Awards Criteria and Recognition Events

The AOA Paraoptometric Section has developed several professional recognition awards for its members. All awards culminate at the Section's annual conference, Optometry's Meeting™.

Paraoptometric of the Year Award

CIBA Vision, A Novartis Company, is a proud sponsor of the Paraoptometric of the Year Award.

The Paraoptometric of the Year Award is given annually to the optometric assistant or technician who has made the most outstanding and worthwhile contributions to the profession of optometry, paraoptometry, and the general public.

The Awards Committee will judge the nominees’ performance based on the following criteria: service to optometry and paraoptometric associations, public service, and personal endorsement.

Nominees do not have to be winners of the state Paraoptometric of the Year Award. State winners are not automatically entered in the national contest. Nominees must be members of the AOA Paraoptometric Section and membership must be in good standing.

Nominations can be submitted by a state, regional, or local paraoptometric organization, an AOA member OD, or an AOA Paraoptometric Section member. Nomination forms are available through state associations and on the Web site. To request information about the rules and criteria pertaining to this award, as well as a nomination form, e-mail PS@aoa.org, call (800) 365-2219, ext. 4222, or fax (314) 991-4101.

The Paraoptometric of the Year Award will be presented Thursday, June 26, 2008 at a luncheon during Optometry’s Meeting™ in Seattle, WA. The honoree will recieve a plaque, roundtrip airfare to Optometry's Meeting™, three nights lodging reimbursement at a contract hotel, and $500 to assist with travel expenses. The award is sponsored by CIBA Vision, a Novartis Company. The deadline for nomination submission is February 1, 2008.

Community Service Award

Nominations are now being accepted for the American Optometric Association Paraoptometric Section's annual Community Service Award. The award honors one member of the Section with the Community Service Award who has generously donated his or her time and talents to the profession.

Each nominee is evaluated based on his or her performance as related in the following categories: community service within the optometric practice in which he/she works, self or practice-sponsored community service, as well as the individual's personal and professional goals of community service.

Completed nomination forms and recommendations must be received by the AOA Paraoptometric Section office on or prior to March 31, 2008 to be considered. The recipient will be presented a plaque of recognition, a $100.00 personal cash award, and a $100.00 award to the charity of the recipient's choice during the Paraoptometric Section Awards Luncheon being held Thursday, June 26, 2008 during the 111th Annual AOA Congress & 38th Annual AOSA Conference: Optometry's Meeting™ in Seattle, WA. The AOA Paraoptometric Section Awards Luncheon is sponsored by CIBA Vision, a Novartis Company.

Affiliate Membership Recruitment Award

For the second year, the AOA Paraoptometric Section will present an award for affiliates, honoring the work done on the state level to increase state and national paraoptometric membership. Affiliate optometric and paraoptometric associations who strive to increase membership both locally and nationally will not want to miss participating in this exciting award.

Affiliates will need to submit a list of its state members, including first and last name, street address, city, state, and ZIP code to the AOAPS by March 31, 2008 in an electronic format. The list of state paraoptometric members will be compared to the list of national paraoptometric members. The affiliate paraoptometric association with the highest market share (percentage) of state members who are also national members will honored during the section’s Awards Luncheon being held during Optometry’s Meeting™. Take part in the fun of this new award, and submit your affiliate membership list today!

Paraoptometric Recognition Week

The AOA Paraoptometric Section, with the support of the American Optometric Association, has designated September 16-22, 2007 as Paraoptometric Recognition Week.

Now in its fifth year, the recognition week is designed to honor paraoptometrics for their dedication to the patients they serve, and to the profession of optometry.

Some interesting facts about the paraoptometric profession and the Section:

The AOA Paraoptometric Section was developed in 1978.
The Section gains approximately 40 new members per month. The membership is made up of optometric assistants, technicians, front office staff and office managers, as well as opticians. Some staff is dually certified as optometric assistants and technicians as well as opticians, NCLE, COA, and COT. All allied health personnel are welcome members of the Section.
Out of 2,070 members, 812 are Certified Paraoptometrics, 605 are Certified Paraoptometric Assistants, and 196 are Certified Paraoptometric Technicians.
In a 2005 survey, 52.1 percent said they worked for an solo practicing optometrists while approximately two in five were employed by optometrists in group practices.
Most paraoptometrics work in small communities - for example, the largest proportion of survey respondents, 31.1 percent, worked in communities of 25,000 or less. Only 6.8 percent worked in urban or suburban communities of 500,000 or greater populations.
82 percent of employers encouraged participation in local, state, and/or national paraoptometric associations, while more than 80.5 percent of employers pay all financial participation in such organizations.
92 percent of employers are strong supporters of continuing education programs for their optometric staff.
Nearly three out of five or 78.5 percent of employers pay some or all of the costs to sending paraoptometrics to continuing education seminars.
Some 53.2 percent of the employers of surveyed paraoptometrics paid all expenses, including registration, travel, and related costs of education.
Two out of five surveyed paraoptometrics had 11 years or more of professional experience.

To order badge ribbons for your staff to wear during Paraoptometric Recognition Week, call the Paraoptometric Section at (800) 365-2219, ext. 4222 or e-mail PS@aoa.org.