General Information < Becoming An Optician < Home

Considering a Career in Opticianry?

To become a Dispensing Optician or Contact Lens Optician in British Columbia:

1. You must be a graduate of an academic, technical, or vocational training program approved by the College of Opticians Board of Directors, or a program that meets its minimum standards.

Two programs in BC are approved by the College of Opticians:

• NAIT/OAC Opticical Sciences Programs (Provided by the Opticians Association of Canada)
• Douglas College

2.    You must also successfully complete the registration examination(s) of the College.

If you want to work in the industry while you are studying you can take the distance learning program offered by the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and administered by the OAC.

The NAIT/OAC opticians programs have long been the bench mark for excellence in distance learning. The programs are the result of collaboration amongst opticianry stakeholders; hundreds of BC opticians have completed the programs and sucessfully challenged the BC registration examinations. These programs are now delivered through the internet. Call the OAC at 1-800-847-3155 or email education@opticians.ca with any enquiries you have on these programs.

If you are interested in full time training you can contact Douglas College .

To transfer your registration from another province:

• Request a letter of good standing to be sent by your previous province to the  new province.
• Once the letter of good standing has been received by the new province, you may apply for registration with them.
• As soon as you have successfully transferred your registration,  it is important to remember to cancel your registration with your previous province