College Newsletter December 2020

⛄️ HAPPY HOLIDAYS ❄️

2020 has been a very challenging year for us all, unexpected loss and adjustments to our work and personal lives have been unavoidable. We would like to thank all of our registrants for your continued commitment to offering excellent optical care and doing the best you can to maintain the safest practices possible for your patients. We wish you all a very happy holiday season and look forward to a brighter and safer 2021.

Lisa, Chris, Madeline, Meagan, and Victoria. 
The COBC Team
 

In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care

On November 30, Mary-Ellen Turpel Lafond shared her findings from her investigation into Indigenous-specific racisim in BC healthcare. 

A full version and a summary of the report In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-Specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C Health Care, are available.

As part of the BC Health Regulators group, we would like to share the following statement in support of Ms. Turpel-Lafond's report. COBC would like to reiterate our commitment to this work and add that we are excited to move forward with the necessary work, in partnership with our colleagues in regulation and the wider healthcare system.

Please visit our Indigenous Cultural Safety and Humility resources page to find links to courses, articles and more that you can use to learn about Indigenous issues and improve your cultural competency as a Licensed Optician. This study can be incorporated into a CCP learning goal.

 

Last chance to enrol in upcoming automated refraction course

***Deadline December 8, midnight***

Automated refraction is a restricted practice and requires a Licensed Optician to obtain a specific certification in order to carry out the work. The Northern Alberta Institue of Technology (NAIT) runs a refraction course that meets BC's requirements for certification and the next intake starts on January 4, 2021.

The program is intended for Licensed Opticians and Contact Lens Fitters who wish to enhance their opticianry skill set by learning theories and methodologies involved in refraction. Online studies are 15-weeks in length, the clinical is 6-months.

Apply
 

AGM minutes and video now available

Thank you to all our registrants who attended the 2020 AGM on November 17. It was fantastic to see so many of you in attendance and we appreciated your thoughtful questions and committed engagement.

You can watch the video as part of a CCP learning goal. Visit our website for the link and to learn how.
 

Participate in a Pilot!

 

COBC and NACOR are currently working with optician regulators from across Canada to develop an online assessment that will be used to assess the competence of internationally trained opticians wanting to move to Canada. We need opticians (particularly in refracting!) to participate in a pilot of these items, to make sure the questions are easily understandable and perform well.

The pilot launched on November 30th and will run until mid-January, 2021.

You can use participation in this pilot to address one or more competency area(s) for your Continuing Competency Program, and will be entered in 5 random draws for a $100 Visa gift card.

Click to participate
 

Returning to work? Don't forget to change your status

If you are returning to work in the new year, remember to change your status back to practicing! COBC requires 2-3 business days to process your change of status application. You should submit it in advance so your license is active and ready to go when you return to work. 
 

CCP reminder

If you are currently in your third and final year of your continuing education cycle, this is a reminder that all the steps of your Continuing Competency Program (CCP) must be completed by December 31, 2020.

Looking for an activity? Watch the video of our AGM from November 17.

and finally...

The 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 correspondance 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.