It is a group of opticians that the government has decided are responsible enough to govern themselves. It is an evolving group of people learning to make the most of their association. It is very much a democratic system in action, one member one vote. When you look at the whole it seems one person can make little difference but this association consists of 750 people. None are more powerful than any other. Some are just more active. You can make a difference!

This may sound like just another platitude but the purpose of this document is to demonstrate the reality of that statement.

2. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF ITS MEMBERS

What can you expect from your association?

The first thing must be to educate: to keep the standards of education high and consistent and to develop continuing education. With the availability of the same course through much of Canada the traditional parameters have expanded to include the possibility of reciprocity. Consistency throughout the nation has suddenly become an attainable goal.

The Optician’s association must represent its members when dealing with other professional organizations. It must be able to effectively negotiate with government for contracts with Social Services, provincial health care agencies, Veterans Affairs and Indian Affairs. Without consistency in a negotiator, the standard of contracts would not be what it is today.

Next is the role of mediation. This must be handled between opticians and the general public. If it were to appear that this association could not deal with these complaints, the government would be forced to intervene on the public’s behalf. The AOA must also have a vehicle to investigate professional conduct. The interactions may be between two opticians or involve another related group. Again these must be dealt with internally.

Dissemination of information is another area of importance addressed by the association. The individual optician must be kept abreast of their rights and responsibilities. These areas are changing quite rapidly at this time, so this role has moved to the forefront. This information must also be made available to the general public. The public needs to be informed of the roles of opticians in eye care.

The last area is litigation. The association is a vehicle of advice and support in times of trouble. The individual member should be able to request assistance in the form of information, moral support at a hearing or even financial assistance if they are fighting an injustice in the system that if corrected would benefit all opticians. This area also covers the writing or updating of regulation and bylaws. Legal consultation can be costly, but is necessary to insure that the rights of opticians are upheld.

What can you give in return to your association?

The first and foremost responsibility of an optician is to attend the annual general meeting. This is your update on progress over the last year and your chance to vote on crucial issues leading to change, to ask questions and express opinions. You will also be asked to vote for your representatives for the next year. The decisions made by the board are binding on all membership.

You should be prepared to take a turn as a volunteer on the board of directors. You would be a representative for your area and as such be prepared to fulfill this position to the best of your ability.

As a functioning member you must answer the call to write letters to your MLA or lobby government on issues which directly or indirectly affect opticianry.

If a consumer or member of another association lodges a complaint against you, you must deal with it quickly and assist in finding a solution.

You must pay your dues promptly to help support the system and the projects you vote for. You must notify the Registrar within 30 days of any changes in name, business address or contact address. You must also maintain required levels of continuing education.

You must report any matters of professional misconduct and maintain required levels of liability insurance.

A member must also follow generally accepted standards of practice by maintaining proper instruments, equipment and space for servicing and caring for the client and by keeping records that date back at least three years after the last entry.

When thinking about what you can do for your association it may be something as simple as faxing a newspaper article to the office. This may be an issue you feel should be addressed or an article run only in your local paper. You may represent opticianry in your service group or at your local high school careers day. The possibilities are limitless and any input is valuable.

3. NORTHERN ALBERTA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (NAIT)

N.A.I.T is an educational institution, which has brought credibility to a course that was designed by Alberta opticians for NAIT to administrate the same as any course they offer. N.A.I.T has become more to us than we first anticipated. They have worked hard at improving the course by adding hands on training sessions and an edging lab in Edmonton. They have developed continuing education courses that include sight testing, ophthalmic review and the practicum supervisor’s course. NAIT is also working on setting up various CD Rom courses to improve our educational training.

4. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Board of Directors consists of twelve directors. Five are from the North, five from the South and two are public members. The Executive Director, Information Director and the Deputy Registrar also attend all meetings. All meetings are open to the public.

