Virtual Learning Livecast courses debut on AOA professional development hub

A national forum for clinicians, students and faculty to communicate interesting cases and unique research to their colleagues, the ePoster sessions were part of the AOA’s 2020 Virtual Learning Livecast.

By popular demand, 54 courses from the AOA's first-ever 2020 Virtual Learning Livecast are now available in the EyeLearn Professional Development Hub, the AOA's member-exclusive, centralized education portal.

EyeLearn offers a growing wealth of education modules, webinars and resources to help advance clinical proficiencies and practice management expertise for doctors, students and paraoptometrics. Find the latest education exclusively available for AOA members.

The new courses on EyeLearn include the popular infection control series and virtual sessions with authors of selected ePosters. Other topics include:

• Tele-optometry.
• Systemic diseases.
• Coding and billing.
• Artificial intelligence.
• Low vision.
• Eye diseases.

Courses are one and two hours long and ePoster sessions are 15-20 minutes each in length. Check out a list of Livecast courses.

"Doctors and staff know the quality of AOA educational events," says Ronald L. Benner, O.D., AOA trustee and liaison to the AOA Education Center. "As we shift our formats from education for credit to professional development, we are changing the type and topics of our programming toward direct clinical relevancy. This is something that both doctors and staff are desiring."

Surveys say: VLL courses well-received

The Virtual Learning Livecast was organized after Optometry's Meeting^® was canceled and reinvented due to the COVID-19 crisis. About 1,580 people registered for the inaugural event. That number consisted of about 800 doctors of optometry, 435 paraoptometrics and 335 optometry students.

The event was well-received, judging by comments from surveys filled out by participants after. Nearly 97% of survey respondents were either very satisfied or satisfied with the quality of education at the event. Respondents appreciated the convenience and the knowledge shared, while acknowledgng the challenge of pulling off the Livecast amid the pandemic.

"I have quite a bit of virtual learning during this quarantine period," read one survey. "The platform that AOA used was by far the best one I've seen. Being able to see the speaker and have good quality slides was almost like you were there."

Another reads: "Almost my entire staff participated all together on Friday afternoon/evening and Saturday morning. I was a little afraid they'd grumble, but we made it a fun and challenging event and they all seemed to enjoy it!"

Getting credit

For the Livecast, courses were both COPE- and CPC-approved for continuing education credit. COPE credit is not available, however, through EyeLearn. But paraoptometric staff can earn CPC credit for designated courses on EyeLearn.