After extensive review of the COPE accreditation process, the College is confident that COPE accredited CE would ensure Ontario optometrists are participating in high-quality and meaningful CE:
- COPE is a recognized accreditation program for optometric CE courses;
- CE providers are required to meet COPE accreditation criteria, which include:
- incorporating into CE activities the educational needs (knowledge, competence, or performance) that underlie the professional practice gaps of their learners;
- generating activities/educational interventions that are designed to change competence, performance, or patient outcomes as described in its mission statement; and
- analyzing changes in learners (competence, performance, or patient outcomes) achieved as a result of the overall program’s activities/educational interventions;
- COPE Standards for Commercial Support ensure independence in CE activities; and
- COPE has been deemed substantially equivalent to the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®), which accredits organizations that provide continuing medical education (CME) for physicians. COPE has adopted the ACCME accreditation criteria.