Applying to Become an Appointed Committee Member

(Optician)

Get Involved as an Appointed Member on COO Committees 

Serving as an appointed committee member is a personally and professionally rewarding way of ensuring safe, high-quality vision care for Ontario patients.  If you are a Registered Optician interested in using your knowledge and skill in the interest of public protection, consider getting involved in the COO as an Appointed (non-Board) member. Appointments are for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2024, ending December 31, 2025. Compensation, including reasonable expenses, is provided.  

Appointed Members serve on College Committees 

As members of College committees, appointed members act in the public interest to make decisions on cases relating to registration, investigations, quality assurance and discipline. Appointed members also make recommendations to the board on policy decisions, and support the implementation of committee and board decisions. Appointed members commit to attending meetings, maintaining confidentiality, preparing for meetings by reviewing materials and undergoing training. As an appointed member, you can expect to attend 4 in-person Board meetings and approximately 12-16 committee meetings per year, which may mean arranging your schedule to meet the time commitment. 

Eligibility Requirements, Values and Attributes of Appointed Members 

To be eligible for appointment, you must be registered and in good standing with the College and meet the eligibility requirements for Appointed Members as set out in Article 12.2 of the College's By-laws and the Appointed Committee Member Policy.

In addition to the eligibility requirements, appointed members must possess the following core competencies: 
 

• Passion – Public Service Oriented: Demonstrates outstanding initiative and commitment towards the practice of opticianry. Committed to service the College’s mandate to regulate the profession of opticianry in the public interest. 
• Exemplified Integrity: Demonstrates a conviction to do what’s right and to reject what’s wrong, regardless of the consequences.
• Unbiased and Open Minded: Demonstrates the ability to self identify and set aside conscious biases. Proactively reflects on the impact of unconscious biases in all situations. Actively listens and absorbs all information to make an informed and open-minded decision.  
• Critical Judgment and Decision Making: Makes good decisions based upon a combination of analysis, wisdom, experience and sound judgment. Comfortably deals with concepts and complexity and looks beyond the obvious to avoid ‘group think’ and/or the status quo.
• Collaboration and Inclusion: Demonstrates an open mindset, listens without judgment, and embraces diversity of others and of thought. Seeks to understand and build on the strengths of others. 

Applicants may have the following experience, skills and knowledge, or be willing to learn them during the appointment: 

• Cultural Safety and Humility: Appreciation and respect for unique perspectives, cultural contexts, power imbalances, and biases in deliberation and decision-making.
• Diplomacy: Clearly articulate a perspective, engage in respectful, and sometimes difficult discussions with the committee, while consistently reinforcing a culture of trust.
• Health Professions Regulation: Understand the role of health profession regulators, the mandate to protect the public, applicable legislation, and the core work of the College.
• System Thinking: Knowledge of the complex system in which the College works, the stakeholders within that system, and the potential impacts of College decisions. 
• Technological Competence: Use technology to work effectively and uphold security and privacy.
• Governance: Understand the role of appointed members and good governance principles. 
• Organizational Decision Making: Understand the policy development and decision-making process. Base decisions on objective principles informed by evidence and best practices.
• Risk management/oversight: Identify, communicate, and mitigate safety, operational, financial and strategic risks potentially arising from committee decision making.

As an Appointed Member, you will participate in Board training. The type of training commonly offered includes:

• Introduction to the College
• Communications Training
• Facilitation Training 
• Sexual Abuse Prevention 
• Governance Training 
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 
• Technical Training on Zoom and other College online platforms
• Jurisprudence 
• Legislation, fiduciary duties and code of conduct

Last year, an information session will be held for interested applicants, to watch the information session click here. 

The deadline to apply is November 3, 2023, to apply, please email your submission to crobertson@collegeofopticians.ca.

Please submit: 

•    A completed Eligibility Checklist
•    A resume, and 
•    A letter of interest. 
•    Three references