The annual Specsavers Clinical Conference, due to take place in September, has been postponed due to COVID-19. In its place, the Specsavers Optometry Team has announced it will offer an SCC Online Series – with regular monthly CPD sessions – for Specsavers and non-Specsavers optometrists in Australia and New Zealand.
Points that would have been earned at SCC will be accessible via SCC Online.
The SCC Online Series, which will commence on 29 July, will deliver educational content tailored for clinical optometry practice, with a strong supply of therapeutics points. A range of virtual presentations, panel discussions and interactive webinars will cover topics ranging from glaucoma diagnosis and co-management, to diabetic retinopathy screening, KeepSight updates and more.
Specsavers Pro/AM Classic
The series will also include the new collaborative and interactive ‘Specsavers Pro/AM Classic’ which engages local optometrists and ophthalmologists to review individual patient cases then present on how each would respond and diagnose.
Each SCC Online Series event will be eligible for both Australian CPD Points and New Zealand CD and General Points. The program will be adapted in Australia from 1 December this year when the Optometry Board Australia replaces the existing points-based CPD system with a time-based CPD program. No changes will be made to accreditation of points in New Zealand.
Specsavers Director of Optometry, Dr Ben Ashby said the SCC Online Series is an innovative way to deliver on Specsavers’ commitment to transforming eye health and proving best-practice resources to the wider industry.
The SCC Online Series, which will commence on 29 July, will deliver educational content tailored for clinical optometry practice, with a strong supply of therapeutics points
“It’s essential that we continue to make high-quality, relevant CPD-accredited resources available to as many Australian and New Zealander practitioners as possible. Current circumstances mean that it is not feasible to host a physical event at this time, so we are using the technology we have available to ensure that we continue to deliver professional development opportunities to all optometrists.”
Specsavers optometrists will be able to access the SCC Online series directly through the Specsavers MyCPD portal, which launched early this year. The portal is Specsavers’ virtual hub for optometrists that hosts live tracking of CPD and is home to a wide range of professional development resources and training.
The portal makes tracking CPD points and activity easy, with 24/7 access from a computer, mobile or tablet, and the ability to receive news alerts and information on upcoming events. Additionally, it allows optometrists to print certificates of completion and learning summaries.
Non-Specsavers optometrists will also be able to register to participate in the SCC Online series through the Specsavers Spectrum-ANZ website at spectrum-anz.com.
According to Specsavers, five recent Specsavers CPD webinars on Zoom, delivered by ophthalmologists A/Prof Colin Chan and A/Prof Graham Lee attracted more than 1,000 attendees during May and June, proving the high level of interest in online professional development opportunities among optometry professionals.
The full program and speaker list for the SCC Online Series will be announced in late June.
