EW SHOW DAILY
38
Saturday, May 6, 2017
O
n Friday morning, the
Association of Technical
Personnel in Ophthal-
mology (ATPO) kicked off
the Allied Ophthalmic
Personnel (AOP) program with its
certification examination review ses-
sions for the Joint Commission on
Allied Health Personnel in Ophthal-
mology (JCAHPO) COA, COT, and
COMT written examinations. These
review sessions are a great resource
for technicians who are preparing
to take the next step in their careers
by advancing their knowledge and
skills through certification. The re-
view sessions served as an overview
of content areas covered on the cer-
tification examination and helped
attendees prepare for a successful
examination outcome.
ATPO also held its "Train the
Trainer" program. In its second year
at the ASCRS•ASOA Symposium &
Congress, six speakers shared their
best practices and tips for training
new hires.
The session focused on the
practical skills and real-life strate-
gies needed to create and deliver
effective, engaging training of new
ophthalmic hires in the clinic. Top-
ics included identifying an in-house
trainer, matching learning styles and
training methods, using effective
training techniques, developing a
systematic approach, and evaluating
the success of training methods. At-
tendees gained practical techniques,
tips, and samples of forms to use in
the clinic to improve their in-house
staff training.
Experienced trainers who are
clinic managers, clinic training man-
agers, and skilled JCAHPO Certified
Ophthalmic Medical Technologists
(COMT) presented on how to start
an in-house technician training
program, refine training techniques
you may be using, and engage the
learner. Lectures and a moderated
panel of six speakers included:
• Sergina Flaherty, COMT, ATPO
president
• Amy Jost, BS, ATPO president
elect
• Christine McDonald, COE, ATPO
past president
• Matthew Parker, PhD, ATPO
director-at-large
ATPO leadership shares best practices
on training and certification
ASCRS News Today
• Jacqueline Pullos, COMT, ATPO
treasurer
• Craig Simms, BSc, CSOMP
president
To learn more about ATPO,
visit www.atpo.org. EW
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