board of directors of the Opticians Association of Missouri when we had our first real short at getting licensing legislation passed. And I watched the bill crash and burn due to a few outspoken opticians who refused to reach a reasonable compromise with the optometrists who had actually agreed to support the bill.

    Now, 20 years later, there still isn't any licensing in Missouri for opticians. Nor is there an Opticians Association of Missouri any longer.

    However, if I had to make a recommendation, not a plan, I would probably propose the following short list, just off-the-cuff:

    1. Unify opticianry organizations, in particular the OAA and NAO, and then strengthen this organization. Actively promote membership. Charge members enough to allow the organization to work towards our common goals, while showing members the results of that work.

    2. Seek the support of the American Optometric Association. The fact is, opticians and optometrists often have common interests and face common challenges. What opticianry has failed to do in the past is to convince optometrists that it is actually in optometry's best interest to have licensed opticians.

    3. Encourage either formal education or basic ABO certification and then advanced certification among opticians. Increase consumer awareness of the benefits of a skilled optician. Perhaps even seek a partnership or strategic alliance with paraoptometrics, ophthalmic technologists, and similar ancillary personnel.

    4. As progress is made, work with ophthalmology, optometry, and other organizations (such as the Vision Council) to secure minimal licensing requirements in more states, allowing current opticians to grandfather in where necessary. And, no, you will not get a bill passed, if you start throwing around words like "refracting" at this stage.

    Best regards,
    Darryl
    Last edited by Darryl Meister; 04-25-2012 at 09:56 AM.
    Darryl J. Meister, ABOM

  12. #87
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    Quote Originally Posted by CNG View Post
    ...so until the wages go up college candidates are going to choose more profitable careers.
    Man, that's what I've been sayin'. Why invest $20K in a four-year degree that will cost you about $350/mo for seven years? What does that get you?

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    Guys, I know this is sensitive material, but you do realize that the winds of change are blowing towards deregulation of vision care instead of more regulation of vision care, right?

    Education is a rip-off, if no one (that's paying) requires it.

    Market. Based. Solutions.

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    Roy
    Was your intention to have this course approved by the COA after graduating your 1st class? That would be a key ingredient to having some of the groups you mention get behind a program like that. With it, many of the licensed states will recognize your program and allow the students to take the state exam. Without it, some of these states will not recognize the AAS and the student will have problems with qualifying for the exam.

    We also spoke to the good people at RSCC several years ago about bringing their program online. Thus offering the apprentices across the State of Tennessee the opportunity to learn and earn credits toward their Degree in Ophthalmic Science. Their decision was to keep everything in the classroom and not open it up. Therefore, there are more licenses in Tennessee without their degree today than there would have been had RSCC opened up their opportunities for learning.

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    Guys, I know this is sensitive material, but you do realize that the winds of change are blowing towards deregulation of vision care instead of more regulation of vision care, right?... Market. Based. Solutions
    Keep in mind that regulation is not the product of a free market economy. Regulation, whether FDA, FTC, USDA, etcetera, is the check + balance for a system that would otherwise not have one. I doubt that you see any deregulation of optometry anytime soon, but we have already begun to see the attempted deregulation of opticianry for the very reasons that opticianry has failed to secure licensing in any new states for over 20 years.

    Best regards,
    Darryl
    Darryl J. Meister, ABOM

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    Quote Originally Posted by drk View Post
    Guys, I know this is sensitive material, but you do realize that the winds of change are blowing towards deregulation of vision care instead of more regulation of vision care, right?

    Education is a rip-off, if no one (that's paying) requires it.

    Market. Based. Solutions.
    When it is totally deregulated only those with the largest pocketbooks for advertising and marketing will prosper , you will have to lower cost of goods (and retail )so low that only volume will sustain you. OR you will have to dispense such expensive eyewear that only a few could afford to come to you. DEREGULATION or NO REGULATION has almost forced us to give all the private pay clients to the chains. They can get everything cheaper including untrained uncertified labor. The only way to keep labor from being cheap is to make it where not just anybody IS ALLOWDED TO THE JOB

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    Quote Originally Posted by Angela Lehmkuhle View Post
    Opticians of all people do not like change, nor do they like being wrong! But then again, that is most people not just opticians

    Diane, I agree with your whole statement. I was also an apprentice. I trained under a optician who moved to Florida from Canada where she was an optician there for 15 years. I was in a primary care practice for 15 years and besides being an optician I held the hands of many patients during a close angle glaucoma episode or drove someone to the ER when their blood pressure was through the roof. We all come from different backgrounds but bring much to the table. People... current opticians do no want to feel less than... if they truly have put there heart and soul in this field and we tell them they are not professionals, that they lack formal education....in their reality they are successful and that is what matters to them. They will feel alienated from their peers, a group they have belonged to for a long time. That is why I agree with Van, there needs to be a path for current people in the field to advance to a professional level. There are current programs in place for opticians to gain credit for their experience or certifications/licensure towards an AA degree.
    There is clearly room to make a career path toward a degree for everyone. We need a plan and we need to execute it. Our industry is changing and we must change with it, we must embrace it and move forward. But generally people are afraid of change, complacency can be very comfortable. In order to get anything done we have to move in a spirit of collaboration, which I find it also hard for some to do. Looks like we maybe on our way with discussions like these.

