ATPO Corner

On Friday, May 6, the Association of Technical Personnel in Ophthalmology (ATPO) will bring an exciting session to the ASCRS/ASOA Symposium and Congress. “Train the Trainer” focuses on the practical skills and real life strategies needed to create and deliver effective, engaging training to new ophthalmic hires in an ophthalmic environment. This course helps practices start technician training programs and refine the techniques they are already using. Attendees will learn to train with impact by assessing their own training style, and evaluating the learner, the trainer, and the training course.

This session includes lectures and a moderated panel of four speakers with years of training experience. Topics will include identifying a good trainer, matching learning styles and training methods, utilizing effective training techniques, developing a systematic approach, and evaluating the success of your training methods. Practical examples and useful training resources will be provided. Time is allotted for questions at the end of the session.

ATPO also holds certification exam review sessions on May 6 for JCAHPO’s COA, COT, and COMT written exams. These are a great resource for technicians preparing to take the next step in their careers. These sessions serve as an overview of content areas covered on the certification examination to help the attendee prepare for the exam. Content areas are discussed in a classroom format with the use of a slide presentation and end with a question and answer session.

Registration is open until April 26. Visit the JCAHPO Events Page for more information.

Tech Life

When people ask me how I ended up as an Assistant Professor and Director of a program in Health Science at Saint Catherine University, it’s difficult to boil the story down into a three minute “elevator speech.” The shortest answer is that it was a result of a series of situations where I happened to be in the right place at the right time, armed with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, and open to learning new things and exploring new possibilities. The combination of a love of doing puzzles, working with people to find solutions to complex problems, and the love of creating and building things from scratch made working in eye care the perfect place for me.

I started as an optician trainee in a retail optical shop, where the owners took a chance on my baccalaureate degree, telling me that the degree meant I was “educable.” I soon discovered contact lens fitting and loved to take on the most complex fitting challenges. I then tried management and learned very quickly that it was not my strength. I applied for an ophthalmic technician job at the University of Minnesota, in an effort to move into a more academic medical setting. I learned that they only wanted to hire staff who had completed formal training and was directed to the School for Ophthalmic Technicians (now called the Regions Hospital School of Ophthalmic Medical Technology) in St. Paul, MN. I learned about Orthoptics while I was finishing the program, then took and passed the COMT exam and started as the first student in the new Orthoptics program in the University of Minnesota Pediatric Eye Clinic. I took and passed the Orthoptic board exams in the following year and finally began my clinical adventures.

After many years of working in the clinic, a stint of working briefly as the certification manager for JCAHPO, teaching for JCAHPO and other continuing education programs and becoming involved in the leadership of ATPO and AACO, I had the pleasure of teaching a few Orthoptic students in the practice where I was working. This led to an opportunity to develop a new Orthoptic program at Saint Catherine University and to participate in teaching students enrolled in their Associate Degree Ophthalmic Technician program. All of this has led to a new opportunity as the director of a new program for students in Health Science. I still work with patients a little bit and love this chance to keep my skills fresh.

My newest academic adventure is also in the area of Interprofessional Education and practice, helping students to effectively develop and work within teams as they strive to provide the most effective and efficient care for their patients. My experience in the world of eye care has set me up to be able to work in this larger world of teaching students who are pursuing a variety of health care professions. It all goes back to my bachelor’s degree and the chance I was given to show that I was educable as an optician. I am forever grateful to Russel and Takako Trenholm for taking a chance on me and opening up this universe that had been hidden.