ST. LOUIS—According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), due to a motion approved by the AOA House of Delegates at Optometry's Meeting in San Diego in June 2013, eyecare professionals working for AOA-member ODs are now eligible to obtain AOA associate membership. The change will grant approximately 75,000 optometric staff members across the U.S. access to exclusive AOA-member benefits at no cost to the individual or to the AOA-member optometrist who enrolls them, the Association said.

Optometric and paraoptometric staff will have access to Paraoptometric Resource Center member benefits such as: online continuing education (CE) articles, worth six hours of CE credits; the Paraoptometric Skill Builder Beginner Level 1 program; Billing and Coding: Foundations for Beginners, a nine-hour webinar series; access to member-only webpages; discounted fees for paraoptometric education and certification preparation materials; and reduced registration fees for Optometry's Meeting.

The Commission on Paraoptometric Certification (CPC) status will not be affected by the change.

To enroll staff, AOA members may log into www.aoa.org, select “My Profile/My AOA” under the “Optometrist” tab, click on the “Manage Staff” tab and enter information for each non-OD staff member. Each staff member’s legal name, date of birth and unique email address are required.

For further information or assistance on the new AOA membership opportunity, contact the AOA Paraoptometric Resource Center at prc@aoa.org or call (800) 365-2219, ext. 4108.