mivision has launched a free online learning platform to provide orthoptists in Australia, New Zealand and beyond with greater access to CPD.
www.orthopticsCPD.com offers educational articles written by ophthalmologists, academics and eye health professionals, each of which has been approved by the Australian Orthoptic Board for two CPD points.
Dr Kerry Fitzmaurice, Chair of the Australian Orthoptic Board, said she hopes orthopticsCPD.com will add to the variety and accessibility of CPD for all registrants.
“Australian orthoptists work in a very broad range of practice settings including clinical, in both private practice and hospital based, in every range of specialty offered within ophthalmology; rehabilitation facilities including low vision and neurological impairment and community health settings to name a few.
“Accessing suitable CPD activities supports registered orthoptists to maintain currency and provide safe evidence-based services. Registered orthoptists practice throughout Australia and not all are within major cities, therefore CPD activities need to not only reflect our diversity of practice but also enable access irrespective of geographic location,” said Dr Fitzmaurice.
DIVERSE TOPICS
The following broad range of topics is currently available and is being expanded:
- EmployAbility: Managing Blindness and Low Vision in the Formative Years by LaraAnderson, Natalie Kaine and VirginiaMcDonald,
- Ocular Genetics in the Year 2020 by Dr AmyCohn, Dr Grace E. Lidgerwood and Professor Alice Pebay,
- Multi-Modal Ocular Imaging: Advancing Management of Macular Diseases by Dr LaurenN. Ayton, Professor Robyn H. Guymer AM, Professor Paul Mitchell, AO and Associate Professor Gerald Liew,
- Intraocular Lenses: Navigating the Options byLouise Wood,
- Unaided Intermediate Vision: A Paradigm Shift in Cataract Surgery? by Dr Jay Yohendran, and
- OCT: Enhancing Glaucoma Detection and Management by Dr Ben Ashby and DrCatharine Chisholm.
Jane Schuller, President of Orthoptics Australia, said orthopticsCPD.com, will complement face-to-face meetings and online education currently provided by Orthoptics Australia.
“The additional CPD activities will help ensure that orthoptists keep pace with current standards and maintain the knowledge and skills they need to practice,” said Ms Schuller.
“Continuing professional development is an ongoing process and orthoptists must accrue 50 CPD points every two years to maintain currency with the Australian Orthoptic Board. We recognise that people learn in different ways and CPD can include formal and informal learning activities. It is important that the learning activities are broad and varied to allow flexibility in how and when orthoptists learn and the opportunity to hear from a wide range of experts across a number of topics and speciality areas.”
Completion of a CPD module hosted on the www.orthopticsCPD.com platform will require an orthoptist to read an article and successfully answer 70% of the corresponding 10 multiple choice questions. Successful completion will automatically be reported to the Australian Orthoptic Board.
EXCITING PROGRESSION
Todd Tai, Director of mivision, and founder of OrthopticsCPD.com said the new platform is an exciting development for his company and a natural progression.
“Our goal at mivision has always been to enhance optometric care for patients in Australia, New Zealand and around the world, and with this in mind, to promote collaborative care right across the eye health sector,” said Mr Tai.
“We launched the mivision journal in 2006 and this was followed by the launch of mieducation.com in 2010, a free online learning platform for optometrists. This year we launched OpthalmologyCPD.com for ophthalmologists, Optical Assistant Essentials (www.OpticalAE.com) for new optical assistants and now orthopticscpd.com.”
Although the mivision journal is unable to be directly distributed to orthoptists and optical dispensers due to Medicines Australia regulations, Mr Tai said the publication is well known and highly respected due to the calibre of authors who contribute articles, including CPD.
“Our CPD offering has been embraced by eye health professionals in Australia, New Zealand and increasingly throughout Asia. Each course we offer in the journal and on mieducation.com is completed, on average, by 500 optometrists in Australia and New Zealand alone.
“It is exciting to be able to offer relevant education articles to orthoptists and we will be adding to the offering with articles written especially for this group of eye health practitioners,” he said.
Orthoptists can visit orthopticsCPD.com to begin learning.