Public Members

Public members are people appointed by the Government to attend meetings as outside observers. Law for any self-governing association requires attendance of these two individuals. They have all the voting privileges of any other board member. They are paid by the Government to attend all board meetings and one must be a member of any committee that is set up.

Consumer Affairs

The purpose of a director of consumer affairs is to deal with consumer complaints. These are complaints against an optician or company filed with the AOA. Most of the complaints received are misunderstandings concerning progressive lenses, coatings, company policy or warranties. In the case of this type of complaint the director is simply a mediator between optician and consumer. The director must try to put aside personal feelings and deal with fact. The optician or company involved is always allowed to present their side of the story.

If the director of consumer affairs contacts you, remember, the association is simply trying to find a solution, which will be acceptable to all parties involved. Understand that the director is also an optician and a volunteer in this position. If the complaint is more serious and deals with a professional practice problem the information is passed back to the registrar who must then decide if it needs to go before the discipline committee.

Education

The director of education acts as a liaison between students and NAIT and keeps the students informed of changes that might affect them. The director holds a position on the NAIT Advisory Committee, which keeps track of course progress, additions, deletions and new course development. The director of education may also put together mock practical exams to assist the student in being prepared for licensing.

Education also covers continuing education, which is mandatory after graduation. Twenty credits are required over a three-year period for an optician with an additional fifteen credits required for a contact lens practitioner. These can be obtained at conventions, through product knowledge lectures put on by suppliers or through a variety of distance delivery formats set up by the AOA, NAIT or the Opticians of Canada (OCC). Also accepted are courses designed for ophthalmic or optometric assistants or ones received at conventions out of province or in the U.S.

Third Party Contracts

The director in charge of third party contracts is expected to handle negotiations with both the Federal and Provincial government for contracts with Indian Affairs, Veterans Affairs, Social Services, and with Alberta Health Care on senior’s issues. The director also negotiates contracts with the RCMP. Negotiation requires the attendance of meetings to draw up proposals and seek alternatives when cut backs are imposed. The success of these negotiations does not always get opticians more for contracts but keep us on a level playing field with other groups involved and usually limits the amount of reductions. This director also serves as a go between when answering members’ questions on contracts and dealing with problems that come up relating to implementation. Third party contracts also cover the safety eyewear program. Because of the broad spectrum of this portfolio the assistance of the executive director is valuable.

Public Relations

The area of public relations changes from year to year. Basically, it is involved with putting forward to the public, whenever possible, what an optician is and what opticianry does for them. It also lets both members and the public, know of any changes that are important to opticians. The Public Relations person may be involved with careers day at high school, attending political events or representing opticianry in service clubs.

Another aspect of this portfolio is advertising campaigns. These may inform the public about changes in coverage for seniors, release of prescriptions or other changing legislation. A board member does not always fill this position.

Registrar

The position of registrar has become more complicated since the AOA became self-regulating. All complaints are routed through this director and then the decision is made to forward the complaint to consumer affairs, the discipline committee or to another association. For charges of unskilled practice and professional misconduct the registrar may be the preliminary investigator or may appoint someone to investigate. The registrar must deal with unpaid dues, suspension of licenses, reinstatement and accepting new members into the association. The registrar maintains the opticians and contact lens practitioners’ register and tracks continuing education requirements. The registrar heads the Prior Learning Assessment Committee that evaluates qualifications and equivalencies of licensing. This director is responsible for funds, reports on revenue and expenditures at each meeting and deals with the annual report. The registrar is a member of every committee and has signing authority.

Disciplines

This portfolio deals with problems or complaints related to professional practice. A committee is set up and must follow a set of very strict procedures. Discipline committees in all other associations follow these guidelines. Discipline committees and practice review boards must consist of one public member, one elected council member and three other members in good standing. This director works closely with lawyers.

