CLO CET consultation reminder

ABDO head of CPD, Alex Webster, is reminding all members to take part in the General Optical Council (GOC) consultation on education and training requirements for entry to the GOC register as a contact lens optician (CLO) by the closing date of Monday 13 December.

The key proposals being consulted on are:

• Candidates will acquire a qualification approved by the GOC leading to specialist entry to the GOC register as a CLO
• The approved qualification will be either an academic award or a regulated qualification at a minimum of Regulated Qualification Framework (RQF) (or equivalent) Level 6
• There will be no proposed minimum/maximum or recommended time or credit volume for an approved qualification or specified location or duration of clinical experience, other than the requirement that an approved qualification leading to specialist entry to the GOC register as a CLO must integrate approximately 225 hours of learning and experience in practice
• The provider of the approved qualification must, in the design, delivery and assessment of an approved qualification, involve and be informed by feedback from a range of stakeholders including patients, employers, trainees, supervisors, members of the eye-care team and other healthcare professionals
• An outcomes-based approach is used to specify knowledge, skills and behaviours using an established competence and assessment hierarchy known as ‘Miller’s Pyramid of Clinical Competence’ (knows; knows how; shows how; and does)
• Providers of approved qualifications are responsible for the measurement (assessment) of students’ achievement of the outcomes at the required level (on Miller’s Pyramid) leading to an award of an approved qualification
• Providers of approved qualifications will be responsible for recruiting and selecting trainees onto a programme leading to an award of an approved qualification. Recognition of prior learning can be deployed to assist the progression of trainees whose progress to specialist registration has stalled

Respond to the consultation on the GOC website here.