December 2023 Newsletter

AGM Recording | New College Name | December Closure
 

AGM Recording Available

Our Annual General Meeting took place on Thursday, November 23. We were pleased that so many registrants were able to attend and take part! If you missed the meeting but would like to see what was discussed, you can access the full recording of the meeting below.

View the AGM recording
 

Proposed name for new college

The Government of British Columbia has published the proposed names for the two multi-profession regulators that will be formed by the amalgamations of 11 existing health regulatory colleges on June 28, 2024.

It is proposed that the organization with which opticians will register be called the College of Health and Care Professionals of British Columbia. Professions regulated by this college will include dietitians, occupational therapists, opticians, optometrists, physical therapists, psychologists, and speech and hearing health professionals.

Meanwhile, the organization that will regulate chiropractors, massage therapists, naturopathic physicians, and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists is to be called the College of Complementary Health Professionals of British Columbia.

The Ministry of Health is accepting feedback on the proposed names until January 12, 2024. Feedback can be emailed to: PROREGADMIN@gov.bc.ca.

View the full posting on the Government of British Columbia website
 

CCP cycle ending soon

If you are currently in the third and final year of your continuing education cycle, you must fulfill all the requirements of your Continuing Competency Program (CCP) no later than December 31, 2023.

The program is self-managed, so you are responsible for ensuring that all the steps have been completed in the online system.

This includes: taking the assessment(s), creating goals for yourself, finding and completing activities to achieve those goals, and reflecting on how it went.

Please log in to your profile on the COBC website to log your progress. If you have questions about CCP, you can visit our website to access guides and tools or contact Christopher Dodge, our Manager of Quality Assurance.

Unsure when your cycle ends?

Log in to your COBC account and navigate to the HOME tab to see your cycle end date, along with other important dates related to your registration.

(If you can't see any dates in your HOME tab, it may be that you need to complete your log-in security questions!)
 

What's going on at COBC

Here's how we're wrapping up 2023:

  • Discipline hearing
    As we shared in our November newsletter, COBC is currently conducting a discipline hearing for former registrant Sohrab Mohammadi. The public notice is posted on our website.
    Although the hearing was originally scheduled for December 4–8 and 11–15, no proceedings will take place on Monday, December 11. The hearing will continue on December 12 and is expected to wrap up on December 13.
  • Amalgamation preparations
    Staff from all of the amalgamating colleges continue to meet virtually each week to collaborate on the policies and systems that will be foundational to our new organization. This group also had its first in-person gathering late last month, allowing the COBC team the opportunity to meet future colleagues.
     
  • Gender diversity policy & resources
    The COBC team is working with an external consultant to develop resources that will support opticians in providing services that are safer and more inclusive for clients of all genders. At the same time, we are building a policy that will guide our regulatory work in this regard.
     
  • Finalizing new PLAR tools
    COBC has been fortunate to receive grant funding for the development of new resources to support our Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) process. The new tools are designed to assist internationally educated optical professionals in deciding whether PLAR is right for them, and in preparing for the applicable assessments once they've applied. We look forward to sharing these tools in the coming months once they are ready to use.
 

Office closure

The COBC team will be offering limited services during the week of December 18, and we'll be closed from December 23 through January 2, reopening on Wednesday, January 3, 2024.

During this time, we understand that many registrants will be finalizing their CCP (for their December 31 deadline). Those who anticipate needing assistance are encouraged to contact the College well in advance if possible.

Should you have questions or concerns about CCP (or any other matter) during the office closure, don't panic. No immediate action will be taken by COBC, and you will still be able to put the finishing touches on your CCP in the new year if absolutely necessary.

The licence renewal period for 2024/2025 will begin on February 15, 2024.
 

Did you know?

You can choose to drop a licence designation (for instance, your refracting certification) if you don't feel that you currently need it. However, if you wish to get that designation back in the future, you'll need to go through an assessment process if more than three years have passed since you dropped it.

With the annual renewal period just a couple of months away, it's a good time to think about your licensure and how you plan to use it in the year ahead. 

Contact the COBC team to learn more!

College of Opticians of BC operates on the traditional, ancestral and unceded Coast Salish territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.

Unsubscribing from this email will revoke your consent to receive email correspondence from us as outlined in Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) . We will no longer be able to send you important reminders pertaining to your license, which may affect your registration with the College of Opticians of BC. Please contact us if you have any questions.