Practice Review

This is a portfolio set up when the new regulations and bylaws came into effect. It deals with accrediting continuing education, monitoring student supervision and reviewing the practice of opticianry. The director in this portfolio heads the Practice Review Committee. Since continuing education is now mandatory and rules are being enforced in the method of practicing, this portfolio will become even busier in the future.

Vice President

The vice president must preside over meetings if the president is unable to attend and must be able to step in if the president cannot complete the term of office. The vice president may have a portfolio in addition to this office. The vice president has signing authority.

President

The president must do more than preside over the board, committee, and executive committee meetings. The president is involved with each of the portfolios. When contracts are being negotiated more than one representative is usually required, so the executive director, the president, or both, attend with the director of contracts. The president signs checks and advances mail to the appropriate departments. The president signs the minutes of all meetings, is a member of all committees and signs certificates and diplomas. The NAIT advisory committee meetings require the president’s attendance. The president also confers with the executive director on a regular basis and gives advice regarding tasks that require attention. The president does not have a vote in Council except as a tiebreaker.

5. THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The executive director is a part time paid position that was established to assist in administration. Until this position was activated the individual directors worked independently. It was difficult to coordinate projects and each director was spending excessive time on their volunteer positions. These positions became so time consuming it was difficult to find anyone with the time or the inclination to take them on. The executive director’s position was set up to take some of the load off individual directors and to bring consistency and legitimacy to the Association. These concerns and more are being addressed. The executive director now handles document publication, consultations, the safety eye wear program, the computer network and the implementation of new services for members.

6. INFORMATION DIRECTOR

This is a new part time paid position in the Association office. The Information Director assists the Executive Director in all areas, but primarily concentrates on the member services and ensuring that the membership is informed on the operation of the association. This position has taken over the publishing of “The Eighth Line”, and puts out publications such as this document

7. DEPUTY REGISTRAR

The position of deputy registrar is also paid and part time. This person generally answers the phone in the office but not being an optician is unable to answer optically technical questions. The deputy registrar will know, however, if your dues have been paid, which forms to send you if you are a new member or if you need to change your address with the association. Duties include all office mailing, filing, updating memberships, collecting dues, sending out invoices, posting all work orders to the computer and handling the financial transactions. The deputy registrar acts as secretary and takes minutes at all meetings, prepares reports and keeps records. It is the deputy registrar acting in the registrar’s stead who must balance the financial statements and works closely with the auditor at year-end.

8. PRACTICAL EXAMINATION

Prior to 1992, the Professions and Occupations Bureau examined opticians. The government therefore subsidized this examination. In 1992, when the association became self-regulating, the responsibility for examining was given to the UCC, an independent licensing committee used by 22 professions. They determined who is eligible for examination and supervised examination procedures. They also approved training programs. This arms length method of licensing added credibility and eliminated the possibility of preferential treatment. The UCC was a requirement of government but was disbanded in 1999. The Opticians Professional Examining Board now is in charge of examinations for Alberta. The Professional Examining Board recognizes the (NACO) National Accreditation Committee of Opticians (National) examination.

This committee is not government funded and must support itself by charging examination fees. Each year approximately fifty students attempt the exam in July and ten in February. This examination is cost recovery and the cost is borne by the students being examined. If not successful, re-examination is possible up to three times before more upgrading may be required.

9. THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The general meeting is held annually. It is a public forum to air grievances and to discuss and vote on important issues. In order to introduce a special motion to the agenda any twenty members in good standing may deliver written notice to the registrar thirty days before the meeting. This meeting is conducted much like a board of directors meeting. Old business is dealt with first, and then directors give a report, written in advance of the meeting, on their particular area. These reports include updated decisions made over the year and any progress in projects. Questions may be asked and are welcomed. The financial statement is reviewed and questions are answered. Any new business is discussed and voted on. The voting then takes place for new directors. With the new regulations and bylaws, 1997 was the first year proxy and mail in ballots were accepted to allow more members to be a part in such an important decision. With the introduction of the Health Professions Act we are hoping that on line voting by computer will be available to further make this vote accessible.

