Over the past three years, the Optical Distributors & Manufacturers Association of Australia (ODMA) and the UNSW School of Optometry and Vision Science (SOVS) have developed a partnership to enhance optometry students’ education with business and dispensing experience.
ODMA and the SOVS have entered a Memorandum of Understanding undertaking in:
- Assisting with redeveloping the retail clinic, dispensing and laboratory areas of the School clinic. ODMA provided AUD$100,000 in cash as part funding in support of this project, which took place in November and December of 2010
- Establishing a mentoring system where qualified dispensing staff act as mentors to assist SOVS students in developing relevant skills to confidently address the visual needs of their patients. Mentors worked with students in all fourth and fifth year student clinics in session one and session two of 2010 onwards with an estimated kind value of personnel to be AUD$96,000 per year
- Supporting access to appropriate inventory and merchandise in the school clinic in 2011 following refit. SOVS estimate the in-kind value of the stock to be AUD$80,000 in 2011
There are 45,000 people who study or work at UNSW with 64 per cent wearing spectacles or contact lenses. Of the 29,000 population, 86 per cent are young people while14 per cent are presbyopes. ODMA member frame suppliers have been asked to supply a sample number of frames in response to this profile, on consignment.
The dispensing mentor scheme is an ODMA initiative, which provides the opportunity to educate the students about dispensing as well as how to value-add and maximise the lifetime value of each customer to a practice.
The dispensing mentor scheme is an ODMA initiative, which provides the opportunity to educate the students about dispensing as well as how to value-add and maximise the lifetime value of each customer to a practice.
The ODMA member companies Essilor Australia, Opticare, Hoya Australia, Carl Zeiss Vision, Designs For Vision, Rodenstock Australia, and Shamir Australia generously provided the 2010 dispensing mentors for all clinics at their own cost.
