For the first time in a decade, a major review of the Certificate IV in Optical Dispensing (Cert IV) is underway in Australia to bring it up to standard with contemporary industry practices and other markets, including New Zealand.
Course provider the Australasian College of Optical Dispensing (ACOD), plus Optical Dispensers Australia (ODA) and other industry bodies have long pushed for the review. “The number of changes and advancements our industry has seen in the past 10 years is astronomical, which has ultimately resulted in outdated course content and prerequisites,” said ODA CEO April Petrusma. “The review means the industry gets to have a say on what is or isn't included in the updated training package and gives us a collective opportunity to bring the course up to date and in line with current research and technology.”
ACOD director Chedy Kalach agreed, saying the review’s primary objective is about lifting the minimum standard, especially in Australia. “ACOD and OptiBlocks have always gone above and beyond what the sometimes-vague standard prescribes.”
While most of the anticipated changes are covered already by the current accredited New Zealand Cert IV course, updates will likely be regarded as a “major change”, Kalach said. Any changes deemed significant will require consultation with the Optometrist and Dispensing Opticians Board (ODOB) for re-accreditation of the New Zealand course, he said.
In New Zealand, the ODOB is charged under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003 to ensure dispensing opticians (DOs) are competent and fit to practise when they apply for registration, which requires the ODOB to prescribe the qualifications required to meet the current scopes of practice. The accreditation standards for optical dispensing education programmes were last reviewed in 2021 (published in 2022) and are due for a review again in 2025.
