By Maryann Santos, Program Director, Vision Care Technology Program, Goodwin College

Building an optician program at the college level is multi-faceted. The Vision Care Technology (VCT) program at Goodwin College in Connecticut has graduated three cohorts of students. In the scheme of things, we are still a new program. Before I entered academia, cohort was not part of my lexicon. I have always been interested in words and their origin. I recall looking up the word “cohort” when I started because I wasn’t 100% certain of what it meant. When hired, I was told that we would be accepting a new cohort of students each fall semester. A cohort is a group of people banded together. The word is originally derived from Roman military.

One area that is vital outside of curriculum development is recruitment. We look inside and outside of the college for prospective students. Goodwin College has a large Health and Natural Science department. We look to those students who want to be in healthcare and decide that nursing may not be the profession for them. We share our program and profession with them. Before applying to the program, one of our first students asked questions regarding the day-to-day duties of the optician. I remember trying a different approach. I wanted her to get the full picture of what we do and called upon a professional colleague to ask if this prospective student could shadow for a few hours to which they said yes! This student is currently working for them as a successful VCT graduate and a rock star optician.

Connecticut is a licensed state. There are two routes to become licensed, one is through a four year (8000 hours) apprenticeship or graduating from an accredited two year associate's degree optical program. Both require passing the ABO and NCLE national certification examinations. The American Board of Opticianry (ABO) and National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE) are the certifying bodies. The ABO-NCLE certify at the Basic, Advanced, and Master levels, and now have a practical examination.

Part of recruiting has us visiting optical establishments introducing ourselves and the program to the apprentice optician. Sharing our Vision Care Technology program with apprentices allows them the opportunity to explore formal education as an option. We also spend time at high school career and college fairs sharing opticianry as a viable and enjoyable profession that mixes healthcare, business, and fashion.

Furthermore, we are sharing opticianry, the profession near and dear to us all, in the realm of social media using Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and possibly YouTube in the near future!

As opticians, we are a cohort, banded together professionally, helping America see better, one pair of eyeglasses or contact lenses at a time.