{"id":3660,"date":"2017-04-10T11:18:08","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T15:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodwin.edu\/enews\/?p=3660"},"modified":"2025-01-06T13:58:52","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T18:58:52","slug":"becoming-an-optician","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodwin.edu\/enews\/becoming-an-optician\/","title":{"rendered":"Becoming an Optician? Here’s What You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opticians are essential figures in the healthcare industry, improving people\u2019s vision, helping them to see, and leading them towards happier, more fulfilling lives through the gift of sight. Great satisfaction and reward comes with a job in opticianry, and for this reason, it is becoming an increasingly popular field.<\/p>\n

Opticians are also in high-demand. By the year 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment of opticians will grow 24 percent \u2013 much faster than the average for all other occupations. If you are considering becoming an optician, rest assured you are choosing a thriving, gratifying profession. There are, however, a number of prerequisites you must fulfill before diving in.<\/p>\n

As a leading optician training program<\/a> in Connecticut, Goodwin has recapped the education and training requirements, as well as the licenses, certifications, and qualities needed, to become an optician today:<\/p>\n

Education & Training Requirements<\/strong><\/p>\n

Opticians generally need to have a high school diploma and some specialized training or instruction before earning their licensure. Today, however, most employers will look to hire opticians who hold a postsecondary degree or certificate.<\/p>\n

In a postsecondary education program, students obtain practical training and technical instruction that put them ahead of the competition when applying for jobs. In Goodwin College\u2019s associate degree program, for example, students have the opportunity to not only learn essential optician skills, but also use them in a true job setting. In addition to completing coursework in optics, eye physiology, and mathematics, they gain unmatched clinical experience in our state-of-the-art Optical Laboratories and Training Store. Here, students work side-by-side with a dedicated team of eye care professionals, learning how to design, fit, and dispense corrective eyeglass and contact lenses.<\/p>\n

Educational requirements for opticians vary state to state. To become an optician in Connecticut, it is required that you graduate from an associate degree program that is approved by the Connecticut Board of Examiners for Opticians and accredited by the Commission on Opticianry Accreditation (COA). As of 2015, only 22 optician and ophthalmic programs have been accredited nationwide. Goodwin\u2019s ophthalmic science program \u2013 the only optician school of its kind in the Capitol Region \u2013 is one of the 22.<\/p>\n

License & Certification Requirements<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nearly half of all states today require opticians to be licensed, including the state of Connecticut. According to the Opticians Association of America, licensure typically requires completing formal education through an approved program, as well as passing any state licensure or certification exams.<\/p>\n

Becoming an optician in Connecticut comes with great preparation. The state requires that prospective opticians pass the following exams before obtaining their license:<\/p>\n