Rocky Mountain Ophthalmic Personnel (RMOP) is registered 501(c)6 non-profit organization dedicated to providing affordable, quality continuing education to Ophthalmic Assistants, Technicians and Medical Technologists in the state of Colorado.  Encouraging certification of skills and educating employers of the benefits of certified employees is what we do.

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At RMOP, we currently have three chapters in Colorado to offer continuing education credits from.  Our Northern Region is located in the Longmont/Fort Collins area, the Central Region is located in the Denver metro area, and our Southern Region is located in the Colorado Springs/Pueblo area. We offer JCAHPO-certified continuing education credits through seminars, workshops, and webinars at each of our chapters.  We are managed by a board of directors.

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RMOP Organization:

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Our new sponsoring physician:

Zachary Vest, M.D.

 

Secretary/Treasurer:

Jude Currie - Madison

 

Program Directors:

Amanda Waggoner

Sarah Gardner

 

Website Manager:

Justin Wright

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What is a 501(c)6 organization?

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Section 501(c)6 of the Internal Revenue Code provides for the exemption of business leagues, chambers of commerce, real estate boards, boards of trade and professional football leagues, which are not organized for profit and no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

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A business league is an association of persons having some common business interest, the purpose of which is to promote such common interest and not to engage in a regular business of a kind ordinarily carried on for profit. Trade associations and professional associations are business leagues. To be exempt, a business league's activities must be devoted to improving business conditions of one or more lines of business as distinguished from performing particular services for individual persons. No part of a business league's net earnings may inure to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual and it may not be organized for profit to engage in an activity ordinarily carried on for profit (even if the business is operated on a cooperative basis or produces only enough income to be self-sustaining).  The term line of business generally refers either to an entire industry or to all components of an industry within a geographic area.  It does not include a group composed of businesses that market a particular brand within an industry.

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Purpose:

RMOP strives to elevate the skills and knowledge of ophthalmic personnel in order to ensure the delivery of quality eye care. This is accomplished by:

• Promoting awareness in the ophthalmic community of the role, education, training, and skills of certified allied health personnel in ophthalmology.

• Disseminating information to ophthalmic assistants regarding education and certification.

• Promoting and encouraging additional training by providing continuing education programs in the Rocky Mountain region.

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RMOP holds regular meetings throughout the Rocky Mountain region offering an opportunity for members to exchange ideas and information of mutual concern. These meetings include a lecture on various aspects of ophthalmic practice and are given by ophthalmologists and certified personnel in a variety of specialties. Meetings are often sponsored by the companies who supply medication and equipment for ophthalmology giving participants the opportunity to interact with these professionals at greater length than is available in the office setting.

 

A bi-monthly newsletter is mailed to members keeping them advised of upcoming continuing education programs as well as providing timely articles of current interest and job listings.
 

Cost & Membership:

RMOP has an annual membership fee of $65.00 for regular members and $25.00 for students enrolled in an ophthalmic training program. This fee enables the member to attend our regular meetings at no additional cost, receive proof of attendance for certification purposes, receive bi-monthly newsletters, and receive discounts on various symposiums and workshops.

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The membership year runs from January 1st to December 31st of each year. Membership renewal notices are sent out each December.  Membership is obtained by filling out the Membership Application Form and submitting the full membership payment to RMOP.

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Continuing Education:

Certification is provided by the Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology on a 1:1 basis pending program approval.

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Advantages to being certified:

According to JCAHPO (Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology) the advantages are as follows:

• Informs the public that you have successfully met the performance standards of ophthalmic medical assisting.

• Enhances your professional development through job opportunities and increased earning potential.

• Reinforces the professional image of the field of ophthalmic medical assisting.

• Demonstrates your pride in the profession and commitment to ophthalmology.

• Signifies that you have met or exceeded the rigorous criteria of knowledge and experience.

• Assures patients of your competence in providing quality eye care, and strengthens their confidence.

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Getting certified:

The best information is at the JCAHPO website. As our certifying organization, they regulate the requirements as well as what and how testing is done.

 

Briefly, you must have a High School diploma or the equivalent for any level of certification. Following that there are a variety of options for becoming a COA including completing a formal training program and having clinical experience and, the most popular, taking a home study course and working for a year under supervision. To become a COT you must be a COA, have worked for one year as a COA, earned 18 hours of continuing education credits (50+ hours are available each year through RMOP) and take a computer based written and skills exam. Details about certification and how to begin are all available at JCAHPO.

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Continuing Education requirements for JCAHPO re-certification are:

COA re-certification requires 18 credits every three years

COT re-certification requires 27 credits every three years

COMT re-certification requires 36 credits every three years

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How RMOP helps you with recertification:

RMOP offers over 50 hours of Continuing Education Credits, most of which are “A” level credits in three different regions, Northern, Central, and Southern approximately 10 months out of the year.  We have hands on workshops, symposiums, and new for 2019 a webinar option.  If you elect to do the webinar option, you will be required to complete a brief exam to show proof of attendance (this is required in accordance with JCAHPO standards).  We track meeting attendance and occasionally offer scholarships for continuing education.

 

All this offered for only $65.00 a year.