    Currently a career path plan that has been in place in some combination is this:

    Non Certified Optician
    Certified Optician ABO
    Certified Optician ABO/NCLE
    Licensed Optician by Apprentice
    Licensed Optician by AA Degree
    Licensed Optician AA Degree and BS Degree

    Currently Advanced ABO/NCLE and Board Certifications are basically optional...not required.

    The content/education/certification for each of those stepping stones are different, not perfect or even current, but would you eliminate any of those steps?

    The Optician of today is already in place. There are steps available to show they are competent (ABO, Advanced Certifications, Masters, etc.) but few seek them. We must look to the future folks, not the current people already in place.

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    Quote Originally Posted by drk View Post
    Guys, I know this is sensitive material, but you do realize that the winds of change are blowing towards deregulation of vision care instead of more regulation of vision care, right?

    Education is a rip-off, if no one (that's paying) requires it.

    Market. Based. Solutions.
    The same held true when other professions sought to upgrade. Optometry was one of them. They will not be deregulated, because they have a solid education and licensing program in every state. Until Opticians can do the same, we face continuing decline.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Optician1960 View Post
    Roy
    Was your intention to have this course approved by the COA after graduating your 1st class? That would be a key ingredient to having some of the groups you mention get behind a program like that. With it, many of the licensed states will recognize your program and allow the students to take the state exam. Without it, some of these states will not recognize the AAS and the student will have problems with qualifying for the exam.

    We also spoke to the good people at RSCC several years ago about bringing their program online. Thus offering the apprentices across the State of Tennessee the opportunity to learn and earn credits toward their Degree in Ophthalmic Science. Their decision was to keep everything in the classroom and not open it up. Therefore, there are more licenses in Tennessee without their degree today than there would have been had RSCC opened up their opportunities for learning.
    The COA does not accredit certificate programs at all. It accredits AAS degrees (and other forms of associate degrees) and 1-year lab programs. The current faculty at RSCC have absolutely no interest in anything nontraditional. You were barking up the wrong tree.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Angela Lehmkuhle View Post
    Opticians of all people do not like change, nor do they like being wrong! But then again, that is most people not just opticians

    Diane, I agree with your whole statement. I was also an apprentice. I trained under a optician who moved to Florida from Canada where she was an optician there for 15 years. I was in a primary care practice for 15 years and besides being an optician I held the hands of many patients during a close angle glaucoma episode or drove someone to the ER when their blood pressure was through the roof. We all come from different backgrounds but bring much to the table. People... current opticians do no want to feel less than... if they truly have put there heart and soul in this field and we tell them they are not professionals, that they lack formal education....in their reality they are successful and that is what matters to them. They will feel alienated from their peers, a group they have belonged to for a long time. That is why I agree with Van, there needs to be a path for current people in the field to advance to a professional level. There are current programs in place for opticians to gain credit for their experience or certifications/licensure towards an AA degree.
    There is clearly room to make a career path toward a degree for everyone. We need a plan and we need to execute it. Our industry is changing and we must change with it, we must embrace it and move forward. But generally people are afraid of change, complacency can be very comfortable. In order to get anything done we have to move in a spirit of collaboration, which I find it also hard for some to do. Looks like we maybe on our way with discussions like these.

    Currently a career path plan that has been in place in some combination is this:

    Non Certified Optician
    Certified Optician ABO
    Certified Optician ABO/NCLE
    Licensed Optician by Apprentice
    Licensed Optician by AA Degree
    Licensed Optician AA Degree and BS Degree

    Currently Advanced ABO/NCLE and Board Certifications are basically optional...not required.

    The content/education/certification for each of those stepping stones are different, not perfect or even current, but would you eliminate any of those steps?
    Excellent post, Angela. This upcoming Summit is all about finding a way for this profession to progress, and I'm hoping for the best.
    Wesley S. Scott, MBA, MIS, ABOM, NCLE-AC, LDO - SC & GA

    “As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.” -Albert Einstein

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    Quote Originally Posted by Optician1960 View Post
    Roy
    Was your intention to have this course approved by the COA after graduating your 1st class? That would be a key ingredient to having some of the groups you mention get behind a program like that. With it, many of the licensed states will recognize your program and allow the students to take the state exam. Without it, some of these states will not recognize the AAS and the student will have problems with qualifying for the exam.

    We also spoke to the good people at RSCC several years ago about bringing their program online. Thus offering the apprentices across the State of Tennessee the opportunity to learn and earn credits toward their Degree in Ophthalmic Science. Their decision was to keep everything in the classroom and not open it up. Therefore, there are more licenses in Tennessee without their degree today than there would have been had RSCC opened up their opportunities for learning.
    The RSCC opticianry program was COA approved when I was program director in the early1990’s and the certificate program I was proposing was for use only in Tennessee. COA approval had nothing to do with the state society and state board fighting against the program.

