SEATTLE—The Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry (ARBO) is taking next steps with important improvements to its Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE) continuing education (CE) accreditation program, based on discussions at the ARBO annual meeting held in Seattle earlier this week.

“These improvements will enhance knowledge, performance and patient outcomes by maintaining quality continuing education and will assure the public that optometrists’ continuing education is effective, relevant to practice, based upon valid content, and free from commercial bias,” said Susy Yu, OD, MBA, FAAO, newly-elected president of ARBO.

The key changes center around educational planning and measuring outcomes. They will support the progress of accredited optometric CE toward equivalency with other health care professions, and, for the first time, optometric CE providers will have the option of becoming an accredited provider. The updated COPE accreditation process creates the opportunity for joint accreditation of optometric CE with that of other health care providers, such as nursing, pharmacy and medicine. Joint accreditation would expand the market for professionals looking to attend optometric CE courses and will validate optometry's role as an important provider of CE alongside its sister professions, according to Yu.

One of the keys to the creation of the updated COPE process has been the active participation of the members of the COPE Advisory Committee. This committee is comprised of representatives from stakeholders throughout the optometric profession. Dr. Bart Campbell, from the Accreditation Council on Optometry Education (ACOE), Helen Viksnins, from the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), Dr. Sandra Fortenberry, from the American Optometric Association (AOA), and Dr. Jenny Coyle, from the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO), have all provided invaluable feedback in developing and implementing the new accreditation processes, Yu said, noting that the COPE Advisory Committee, established in 2014, has held two face to face meetings in the past nine months and will continue to provide guidance and meaningful input toward improving the COPE program.

The next step in COPE's evolution will be the development of an Accreditation Review Committee. This will consist of representatives from our partner stakeholders in optometry. The Accreditation Review Committee will evaluate and recommend accreditation of providers, for final ratification by the ARBO Board of Directors. ARBO, through its member regulatory boards, ultimately answers to the public.

Founded in 1919, ARBO’s purpose is to represent and assist member licensing agencies in regulating the practice of optometry for the public welfare. ARBO serves 66 Boards of Optometry in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. ARBO is dedicated to patient health by providing a CE accreditation process that ensures the quality education, free from commercial bias.