ADOA Reports Sep 2011

ADOA Victoria

Murray O'Brien

Did you know that ADOA Victoria has a Facebook page?

If you are a Facebook user, please go to our page and 'like' us!

Facebook is a very handy medium for giving updates on upcoming events, and posting reports with photos. With enough support, it could become our major method of communication... so please 'like' us and recommend us to all your friends.

Continuing Education

On 22 August ADOA Victoria held a continuing education evening at Hoya's Melbourne office. Over a very enjoyable and educational evening, Hoya introduced us to their new robotic edging system. Thanks to the Hoya team for their kind hospitality.

Our next continuing education will be held on Monday 10 October. Our guest speaker will be Glenn Bartlett from Display Edge. Having dressed window displays for over 20 years, many of them optical practices, he is considered the "go to man" in this field. He will talk to us about how to make the best of our window space for maximum impact, so please come along and learn from the master! It will be held at Coopers Inn in Exhibition St in Melbourne from 7.30pm.

All practice staff are invited to attend. Non-members will be charged a fee of AUD$15.

We are always looking for interesting and informative guest speakers, so if you are an industry professional who would like to contribute, please call the ADOA Victoria Secretariat Don Blanksby on (AUS) 03 9536 3127.

Go Forth and Multiply!

Finally, I would like to re-iterate the sentiment of our World Opticians Association President Paul Clarke. There is still plenty of opportunity for young optical dispensers to forge a great career in optics, in particular in private practice. Whether you choose a franchise model or independent practice, the demand continues to grow and so too will business. You need experience and you need to build your knowledge and skills. ADOA Victoria provides an opportunity to learn and meet colleagues in your chosen profession. Please go to www.adoa.org.au for more information!

Murray O'Brien is the President of ADOA Victoria. He is also the Company Principal of Designed Eyes, an optical fitting laboratory based in Rosebud, Victoria.

ADOA NSW

Carol Chivers

The title of Dispensing Optician is changed to 'Certified Optical Dispenser'.

New certificates have been issued to our growing membership to identify your accreditation. Included with each certificate was a window display decal to promote your skills in the business. We do thank you for your patience during this transition and encourage you to display your certificate and decal once you have received them. As a member of ADOA, the public can be assured that you are fully qualified.

As your professional association, ADOA aims to protect your professional identity, your qualifications and training. Our strong relationships with state and federal governments are integral to playing this role. To this end we are focused on making ourselves known to members of parliament and to presenting a united voice on behalf of all of our members. We are also the first point of contact for members of the federal and state government when they need clarification on any issues pertaining to optical dispensing.

Don't Let Deregulation Stop You

It's a fact that the level of knowledge you hold and the professional skills you need will change over the years. It's also a fact that many of our customers can recognise the difference between those optical dispensers who have continued their professional training and those who have not... Customers do their research!

Don't let deregulation stop you from protecting your professional skills - ensure you take responsibility for your own continued professional development so that you can be ready with the skill set you need to perform your role to the very best of your ability.

ADOA has endorsed a number of excellent courses that are run through Sydney Institute and OTEN, both a division of TAFE NSW.  

Carol Chivers is on the ADOA NSW Committee.