Certified Ophthalmic Technician Certification (COT)
To qualify for certification at the COT level, you must meet one of the following four options:
Eligibility Pathway Required Education
COT – T11
COT – T2
COA-OMP or CMA2 accredited training program at the Technician level3
♦
Current COA certification & JCAHPO Group A credits
ou will need to submit 12 JCAHPO Group A credits earned within 12
Y
months prior to submitting your application.
♦ Must maintain certification as a COA while pursuing COT certification
Current CO or OC(C) certification & JCAHPO Group A credits
You will need to submit 12 JCAHPO Group A credits earned within 12
months prior to submitting your application.
♦M
ust maintain certification as an Orthoptist while pursuing
COT certification
♦
COT – T4
Fast Track option: Allows a current COA the use of 6,000 hours of non-certified
work experience prior to becoming certified, and JCAHPO Group A credits.
♦ You will need to submit 12 JCAHPO Group A credits earned within 12
♦
1
2
3
None necessary
If you completed the program more than 12 months ago, you will need to
submit 12 JCAHPO Group A credits for each year following graduation. The
credits must be earned within 36 months prior to submitting your application.
♦
COT – T3
Required Work Experience
Under the Supervision
of Ophthalmologist
months prior to submitting your application.
Must maintain certification as a COA while pursuing COT certification
Employed 2,000 hours as a
COA within 24 months prior
to submitting application
Employed 2,000 hours
as CO or OC(C) within 24
months prior to submitting
application
Current COA certification
and
♦ 6,000 hours of non-certified
work experience with an
ophthalmologist prior to
becoming JCAHPO certified.
Verification of previous work
experience needs to be in
the form of a letter from
your ophthalmologist on
official letterhead.
♦
I ndividuals who graduate from an accredited formal training program at the Technologist level are eligible to apply for a lower-level certification under the T1 eligibility pathway.
COA-OMP is the Commission on Accreditation of Ophthalmic Medical Programs. CMA is the Canadian Medical Association.
Candidates who attend a formal training program may apply for the certification examination up to two months prior to graduation from the program; however, no
examination results will be sent by JCAHPO to the candidate until official notification of graduation is received and verification of the work experience is received, if applicable.
COT Multiple-Choice Examination Content Areas
The COT examination has 19 content areas. Please refer to Appendix A to review the content areas.
COT Skill Evaluation
Upon successful completion of the COT multiple-choice examination, you may take the Skill Evaluation. Successful completion of the Skill
Evaluation must take place within 24 months (two years) of application for the COT multiple-choice examination. Please refer to Appendix A to
review the tasks on the COT Skill Evaluation. Lensometry, retinoscopy, and refinement are offered in plus (+) and minus (-) cylinder.
You will have a total of two hours (120 minutes) to complete all seven skills on the initial Skill Evaluation. Time limits on retests are as follows:
Lensometry-15 minutes; Visual Fields-15 minutes; Ocular Motility-14 minutes; Keratometry-10 minutes; Retinoscopy-20 minutes, Refinement-20
minutes; Tonometry-20 minutes.
Skill Evaluation Construction and Scoring
The Skill Evaluation scoring system is based on performance steps and the candidate is evaluated on how well each task is performed. The
system includes these elements:
♦
♦
Each skill is scored independently.
Each skill is scored on two components: technique and accuracy of results. To determine the technique score, each skill is divided into
steps. Each step is assigned a weighted value based upon its level of importance to the overall process, as determined by the panel
of subject matter experts. Points are assigned for correct responses based upon the weighted value of the step. A minimum has been
established for achieving a “satisfactory” score. If this established minimum is not met, a “non-satisfactory” score will be assigned. Note:
Only technique is scored for Visual Fields since you are not required to report results for this skill. A passing score in all seven skill areas is
needed to successfully complete the Skill Evaluation.
♦
To
evaluate the accuracy of results, the panel of subject matter experts has established tolerance ranges for each of the required
categories. To receive a “satisfactory” score on accuracy of results, all required results must fall within the tolerance ranges. Otherwise, a
“non-satisfactory” score will be assigned.
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