Take North Carolina CE COURSES

North Carolina

What are the continuing education requirements for license renewal in North Carolina?

• 8 hours, every year

• 4 Spectacle

• 3 Contact lens (or 2 Contact Lens and 1 on Business Management, Consumer Protection, or Ethics)

• 1 Board Instruction

• Out-of-state licensees: 8 hours, every year:

• 5 Spectacle

• 3 Contact Lens (or 2 Contact Lens and 1 on Business Management, Consumer Protection, or Ethics)

Allows Internet CE?

Yes, if provider is state board approved (OTI is an approved provider for 4 hours maximum online) Is Optical Training Institute an approved continuing education provider in North Carolina?

Yes, licensed opticians in North Carolina can take any of the NC approved online continuing education courses on our website.

What is the Optician Development Program approved for in North Carolina?

ODP satisfies the Board-approved certificate program requirement (21 NCAC 40.0314(b).

What are the requirements to become a licensed optician in North Carolina?

Requirements for Licensure as a NC Dispensing Optician

Residents

As a resident, there are three ways to qualify for the Exam for opticianry licensure in the state of North Carolina:

(1) graduation from an accredited school of opticianry (such as Durham Technical

Community College (DTCC) https://www.durhamtech.edu/ ) with a two-year Associate in Applied Science degree in Opticianry, then passing the Licensure Examination and serving a six-month Internship while registered with the Board in an approved Training Establishment (TE);

(2) possession of a four-year degree in a health-related field, inclusive of the optics-specific courses required as a part of the AAS-Opticianry degree. (The Board will review the curriculum from these applications for acceptance.) Passing the Licensure Examination, and completion of the six-month Internship described above is also required;

-OR-

(3) completion of a 2 ½ year Apprenticeship (or 3 ½ years, if registered prior to Nov 1, 2016) at an approved TE under a registered trainer. ‘Completion’ means having completed the on-the-job training and having finished a Board-approved certificate program (DTCC’s Certificate Program or the National Academy of Opticianry (NAO) Career Progression Program) or Optical Training Institute (OTI) (Conditionally-Approved) Optician Development Program. Once a candidate has completed Apprenticeship, passed the Licensure Examination and served a six-month Internship while registered with the Board in an approved TE, a license can be issued.

NOTE: The DoD/MOS optical training made available to military personnel is deemed comparable to the Board Apprenticeship program; personnel providing documentation of successful completion of a MOS in opticianry are Exam- and Internship-eligible.

Non-Residents Opticianry law also outlines requirements for those licensure applicants coming from other states that license opticians.   NCGS 90-241(a) states that non-resident applicants coming from a state that has an optician’s license may become licensed in NC (without having to pass the Licensure Exam) if they meet the following qualifications:   (1) minimum 18 years of age; (2) possess good moral character (the Board runs background checks on its applicants); (3) in good standing with an optician’s license in another state; (4) having been engaged in the practice of opticianry in their (licensed) credit state for 4 years immediately preceding the application to the Board; (5) holds a contact lens license in their (licensed) credit state; and, (6) has not violated any opticianry law or rules in NC.   Failure to have all these statutorily-required items shown will preclude ‘automatic’ licensure by waiver of the Exam; these applicants may be required to take some, or all, of the Exam components.   NCGS 90-241(b) addresses applicants coming from a state that does NOT have an optician’s license. Individuals with these qualifications can apply to sit for the Licensure Examination:   (1) items 1, 2, and 6 shown above; (2) having been engaged in the practice of opticianry in the other state for 4 years immediately preceding the application to the Board; (3) proof of any formalized apprenticeship participation and education – a training/education equivalency to the NAO’s Career Progression Program. (The individual must provide documentation of their time in training and experience in all phases of the optical business – to include eyeglass dispensing, lab work, contact lens fitting/dispensing, etc.)  

Applicants from unlicensed states who don’t possess the above requirements would not qualify for Exam participation; they would be required to complete the Board’s Apprenticeship program or obtain an AAS degree in Opticianry, like in-state residents must do to qualify to sit for the Exam.

 

For more information (including non-resident requirements):

Requirements for Licensure as a NC Dispensing Optician

What exams are required in North Carolina to become a licensed optician?

Passing of the National Opticianry Competency Examination

and

the practical examination offered by the American Board of Opticianry (ABO) are required.

Passing of the Contact Lens Registry Examination

and

the practical examination offered by the National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE) are required.

How can you contact the North Carolina state board?

North Carolina State Board of Opticians

PO Box 6753

Raleigh, NC 27628

919-420-1390

NC Board of Opticians