Pete
The uniform certification we seek and the one you think we should have before we "go public" is called an Associates Degree. That's he "MD" after the name we should be shooting for. That's a no brainer. I don't see why there should be a debate. If there are those with no AA and have demonstrated equivelency, let them be tested. That's called challenging the course. If they pass, they get the degree. What we need to work for is that option. Anyone else needs college training or the equivelent. As for going public? By the time we get the post secondary schools to get that option from their certifying body, whether it be a state community college system, association of post secondary schools, or whatever, that should be the task of some degreed optician/alumni, etc. task force. While they are working on that, the marketing "team" can be doing its thing to prepare for going public. There is lag time involved. But, the marketing function will have to begin a good year in advance anyway. These things don't happen overnight, but are a coordinated multifunctional initiative that starts with planning and organizing long before the plan launches. This is NOT an "Ifee" situation. But, we have demonstrated for decades resistence to change, organization, planning, and stepping outside the box to recruit talent to do our bidding. It's called delegation in the right places, and I am seeing too many of us doing too much thinking about the implementation process (with the lack of skills to do it) and not enough designing a plan. The legislative function is in place. The educational functions are in place. They need to be reengineered to have more specific impact, becase they are trying to accomplish too much with the available talents. Going public is a marketing function of which few of us knows how to do. But, there is an individual who has proved marketing ability and his name is Joe Bruneni. What he did for polycarbs he can do for opticianry, cause he is one. But, we need to stop thinking for the experts and be the designers of the mission, the objectives, and the goals before we implement anything.
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