In order to attend the general meeting you must be a member in good standing of the association. Only practicing members may vote.

How Directors Are Chosen, Terms and Voting Procedures

Director’s terms are two years and three consecutive terms are permitted. Five directors are from the north and five are from the south. These terms alternate each year so at each AGM two or three are elected from the north and two or three are elected from the south. This allows for some consistency, as all board members are not replaced each year. A council member may be removed by a three quarters vote of council for conflict of interest or failing to attend to duties as a director. A council member may resign at any time with written notice.

The council decides from amongst their ranks who will hold the position of president and vice president for one year of their terms on the board. It is permissible for these positions to be held consecutively.

For each of the five positions up for election names are requested in advance. All nominations must be submitted in writing at least ninety days before elections and be signed by the nominee and five other members in good standing. Ballots will be mailed out to each member at least thirty days before elections. To vote by proxy the ballot must be placed in a sealed envelope, signed on the outside and received before the close of the voting.

10. HISTORY

The Alberta Opticians Association was founded in 1965. The association (then called The Alberta Guild of Ophthalmic Dispensers) was legislated by the government and Professions and Occupations was responsible for licensing. At that time, all apprentices had to be registered with Professions and Occupations. In 1992 the AOA became self-regulating and received the new name.

Becoming self-regulating meant re-writing the regulations and bylaws for the first time since 1985, developing continuing education and deciding on the specific number of continuing education hours necessary to keep licenses current. It meant dealing with complaints from inside and outside the association, having a recognized educational institution administer the course, and having an independent body supervise examinations. It also meant developing a Practice Review Committee and a Discipline Committee. Public members were required to be in attendance at board meetings and on all discipline committees. Self-regulating status has allowed opticianry in Alberta to be a fully functioning profession. This puts opticians on the same level as the other eye care professions when dealing with Governments.

When the AOA became self-regulating in 1992 the Optician’s Act had to be changed to deal with issues previously handled by the government. The association must now deal with all internal affairs like disciplining our own members and external matters such as interaction with other associations. This required the onerous task of rewriting the regulations and bylaws, a long and drawn out process that involved a lawyer’s rewrite to incorporate legal language and ensure removal of all loopholes. It has now been accomplished and was accepted by a vote of the general membership at the annual meeting in 1996.

11. RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

a) Regulations and bylaws.

b) Safety eye wear.

c) Buying group.

d) Continuing education.

e) Sight testing.

f) Practicum Supervisor training.

g) Reciprocit

a. Regulations and Bylaws

When regulations and bylaws were rewritten in 1996 we thought that would be it for a while. In 1999 the Government introduced us to The Health Professions Act. This meant rewriting regulations and bylaws again. That was so for all health professions. We didn’t have quite as much work because our regulations and bylaws were at least up to date.

b. Safety Eyewear

The development and implementation of the safety eyewear program is important to the membership as an increase in association revenue.

Opticians involved in this program have access to contracts that until recently were exclusive to organizations which could offer central billing procedures.

A large company with 5000 employees across western Canada will not accept billing from 1000 different sources requiring 1000 different cheques to be written. With the new simplified billing procedure, a company receives one bill each month from the association containing a breakdown of employees serviced. The association collects and distributes funds to the members involved. The bulk purchase of frames and lenses is also paid from these funds, so the optician only deals with the fitting fee designated by the contract.

The revenue produced includes an administration fee, which pays for office equipment and manpower. The economical use of existing equipment and staff helps keep the association operating in the black which helps keep the association fees down.

