Overview

The CCSO Specialist Oral Exam and Skills Testing Exam will be scheduled following successful completion of all requirements for the CCSO Specialist designation; and, as per the availability and mutual convenience of the CCSO Specialist Review Panel and the candidate. The objective of the Specialist Oral Exam and Skills Testing Exam is to evaluate the candidate on their knowledge base, skill set and professional competence in a specific specialty area. As such, clinicians will be evaluated on patient care and related research.

As such, all candidates will be examined on the basis of all documents they have submitted to the CCSO Specialist Review Panel.

Preparation for the CCSO Specialist Oral Exam and Skills Testing Exam:

We recognize that the prospect of sitting for the CCSO Specialist Oral Exam and Skills Testing Exam may be a little intimidating. As such, the CCSO Specialist Review Committee conducting the Oral Exam and Skills Testing Exam include individuals who have reviewed your application form and are expertly familiar with the specialty area themselves. We encourage you to review all documents that were submitted for Specialist points, and be prepared to discuss them.

  1. Please bring copies of all of your case reports, published papers and any other supportive documentation along to the Oral Exam and Skills Testing Exam.
  2. Be prepared to answer questions about all submitted documents during your Oral Exam. Also be prepared to discuss whether recent optometric or medical research has changed the subject matter.
  3. Be prepared to demonstrate your clinical knowledge and skills during your Skills Testing Exam. You will only be tested on specific skills to your chosen area of specialty.
  4. If points were obtained through years in practice, be prepared to describe your typical daily patient schedule, typical patient outcomes and how you were able to enrich a patient’s life or evoke a positive change to public health policy.
  5. If points were obtained through a residency, be prepared to answer questions on the specific residency area. A candidate who has completed a residency is expected to have a superior breadth and depth of knowledge as compared to a graduating student.
  6. Subsequent questions for clinician candidates during the Oral Exam may evolve from the answers given by the candidate in defense of any works or papers submitted for consideration. This will give the CCSO Specialist Review Committee additional information on the candidate’s general knowledge of optometry and appropriate patient care.
  7. Non-clinician and non-optometrist candidates will be evaluated in the following areas:
    • Overall knowledge of their chosen field.
    • Inter-relation of their chosen field to the profession of optometry.
    • Additional research they are contemplating or beginning.
    • How achievement of the CCSO Specialty designation will assist them in future activities with the possibility of improving patient outcomes, enriching patient
    • experiences or evoking positive public health policy change.

Following the Conclusion of the CCSO Specialist Oral Exam and Skills Testing Exam

The CCSO Specialist Review Committee will meet and decide as a group whether the candidate was successful on their Oral Exam and Skills Testing Exam. Candidates who were successful in completing all CCSO Specialist designation requirements will be immediately added to the CCSO Specialist database.

Those that were not successful will be given a detailed list of areas to improve on and/or a list of additional requirements to complete before they may sit for another CCSO Specialist Oral Exam and Skills Testing Exam.