    I have no explanation as to why any opticianry program would refuse to expand its student base other than more work and no more pay. As most of you know, I was successfully ousted as program director in the mid-90’s.
    Last edited by Roy R. Ferguson; 04-11-2012 at 01:57 PM. Reason: spacing

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    In the beginning of this thread Wes stated that the ABO…exams must be professionally rendered and evaluated based on the skillset and knowledge of the profession.” In other words, if the knowledge base is shallow to non-existent for a particular field certifying bodies cannot test beyond that standard. This is why Chiropractors do not adopt the certifying exam for Neurosurgeons. This is the exam hurtle the ABO faces.

    Written tests have been the focus of litigation for several decades. Completing a thorough validation process offers two key benefits: First,it helps insure that the test is sufficiently related to the job and includes only test items that Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) have deemed fair and effective. Second, a validation process generates documentation that can be used as evidence should the test ever be challenged in an arbitration or civilrights litigation setting.

    Certifying agencies generally use standards that have been adopted from court cases where the criteria pertaining to test validation have been litigated. In the Contreras v. City of Los Angeles case, a three-phase process was used to develop and validate an examination for an Auditor position. In the final validation phase, where the SMEs were asked to identify knowledge, skill, or ability that was measured by the test item, a “5 out of 7” rule (71%) was used to screen items for inclusion on the final test. After extensive litigation, the Ninth Circuit approved the validation process of constructing a written test using items that had been linked to the knowledges, skills, abilities, and personal characteristics (KSAPCs) of a job analysis by at least five members of a seven-SME panel.

    In U.S. v. SouthCarolina, SMEs were convened into ten-member panels and asked to provide certain judgments to evaluate whether each question on the tests (which included 19 subtests on a National Teacher Exam used in the state) involved subject matter that was a part of the curriculum at his or her teacher training institution, and therefore appropriate for testing. These review panels determined that between 63% and 98% of the items on the various tests were content valid and relevant for use in South Carolina. The U.S Supreme Court endorsed this process as “sufficiently valid” to be upheld.

    These cases provide guidelines for establishing minimum thresholds (71% and 63% respectively) for the levels of SME endorsement necessary for screening test items for inclusion on a final test to be used for selection or promotion purposes. In either case, it is important to note that at least an “obvious majority” of the SMEs was required to justify that the items were sufficiently related to the job to be selected for inclusion on the test.

    These are among the guidelines used when validating the practical examination we developed and administer in several states. I’m sure the ABO used similar criteria. The bottom line is that a certifying examination must reflect the KSAPCs of the field in which it is being used. For this reason, both the practical examinations we administer, as well as the ABO, have been labeled as “too easy”.
    Last edited by Roy R. Ferguson; 04-11-2012 at 02:54 PM. Reason: spacing

  23. #98
    OptiBoard Professional
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    Roy,
    My question on if you were going for COA was in reference to this that you wrote: Several years ago I designed a program through a fully accredited state college that would have given 21 credits for successful completion of the ABO/NCLE. Only 60 credits were required for an AAS.

    It reads like you are going for a degree and not a certificate program, correct? I realize that RSCC was/is COA accredited.

  24. #99
    Rising Star
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    Quote Originally Posted by Optician1960 View Post
    Roy,
    My question on if you were going for COA was in reference to this that you wrote: Several years ago I designed a program through a fully accredited state college that would have given 21 credits for successful completion of the ABO/NCLE. Only 60 credits were required for an AAS.

    It reads like you are going for a degree and not a certificate program, correct? I realize that RSCC was/is COA accredited.
    This was a degree completion program for experienced opticians currently working in the field. While it included a number of professionally related courses, it was not intended to provide basic instruction to individuals seeking to enter opticianry. Even though this degree was being offered through a regionally accredited state college, it was not eligible for COA accreditation.

    The first course I referenced was one I wrote while program director at RSCC. It was written specifically to provide basic coursework to individuals entering through the “apprenticeship” route.
    Last edited by Roy R. Ferguson; 04-11-2012 at 03:07 PM. Reason: spacing

  25. #100
    Optical Educator
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    Tampa, Florida
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    Wes, Thanks for starting this thread. I think you opened eyes in regard to how it works.

    It will be great to see how the summit goes, I am extremely optimistic.

    Just yesterday a student told me that our class on aberrations, reflectance factor and their optical solutions finally gave her an understanding why AR w/high index, and asphericity make sense. She had been working in optical for 5 years prior to joining our program. She stated that she 'sold stuff', but had no idea why. She also said that she is sure that she will increase her percentage of premium optical products dispensed as a result of knowing the science behind it.

    If we properly educate opticians the sales will follow, and redo rates will decline. Years ago when I managed Lugene Optcians in Boston our president stated, that, if we focus on the patients' needs, the numbers will follow. He was absolutely right.

    Educating America's future opticians is a win-win for all, particularly our patients/clients.

    : )

    Laurie
    Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry

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