A Word From Our Chair

July 30, 2020
Paul Hodge, OD, FAAO

As I write this, we are in the midst of battling COVID-19 across our nation. We are all evaluating our professional lives and how to adapt when the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us. This year has definitely been one for the history books. As optometrists, we cannot continue to perform business as usual and we must reassess our office protocols to implement new best practices to ensure the success of our profession as a whole and individually. 

The ABO Board of Directors also continues to evaluate development within the profession and will be discussing ways to improve our Diplomate program at ABO’s annual meeting in October. I would like to highlight several current as well as potential initiatives that are on the agenda for further consideration.

  1. Working with each state to encourage acceptance of CAP assessments as qualified CE along with potentially gaining university endorsement and COPE approval for all assessments.
  2. Evaluating additional enhancements to CAP based on feedback that we received from our one-year survey conducted in January 2020. We continue to study the results, focusing on areas of improvement that will make CAP more valuable and educational for Diplomates.
  3. Growing our resident program to encourage all residents to become board certified upon completion of their residency.
  4. Considering new certification timelines based on our transition from a 10-year recertification exam to CAP.
  5. Evaluating the feasibility of having on site exam administration at various national meetings or on-demand testing.
  6. Reviewing new developments within the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) to ensure that our program continues to meet established industry standards.

The ABO Board takes seriously our responsibility to continue the professional development and continued competence of our Diplomates and Candidates. We continually evaluate how we can improve our program based on feedback from those we serve and new trends from our ABMS colleagues. Thank you all for your dedication to our profession and for your support of the American Board of Optometry. Stay safe and healthy.

Paul Hodge, OD
Chair, American Board of Optometry

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