Continuing education

As healthcare professionals, opticians and optometrists have a legal obligation to maintain and develop their professional skills. The field of vision and eye health is undergoing a transformation, making the acquisition of new skills essential. There are plenty of opportunities ahead, so we encourage all professionals in the field to continue their education!

The continuing education requirement is based on law

The continuing education requirement is based on the Health Care Professionals Act (1994/559), and Decree 1194/2003 (in Finnish) issued regarding continuing education. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has also issued a national recommendation on continuing education for healthcare professionals (in Finnish). The Finnish Supervisory Agency (formerly Valvira) guides and supervises the activities of healthcare professionals.

According to the recommendations for continuing education in health care, the goal of such education is to maintain, develop, and deepen the professional skills of health care personnel. The recommendations also cover the planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of continuing education. Through their continuing education, optometrists must maintain and enhance their professional competence in clinical optometry and the skills required to fulfil the duties of a licensed healthcare professional.

The Ethical Council of Optometry oversees continuing education

The Ethical Council of Optometry (OEN) directs and oversees continuing education. The Council has set a minimum requirement for opticians’ continuing education of 30 points over a five-year monitoring period. For training approved by the OEN, 60 minutes is equivalent to 1 continuing education point. Points earned over the five-year monitoring period are displayed in the opticians’ professional license and continuing education registry, with the current year being the fifth year of that period.

An optician can obtain the continuing education they need through, for example:

optometry training days
optometry and ophthalmology conferences
domestic and international online training courses
training sessions or lectures related to vision care and eye health provided by other healthcare providers
continuing education programmes in optometry offered by universities of applied sciences and presentations of theses
in-house presentations or expert lectures on vision care and eye health
by familiarising oneself with and participating in events that provide information on regulations and rules governing professional practice or on current changes in the field

Continuing education registry

Continuing education credits are recorded in the continuing education registry maintained by the Ethical Council of Optometry (OEN). Entries are recorded using the individual’s social and health care professional ID card.