The College Council met on Monday, January 16, 2017. Here are some highlights:
Executive Committee Election
Council has three new officers on its 2017 Executive Committee:
Dr. Pooya Hemami, President
Dr. Richard Kniaziew, Vice President
Ms. Irene Moore, Treasurer
They will be working with four other councillors, public and professional, who were elected by acclamation:
Dr. Bill Chisholm
Dr. Patrick Quaid
Mr. Brian Rivait
Mr. John Van Bastelaar
Congratulations to Dr. Hemami and the Executive Committee.
Welcome to Council
Dr. Hemami welcomed to Council three new members, Ms. Maureen Chesney, Ms. Ellen Pekilis, and Dr. Kamy Morcos.
Records: Optometrists and Opticians Working Together
The College, in collaboration with the College of Opticians of Ontario, has drafted a guide for optometrists and opticians working together in practice. “Records: Optometrists and Opticians Working Together” explains the record keeping and record transfer obligations of each professional.
This guide, the first in an anticipated series of collaborative documents, answers questions that have emerged as a result of the 2014 Professional Misconduct Regulation, which for the first time allowed optometrists to work as independent contractors with opticians. It describes an optometrist’s obligation regarding certain provisions in the regulation, as well as an optician’s obligations according to the Opticianry Act.
Changes to the Optometric Practice Reference
Council approved a motion to divide the Optometric Practice Reference (OPR) into two separate documents—OPR Standards of Practice and OPR Clinical Guidelines. The move stems from the Clinical Practice Panel’s concerns that readers of the OPR, be they members of the public, College members, or other stakeholders, have at times confused the College’s standards, which are the expected requirements of optometric practice, with its guidelines, which are best practices. The Panel believes there would be less confusion if the OPR were organized in a different manner.
Look for these new OPR documents on our home page in the coming weeks.
OPR Update: Infection Control in the Optometric Office
One revised document, 4.7 Infection Control in the Optometric Office, was approved for publication in the OPR.
The revised OPR document will be available soon.
Upcoming Recirculation: Changes to the Registration Regulation
Based on feedback from its fall 2016 consultation, the Registration Committee has proposed further amendments to the Registration Regulation. The original proposals—the addition of a good character clause, the addition of a non-practising status, reduction of the annual fees that non-practising members pay to the College, and the elimination of the Academic Certificate of Registration—have been adjusted after the Committee considered stakeholder feedback and discussed the changes with the University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science. The new proposals include the reintroduction of the Academic Certificate with different requirements for registration and clarifications of wording in the good character and non-practising provisions.
Watch your email for this upcoming circulation.
The next Council meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 6, 2017 at the College office, 65 St. Clair Ave. E., Suite 900, Toronto. Council meetings are open to the public, and members are welcome to attend.