We both agree there is a significant lack of visionary leadership, and I am pleased to hear of your support for education and licensure.
We both agree there is a significant lack of visionary leadership, and I am pleased to hear of your support for education and licensure.
Unfortunately, a mouse attached to good software can easily replace the present caliber of many "opticians" today and represent better return on investment than you will see from license fees.
A ten dollar person using OCR software, a scanner, spectacle analysis software, a VisioOffice machine, and a good dispensing software program, can challenge the present opticianry organizations and their graduates.
..........and in Canada the opposite is happening. Deregulation is probably coming and it will be a free for all.
Folks,
Maybe I am just trying to hold on to the past. I have always believed in trying to motivate Opticians to improve, and I sure failed in that quest. From the threads here it is clear there is little interest in the topic, but I wanted to share my views on this recent study that I felt were important to the future of the field. I still believe Opticians in this country can be more than they are, but it is unlikely to happen unless we have a unified effort, and I do not see that coming unless current leadership is prepared to address significant changes needed. I have surely worn out my welcome and will refrain from further posts of this type. My time is ending......I'm an old guy, but I wish the very best to those who need to continue to make a living as an Optician. Maybe it is time for the market to make that determination.
Best,
Warren
instead of advancing opticianry, a separation of ophthalmic optics from ocular disease/surgery would probably easier.Originally Posted by wmcdonald
Make optometry an undergrad program, with a 1 year internship(refraction & contact lens fitting only)
Make the O.D. program a 2-3 year graduate degree that will include ocular disease, ocular pre and post op surgery, diabetes and glaucoma treatment, etc...
You could even try and merge the O.D. program with ophthalmology fellowships.
This way we can push "opticians" to refract/prescribe, and push optometrists to a more medical standpoint(which most already are) and possibly surgery as well.
I'll be SC licensed by the end of the year, June is lookin' fine. Just completed NAO's OCPP 3 Modules, ready for the Final final. I appreciate the contributions of many of these "old guys".
I have always believed in trying to motivate Opticians to improve ...................
Warren,
Your opinions have not failed, because they are the right way of doing so.
If all opticians in the USA would have had all the same standards and education plus licensing requirements, there would be one standard wherever you go.
You have not failed, you might have fallen on some deaf ears among some of the below 1,000 active posters on OptiBoard.
Five seconds ago there were: "There are currently 543 users online. 18 active members and 525 guests, on OptiBoard."
Out of the 525 guests who looked in there might have been many who fully agree with you.
So you actually reached a fair amount of lookers and very possibly, people that fully agree with you.
There is nothing in this world that could not be improved by knowledge and "savoir fair".
Today I am glad that my fathers thinking was on the same level as yours. I went through the basic optical apprenticeship and the 3 years to full time optical school. I do know many that did the same on a world wide basis and they all do fairly well and their education has paid off.
Last edited by Chris Ryser; 03-18-2015 at 11:13 AM.
I think pride is the biggest thing hurting Opticianry.
Wes is 100% right. There will always be a place for high quality opticians. Our patients may flock to the latest trend in how to buy a pair of glasses, but people will always appreciate a pair of glasses made right. They may not know how they were made right, but they can feel the difference.
We need to get our heads out of our butts. Education is the only way if you are passionate about this field. I have tried to get out of this career but I keep coming back to it. All the complaining I do about our patients can't quell my love for this ridiculous job. So if you too feel this way, get educated, whether it means a pay raise or not.
Providing excellent service will always come out on top. I've often argued with my bosses who only wanted us to continually push the highest end product to every single customer and patient that comes in through our doors. I rather actually listen to what the patient wants and give them various options to achieve what they are looking for. Ultimately, I want my patients to be happy with what they received and continue to come back year after year and refer others to me.
As my grandfather told me, you can have someone tell you 1000's of times "Good Job" or "Great work you did there" but it only take one "What the Hell did you do?" to screw it all up.
Last edited by newguyaroundhere; 03-18-2015 at 12:55 PM. Reason: grammar error
Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity
Your right Doc, this study, no matter how flawed, will be used for years to come by groups who want to limit or reverse licensure. This will first be used by NAOO and then by AOA.
Paul:cheers:
Screw licensing!
Get rid of it...everywhere!
Let the chips fall where they may!
If you have the skills, talent, and GUSTO.............you will rise above the pathetic masses!
Last edited by Fezz; 03-18-2015 at 01:18 PM.
Fezz you sir are a cut above most people working in this industry. You sir are an oddity, you want to be educated, this is your carrier. For most in the industry this is a job, no more no less. Licensing is needed so that the majority of the people in the industry have at least a rudimentary understanding of what an Optician does. Having a license does not mean you’re a great Optician, or even a good one for that matter but it does test some basic competencies.
Paul:cheers:
We're (USA) in a unique situation, with high numbers of immigrants and a very diverse society. Lots of challenges with language skills and general education, especially when there are poor family structures. Moreover, the middle-class has sprung a leak income-wise, and it appears that instead of plugging the leak, the preasure is being reduced by decreasing the size of middle-class pool. There is real concern that instead of striving for a better educated populace, we're settling for significantly lower standards across the board to make services like electricians, plumbers, and of course opticians affordable.
