We have a responsibility to keep this association / college financially viable. That has never been an easy task and we have always kept the fees as low as possible to cover expenses but never have an excess. In fact some years we have ended up with a deficit of funds at the end of the year. This council has said that any deficit cannot be tolerated. How then do we assure we have a fund which will cover the unexpected and still not increase fees?

No one wants the fees to increase. This is a statement not a question. Every person who sends them a letter or attends meetings or complains on the phone makes them stop to think. Is this right? Is this fair? They feel for the young inexperienced optician who is just starting out without a big income. They feel for those who wanted to retire or have retired and are coming back part time because the markets have gone crazy. They feel for the mothers working weekends to try to add a bit of cash to the household income and they feel for the optician just slogging along trying to pay the bills. They have considered each of these cases and feel to be fair to all; if a person is practicing they must pay the same as the person next to them. Is this fair? I think it is as fair as we can get with 800 different stories.

They took a look at the areas of greatest potential risk and came up with disciplines as the number one issue. How do we reduce the amount of required disciplines without skimping on regulation? How do we make the rule breaking go away? Well I guess you know we can’t stop someone who is bound and determined to break the rules from searching for a loophole or hiding until they are found. We can however make sure the rest of the members understand all the rules so they aren’t caught off guard. So they aren’t doing something they shouldn’t without being aware of it. We can also prepare for the unexpected situation that is sure to come along even though we cannot at this time see the circumstances.

This is the birth of the “Code of Conduct Course” that you have been hearing about. This course has been designed to assist the membership, you, to understand the rules and show you how to apply standards for your practice. The same application of logic was used as for the fees being equal. The decision was that it does not matter if you have been an optician for 30 years or one year, it does not matter if you keep your head down and nose to the grindstone or if you are on every committee including council. All Opticians will be required to do the Code of Conduct Course. It will qualify for Continuing Education credits and you can do it in the comfort of your own home or office. The first two modules must be completed during the current three year cycle for continuing education. The next two modules will be required during the next continuing education cycle. All new members after that point will be required to do it as a registration requirement. This course will cost money and all proceeds will go to a contingency fund to deal with the unexpected.

This is risk management at its finest. Identify an area of risk, create a climate to reduce the risk as far as possible and prepare for any unfavourable outcome as much as possible.

Maureen Hussey, Executive Director / Registrar