Issues and News from Your Association

By Mary Field

International Opticians Association
We had a distinguished guest join us at Vision Canada this year. Sir Anthony Garrett is the general secretary to the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) and also serves as secretary to the International Opticians Association (IOA). Next year Vision Canada will be hosting the IOA bi-annual meeting when we have our yearly trade show and conference at Hotel Lac Lemay (near Ottawa). So this was a get-acquainted visit for Sir Anthony, who attended the OAC, NACOR, CAOE and OCC meetings that were held prior to the convention as well as the launch of the OCC branding presentation. You will be pleased to know that he was blown away by how far ahead of British opticians we are in ‘getting our act together’.

Renewing Insurance and Membership is Easy Peasy
It’s license renewal time and that means renewal of liability insurance. For many opticians it also means scrambling to complete their continuing education requirements. As we reported in our last OAC News update, our new database system is up and running and Canadian opticians have been discovering that this is the best way to get it done.

Sure, we’ve had a few glitches but that’s bound to happen with a new system that’s as complex as this one is. Kudos to our administrative staff that have been able to coach people through every single hiccup and have made the appropriate adjustments to prevent repeat difficulties for the next person.

Here are a few FAQs that may help you if you have not yet tried to access your Member Passport.

• Your access to the passport is dependent on the system knowing your e-mail address. If we don’t have your e-mail address you’ll have to supply us with that information so we can add it to your profile.
• You can’t use an e-mail address that is shared by another optician. The software, which tracks your own con ed history, can’t identify you as an individual if someone else has the same e-mail address.
• When you renew your OAC membership, the computer automatically installs four credits into your con ed bank. If you don’t use them this year, next year when you renew you’ll get another four credits and your bank will now reflect an accumulated total of eight credits. You should know that con ed modules have to be re-accredited every three years so it is possible that a module will be discontinued or assigned different credit values by the provincial regulatory bodies so it’s a good idea to use your credits within the three-year time frame.

Comprehensive Insurance Packages

The OAC has provided its members with comprehensive liability insurance for well over a decade through Mitchell Abbott. There are two options — $3,000,000 and $5,000,000 at very reasonable members’ prices. Highlights of these policies include automatic coverage for students working under the supervision of a licensed member, libel and slander, full cost of legal defense up to the limit of your coverage, legal expenses for discipline hearings, and there is no deductible.

Several years ago our broker put together a Retail Store Insurance program and has recently added Auto insurance and Homeowners insurance ($2,000,000 liability limit included) and Identity theft coverage (Up to $30,000 included with no deductible). The homeowners plan includes coverage for tenants, condominiums, rented dwellings, seasonal residences, home-based business and more. Call Brad Ackles at 800 461-9462 or visit their website at www.mitchelabbottgroup.com.

And don’t forget our Group Health Insurance Plan. It is unique because it will provide group rate coverage for businesses with one person and up. It is a pooled plan, which means that your rates do not increase based on your volume of claims but on the claim rate for the larger pool of insured opticians. You can build your own package to include life insurance, health benefits, prescription drugs and dental. For more information on this package call Canadian Reliance Group Health Benefits at 888 988-7788 or visit their website at www.canadianreliance.com.

Of Interest
Some opticians have reported receiving phone calls from companies trying to sell first aid stations, telling them according to Workplace Health and Safety they must have a first aid station and a ‘first aider’ designated to protect workers.

Take a look at your provincial WHS website (the department may be called some variation of that in your province). Opticians do fall under Workplace Health and Safety but usually a dispensary is considered a low risk business, unless perhaps you have a lab. Common sense suggests that you should have a fully stocked first aid kit and everybody in the dispensary should know where it’s located and ‘what to do if…’ It is worthwhile to consider paying for your staff to take CPR training as well.