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Board certification will provide quality assessment
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The American Optometric Association’s recent decision to revisit the concept of board certification in optometry is destined to conjure up a wide range of emotions. For starters, the idea of board certification rekindles memories of the American Board of Optometric Practice (ABOP) and its proceedings a half a dozen years ago. Though well intended, ABOP proved to be an especially charged exercise.
For some, ABOP was visionary – a much-needed concept that was simply before its time. Others saw ABOP as unnecessary and board certification as something that would fractionate optometry, a fate our profession could ill afford. For many, ABOP and board certification was a vague abstract that never came to fruition.
Given optometry’s brief – and less than stellar – foray into board certification, one simple question comes to mind: Why now? While there is no simple answer, it is obvious board certification is a complex issue and there are some compelling reasons for its resurfacing.
Need for assessment
For starters, many of the strategic imperatives arising from the Optometry 2020 Summit proceedings have identified a strong need for advanced competency assessment in optometry. As a profession, we are proud of the many educational and legislative advances we have made over the past quarter of a century. For the most part, we are a respected and integrated member of the nation’s health care delivery system.
However, with these advances have come certain concessions, as we are no longer an autonomous “cottage” industry. Like many other regulated health care professions we must now provide some measure of accountability. We must be accountable to hospitals and health care systems, insurers and third-party payers, as well as governmental agencies.
While one can argue that accountability is assured by national board examinations and state licensure, these entities provide only a measure of baseline competency. Although postgraduate optometric education is an excellent means by which to assure continued competency, it is perhaps no longer enough. For precisely this reason the topic of board certification has resurfaced.
A process of collaboration
While the topic is much the same, the process is vastly different this time. There is an air of collegiality and collaboration as the AOA is joined in this process by the American Academy of Optometry, American Optometric Student Association, Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry, Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. We have come to recognize each of these entities for their significant contributions to optometry through the years. I’m confident that their stewardship will serve us well again.
While change is always a bit unsettling, we should remember a few things. First, and foremost, assessing continued competency through board certification is not intended to be judgmental. Rather, it is conducted in the spirit of assisting each of us with professional growth and improvement. Second, board certification provides a mechanism by which quality assessments are accomplished with optometric input. Simply stated, it is peer review and peer facilitation. Finally, and perhaps most urgently, we live in an era in which the quest for improved quality is wide-ranging. This trend goes well beyond optometry, and if we don’t explore our options now, others will ultimately do so for us.