The Opticians of Manitoba (OOM) is required by legislation to create, approve, publish and update Standards in three types of documents to guide and support registrants in competent practice. These documents which are all considered to be regulatory instruments, include the following:

• Code of Ethics
• Standards of Practice 
• Practice Directions 

The areas that are to be addressed in the Standards of Practice for each health profession are as follows: 

• interaction with the patient/client in patient-centered care 
• interaction with colleagues – collaborative practice requirements 
• awareness of own individual scope, competencies and values 
• profession-specific requirements for good care, based on the practice for each profession
• record keeping requirements such as documentation and retention 
• requirements for the practice environment including the condition of the practice environment and equipment used in providing care and services 

Practice Directions are used to enhance, explain, add to or guide registrants regarding the content described in the Standards of Practice or other matters not dealt with in the Standards but which are relevant to the practice of the profession. 

All Practice Directions are intended to clearly outline an optician’s obligation to practice safely, ethically and competently and must be followed by registrants. The obligations and requirements described also apply regardless of whether the registrant practices privately or for an employer. The policies of an employer do not release the individual optician from his/her duty to meet the professional requirements, even if they conflict with an employer’s policies. 

The OOM is also permitted by legislation to provide registrants with educational opportunities, resources and support services such as guidelines to encourage competent practice, based on the Standards. 

The Practice Directions and Guidelines included in this handbook are intended to enhance, explain, add to, and guide registrants about subject matter described in not only the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice but also in legislation that applies to opticians and legislation that applies to all health care professionals.

Additional information included in the documents as “Notes” or “Appendices” is intended to help opticians apply the Practice 4 Directions and to provide guidance on specific issues, including addressing diverse needs arising from patient-centered care. 

Opticians in Canada are also required to meet the performance expectations included in the new National Competencies for Opticians in Canada which were published by NACOR in April 2013. The writing of these competencies included the participation of 1,200 opticians throughout Canada. In addition to reflecting current best practices and legislation, the Practice Directions and Guidelines also incorporate the performance expectations for opticians included in the National Competencies. They prioritize patient safety, patient-centered care and are intended to support all opticians in Manitoba as they strive to provide eye health services which are of the highest quality.

Please review the current Practice Directions and Guidelines: