HOW TO BECOME AN oCULARIST

 

Thank you for your interest in the College of Ocularistry (COO).  The COO is a non-traditional educational institution that does not have a campus.  Our courses are held in conjunction with  the programs of the American Society of Ocularists (ASO) in the Spring and in the Fall.  These conferences are held at various locations around the country. The educational program administered by the COO is geared to academically educate Ocularists that are in training. A large portion of your education will take place on the job.

ACADEMIC PREREQUISITES

You must have a high school diploma or equivalent and be at least 18 years of age.

JOIN THE COO

You join the COO as either a Supervised Intern or Unsupervised Intern. 

Supervised:  If you are not currently working as an Ocularist, you will need to find a supervising ocularist that provides direct supervised training in their clinical setting full time and apply as a Supervised Intern.  Before you apply to the College as a Supervised Intern, you will need to secure a position as an Intern with your supervisor who must be a Board Approved Diplomate Ocularist (BADO) with the American Society of Ocularists. All BADOs are in the Directory of the ASO and can be found here:  ASO BADO Member Search

Unsupervised:  An Ocularist that is practicing full time in a clinical setting would qualify to join as an Unsupervised Intern.  Full time = 35 hours or more per week. 

HOW LONG IS AN INTERNSHIP?

Supervised Interns will need to complete a minimum of 10,000 (5 years) work hours. This is based on a minimum of a 35-hour work week.

Unsupervised Interns will need to complete a minimum of 16,000 (8 years) work hours.  This is based on a minimum of a 35-hour work week.

See the application and Charter for an accelerated graduation time frame if you are an Unsupervised Intern and have previous work experience.

Go to the APPLY TO THE COLLEGE tab for the applications.

COST TO ATTEND THE COLLEGE

There is a non-refundable application fee of $500.

Incomplete applications that need to be resubmitted will be assessed a $100 re-application fee.

Annual tuition is billed on December 1 for the following year.  Tuition is $775 per year.  Tuition is pro-rated when joining before December 1.

There is a cost to attend each of the two conferences per year.  Registration fees are announced prior to the meeting and can range from $600 - $800.  Travel and accommodations are your responsibility, as well as other expenses associated with travel to the conferences.

Compensation is between you and your supervisor.