The AOA has been working on having members sell the program and receive commission for it. It could be a very lucrative way for you to earn extra cash. Look into it!

c. Buying Group

The AOA has also developed a buying group. Its membership receives maximum discounts from optical suppliers that until recently had only been available to large chains or members of other buying groups. This allows an independent optician to compete fairly. This buying group is called A.B.G. Inc. It has its own board of directors and financial statements. It is entirely owned by its members, set up as a Co-operative.

d. Continuing Education

New courses have been developed which give opticians all over the province equal access. The distance delivery format of videos began this process. NAIT now offers several large continuing education courses that allow a member to acquire all necessary points, for three years, at once. The (OCC) Opticians Council of Canada has also introduced a series of distance delivery modules. The development of the Practice review committee has allowed for a wide variety of courses from different sources to be evaluated and approved. The availability of computers opens new venues for continuing education. Audio visual and interactive programs can be developed to lead us through the century.

e. Sight Testing

This is a course being offered by NAIT. Though at present it is outside the optician’s scope of practice, knowing about it is valuable. We are not allowed to diagnose eye health problems, but knowing what they are and how they affect vision is important when selecting frames and lenses for the customer.

Sight testing allows us to understand the procedures involved in formulating a prescription and gives insight as to why changes occur and why even on the same day an RX can vary.

f. Practicum Supervisors Training

This course, developed by NAIT, is designed to help supervisors cope with training a student. Everyone has had supervisors. Some were a lot of help while others were not. The association has decided that this course will help to reduce the inequities in training future opticians.

g. Labour Mobility

The AOA has been working diligently with the OCC towards national license portability. This means that ultimately a license earned in Alberta could be accepted elsewhere in Canada.

Many of the problems that were hindering reciprocity have been overcome. The first giant step was made when Alberta opticians developed the new course and sold it to NAIT. It was then purchased by the OCC to be put into effect elsewhere in Canada. This course is now used in Alta., Sask., Man., NB., NS., NFL., PEI. and N.W.T. .

British Columbia has embraced licensing and has developed its’ own full time course at Douglas College in Vancouver, based on the NAIT curriculum. We are confident that this course will allow reciprocal licensing. A nation wide examination procedure is being pursued that will allow reciprocal licensing with all the provinces involved. To date it is in effect for all people trained under the NAIT course in Alta., Sask., Man., N.B., N.S., NFLD and P.E.I.

Ontario and Quebec train opticians differently. They use a three-year full time school method and a six-month apprenticeship after graduation. They also hold only one license for both eyeglasses and contact lenses. This makes trying to find equivalencies difficult.

Quebec and Ontario have reviewed course material submitted to them by NAIT and have ruled our courses as equivalent. Both of these provinces have been involved with the development of the National Examination and have accepted that people examined this way will be accepted in their province.

12. THE FUTURE

Directions for change lie in the areas of:

a) Sight Testing for Opticians

b) Development of CD Rom Education and Continuing Education

c) Expansion of the Safety Eyewear Program

d) Master Optician

e) National Licenses

a) Sight Testing for Opticians

The training is now in place and opticians are learning the principles of sight testing. The next step is to be in a position where practicing these skills is acceptable. The Alberta Opticians Association has asked the Government for an increase in scope of practice to include refraction. This process was begun in 1995 and just now in 2000 seems to be becoming a reality.

b) CD Rom Development

NAIT has been working on putting the sight-testing course on CD Rom and the OCC has been working on the contact lens course. This interactive venue for these courses will make training more comprehensive and consistent. The future will see more continuing education available in this mode.

c) Safety Eyewear

The safety eyewear program holds much room for expansion that in turn will bring added income opportunities to opticians in Alberta and to this Association. This will increase the ability to service large companies and make it more competitive. We expect great things from this program over the next few years.

d) Master Optician

NAIT has been working toward a goal. They have focused their attention on a Master Optician Diploma. This is a designation that could be acquired through continued study after the usual licenses are achieved. This may eventually translate to a University degree, a Bachelor of Business Sciences. The future will tell.

e) National Licenses

Labour mobility under the Free Trade Agreement states that mobility of the workforce is mandatory, which has pushed efforts for a national license forward. With the input of all the provinces in Canada this will soon be accomplished.

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