College Newsletter March 2020

It's Time to Renew Your License 
Do it by March 31st to Avoid Late Fees

Coronavirus Practice Advice

Practice Advice: Coronavirus

Following the recent spread of coronavirus, the College of Opticians of BC have put together some practice advice for opticians including resources for infection control and protocol to follow in your place of work. Please visit our website for the full article.

Practice Advice: Coronavirus
 

Ready to Renew? CLICK HERE
 

Employer Payment Made Simple

Is your employer paying for your licence this year? You can now directly select credit card or e-transfer at the time of submitting the renewal application to make the payment. This removes the need for your employer to complete a payment form, cuts down the amount of processing time and improves credit card-related security. As with all payment options, your receipt will be available to download from your profile within 1-2 business days of receiving the payment.

E-transfer Deadlines

If you are selecting e-transfer as your method of payment, please ensure that you follow up with the transfer within 48 hours. If payment is not received within 48 hours, the application will be discarded and you will need to resubmit. This speeds up our processing time, ensuring quick and smooth completion of renewal applications. Unpaid applications will incur a late fee after March 31st.
 

Top Five Tips for Renewal

  1. Fees have increased
    Renewal and registration fees with the College of Opticians have increased across the board. Healthcare regulation has seen a huge amount of changes and development recently and we must invest in order to keep regulation as effective as possible. You can read more about our fee increase here.
     
  2. Your continuing education credits must be complete
    Most registrants are now on the new Continuing Competency Program but some are still required to complete the final cycle of the previous credit program. According to our bylaws, your continuing education credits must be complete before you can renew your licence. If you know your credits are incomplete, please contact our QA Program Manager Christopher Dodge before you attempt to renew.
     
  3. Complete your Criminal Record Check
    It is important that registrants with the College have a current and valid Criminal Record Check. We send monthly reminders to those whose criminal record check is about to expire or is overdue so if you have recently received one of these reminders, please follow the instructions in the email to complete the check. Criminal record checks need to be completed every five years and if you are unsure if yours has expired, please contact the College.
     
  4. Update your information
    Completing your renewal online is a perfect opportunity to ensure the information we have on file for you is up to date. Your email address is particularly important as it is the primary channel of communication we use to get in touch with you. When you complete your renewal, please check all your contact details are correct.
     
  5. Paying for your license
    We accept two types of payment – credit card (Visa and MasterCard) and e-transfer. You can select your payment method at the time of renewal. We have improved our system for accepting e-transfers and detailed instructions can be found in our FAQ. Please ensure you read this step carefully before sending the transfer. Once you have completed the online renewal, you will receive an automated notice and your receipt will be available to download within five working days.

AND FINALLY! Please be patient during the renewal period, it is a busy time and we will likely be slower to respond to enquiries than usual. We thank you for your understanding and continued belief in the value of licensure.

Don't forget to renew before March 31st to avoid late fees.

Ready to Renew? CLICK HERE
 

Changing Your Status or Adding a Designation

If you are changing your status between Practicing and Non-Practicing or adding an extra designation to your licence, you can do this at the same time as renewing. Simply navigate to the change status tab instead of the renewal tab and select the appropriate option. Your status change will be processed at the same time as the renewal.

 

Forgot Your Login?

Click the Forgot User ID and/or Password link on the Opticians Login page. You will be emailed a password reset link. Just remember to use the email address that we have on file. 

Did You Know?

All your renewal questions are answered in our FAQ and our handy How to Renew Guide will take you through the process step-by-step. You can contact the College anytime if you have specific questions not answered in the FAQ.

Ready to Renew? CLICK HERE
 

CCP Learning Sessions

We have spots available in our upcoming CCP Workshop on Monday, March 16th 9am-12pm. The workshop is designed to help BC Opticians better understand and fully utilize the Continuing Competency Program (CCP). The session will take place at the COBC Downtown Vancouver office at 200 Granville Street. Please click the button below to RSVP by Friday, March 13th.

RSVP

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.