IMO, deregulation and decertifying professions is what's 'shortsighted', and in the long run, will negatively affect all classes, as we all spiral downards towards the economic drain. Instead, we need to produce more engineers and skilled trade workers, who earn more money and pay more taxes, increasing the size of the middle-class so that their skills are more affordable to a larger percentage of the people.
Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. - Richard P. Feynman
Experience is the hardest teacher. She gives the test before the lesson.
My best friend manages a store in MD, and will not hire people if they have worked for certain chain stores. They have no clue how to take measurements. She would rather hire someone with no experience and train them. And I completely understand why.
I've been in the industry for over 20 years, and just got licensed last year. Simply because I worked in non-licensed states. After working in both, I would take a licensed state any day of the week. I got so tired of cleaning up messes from other "opticians", it was ridiculous. Patients treated anyone that worked in optical like used car salesman. They didn't believe anything you said, and thought you were out to gouge them. No matter how patient you are with them, no matter how much you explain why they are having issues, nothing would appease them. And, if you succeeded in making a pair of glasses that work perfectly for them, they were still rude. Maybe it's just the areas I worked in (DC and St. Louis).
It took two tries to pass the NC Boards for me, b/c of the contact lens written. I studied my butt off. And in the midst of studying and trying to pass the boards, I have met some of the smartest people in the field. It pushed you to become a better optician, and the patients immediately feel comfortable knowing the person handling their eyeglasses is licensed.
I'm very right-wing in my political beliefs. I was on the other side of the aisle for a looooong time, wanting to getting rid of licenses altogether. Now I believe those that are fitting or dispensing glasses should have some sort of licensing or certification. Why? Simply because people are getting glasses and DRIVING!!! If some improperly trained yahoo makes glasses incorrectly, and tells the patient they need to wear them to get use to them, it's endangering the patient and other drivers.
After all, a dental assistant has to be certified to clean teeth. Shouldn't opticians be certified to fit glasses?
"You can't think about it, you just gotta let your brain do the work....."
my dad
The only national competency exam [ABO] has lead the charge in the downward spiral for decades. And all the other national "leaders" have stood idly by and done nothing. Except collect dues.
Let it die.
Let silly state-by-state, wildly varied licensure fade away into the sunset.
The market will decide what is important to consumers - and the increase in internet sales should be a wake-up call to any who think that some as yet undefined educational requirement will get the buying public on board. And the recent 'buy-in' looks to be firmly in the direction of those infamous interweb glassesses. Certainly NOT on any licensure measures.
Annie is 100% right!
Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
Wow, look at this thread. One bogus article from a bought-and-paid-for shill periodical has the opticians at each others' throats. And you wonder why you get taken advantage of by the rest of the industry. Try some solidarity, people.
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
This seems a bit myopic to me. " Oh, Mr ABOM, it says here you once worked at Wal-Crafters. You can't possibly know how to use a ruler. NEXT!"
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
Mmmm. You either want the full skill set, or you don't.
The metric that is used for excellence is flawed, on both sides of the dispensing desk
I don't. VisionWorks' and Lenscrafters' comprehensive lab training programs in the 1990s are the source of 90% of my knowledge of optics and frame mechanics. Maybe the "frame stylists" on the floor are poorly trained, but the technical knowledge I got in their labs are the foundation of my excellence today.
I'm Andrew Hamm and I approve this message.
I completely agree with Andrew. I got my start in a Lenscrafters. If I hadn't learned the basics there I wouldn't have the career I have today.
Whats been bothering me is the constant bickering about the current system but a definite lack of ideas on how to start a better system. Do any of us depend on the ABO or OOA for anything in our daily work? We are a bunch of intelligent and creative hard workers that care about our patients and how we are perceived so lets be perceived as a force to be reckoned with. Someone mentioned that to win this we'll need to fight our employers and in some cases I'm sure that is true but I've worked with a lot of doctors who I know would stand up with us to create the kind of national recognition that we need. So instead of being cranky and snarky at each other lets get started. How do we outline a national standard like doctors or plumbers or freaking hair stylists have managed to do?
Working at Lens Crafters ...................
Lens Crafters 207 job reviews at:
http://www.indeed.com/cmp/Lenscrafters/reviews
and:
Mar 10, 2015 - See what employees say it's like to work at LensCrafters. Salaries,reviews, and more - all posted by employees working at LensCrafters.
http://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-LensCrafters-EI_IE6522.11,23.htm
Links are not working for me Chris.
Things have changed so much over the last 20+ years, and this is a prime example. We as Opticians, regardless of who we were employed by, were taught optics first and sales techniques later. We also took of patients, not customers or consumers. I still have some old training materials from my time working for retailers, it was good solid optical information. It’s a pity that it is not used any more.
Paul:cheers:
Fezz, just high-lite the links and click copy, and paste on address line, press enter and it will work.
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