COBC Newsletter  February 2022

Annual Renewal | Professional Boundaries | New Standards

ANNUAL LICENCE RENEWAL BEGINS FEBRUARY 15

Watch for the RENEWAL tab to become visible in your online account!
 

HOW TO PREPARE FOR RENEWAL

Haven't logged in lately?
Make sure you know the User ID and Password for your COBC online account. This will ensure quick and easy access when it's time to log in and renew your licence! If you can't get into your account, we can help.

🆕 Need to secure your account?
COBC recently added security questions as a new account feature! This will help to keep your sensitive information safe, while also making it easier for you to get back into your account if you forget your password. Setting up your security questions now will save you a step during renewal!
 

First time renewing your licence?
If you've never been through the renewal process before—or if you'd like a refresher on how it works—check out COBC's Renewal Guidebook!
 

Not sure if you're eligible to renew?
In order to renew your licence, you must:

  • Be up to date on your Continuing Competency Program (CCP) requirements.
    If your cycle ended December 31, 2021, being "up to date" means either (a) having completed of six learning goals, or (b) having been granted a formal extension by our Manager of Quality Assurance. If your cycle end date is still in the future, no action is needed at this time!
     
  • Have a valid, current criminal record check on file with COBC.
    Remember: criminal record checks are valid for five years.
     
  • Have the appropriate professional liability insurance.
    Coverage of $1,000,000 per claim is the minimum amount required for Licensed Opticians.

🆕 You can now look up your CCP cycle end date and criminal record check expiry in the HOME tab of your online account!
 

Some employers pay for part or all of their opticians' licensing fees. If you've started a new job since the last renewal period (or if this is your first time renewing), you might need to ask your employer about their policies regarding licensing fees.

EMPLOYER PAYMENT EXPLAINED

If your employer is paying your fees, they'll need to make the payment at the same time that you submit your renewal application. We recommend setting a time when you can complete the renewal application together. Then, your employer can:

  • Enter the company's credit card information on the final page of your application, OR
     
  • Send an e-Transfer—including your name and licence number in the memo—at the same time that you submit your application.
 

CHANGING STATUS DURING THE RENEWAL PERIOD

If you're planning to change your status from practicing to non-practicing, or from non-practicing to practicing, during the licence renewal period, you should complete your renewal using the CHANGE STATUS tab, not the RENEWAL tab.

Likewise, if you need to add a designation to your licence when you renew, you can also do so in the CHANGE STATUS tab.

If you would like to drop a designation, you'll need to contact us.
 
 

Stressed about renewal?
If you anticipate being unable to pay your licensing fees in full, reach out to Madeline to learn more about paying in instalments. 
 

Professional Boundaries booklet

The COBC staff and Patient Relations Committee are pleased to share our brand new Professional Boundaries booklet—a resource to support Licensed Opticians and their patients in understanding their unique professional relationship.

Every day, opticians make complex ethical decisions. This booklet is designed to offer guidance in the "grey areas" of patient care.

Taken together, the Professional Boundaries booklet and the Patient Relations Communications Toolkit offer a robust set of tools for opticians to use in their daily practice.

Reviewing your professional responsibilities related to the optician–patient relationship could be part of your continuing education! If you're working on Competency 1 – Assumes Professional Responsibilities in your CCP, an excellent learning activity might involve reading the Professional Boundaries booklet and the Patient Relations Communications Toolkit and making a plan to apply their content in your practice.

Professional Boundaries booklet  Patient Relations Communications Toolkit
 

New Standards of Practice coming soon

After months of consultation and revision, COBC is looking forward to launching new Standards of Practice for BC opticians!

The new Standards will be released this spring, along with supplementaty resources to help our registrants interpret and implement them.

What will be different about the new Standards?

  • Feedback from opticians in BC and across Canada—and from BC optometrists who work with opticians—has been incorporated.
  • An updated layout makes the Standards easier to navigate.
  • Links between individual Standards have been identified, making it easier to cross-reference related information.
  • The language has been simplified to make all Standards more accessible and clear.
  • A brief plain-language explanation of each Standard has been included to help members of the public understand their optician's obligations.
 

Did you know?

The Mutual Recognition Agreement, signed in the early 2000s by opticianry regulators across Canada, makes it easy for opticians to transfer their licensure between provinces. As a result, COBC is continuously welcoming opticians from other parts of the country. In the past year alone, new registrants have moved to BC from five different Canadian provinces and registered as BC opticians!

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 licence, which may affect your registration with the College of Opticians of BC. Please contact us if you have any questions.