How Can a CAQ Benefit Me?

Earning a CAQ is an achievement that acknowledges your experience, skill and knowledge in a focused practice area. Recognized throughout healthcare, CAQs provide not only a marker of extended expertise but also a means to maintain that expertise through more focused learning and assessment activities.

A step beyond board certification, a CAQ is a voluntary credential that benefits Diplomates who have acquired extensive experience in a specified area through either advanced clinical training or years in practice.

A Focused MOC Path

Board certification and Maintenance of Certification (MOC) provide a structured path for continuous learning. Earning a CAQ provides Diplomates an opportunity to further define that path by focusing MOC activities in a chosen practice area. Tailoring topics, feedback, self-directed study and assessments to better align with patient populations, benefits the optometrist and patients by ensuring a significant amount of continuing education is dedicated to enhancing knowledge and skill in a particular specialty.

A Credential to Share with Colleagues 

Optometrists, like other medical professionals, often refer patients to colleagues who have additional expertise in a specific practice area. For example, a primary care optometrist may refer glaucoma patients to a colleague who routinely treats glaucoma and has experience and expertise in that area. Earning a CAQ is a way to demonstrate expertise and communicate that expertise to colleagues.

Increased Patient Confidence

Patients want to know that their doctor of choice is doing everything possible to keep up with the latest information and practice standards in the area in which they are seeking treatment. A CAQ credential provides patients with an objective assurance that their optometrist is taking extra steps to stay informed and up to date in the specific CAQ practice area. 

Career Enhancement

Employers often seek to fill positions with specific expertise. Adding a CAQ to your professional credentials can help identify your experience in a focused practice area. The CAQ credential may also help to enhance growth in private practice and expand opportunities for lecturing or research.