Have Your Voice Heard at the 2011 WOA Convention
As we move into the late summer months here in Wisconsin, WOA was proud to have recently held our Inaugural Summer Education Event at the Blue Harbor Resort in Sheboygan, WI. This event took place on August 5-6, and it proved to be an excellent way for ODs to enjoy the late summertime while obtaining some additional CE hours. Registration for this event definitely exceeded WOA’s expectations; in fact, more ODs registered for this first annual event than have ever registered for a WOA-sponsored summer event in our organization’s history. The WOA is truly thankful to have members who are so dedicated to their chosen profession and their professional organization.
September 22-25 marks our largest sponsored event of the year. WOA is proud to present our 2011 Convention and Annual Business Meeting, to be held at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton, WI. Registration for the event has been sent, and we hope you will all plan to attend. Remember, WOA Convention is a great opportunity for members to catch up on the important issues facing the profession as well as reconnect with friends and colleagues. As usual, the WOA Education Committee has put together an incredible line up of nationally recognized speakers addressing the most significant topics in optometry today. There will be 22 hours of continuing education offered at this year’s convention, and we hope you will all take advantage of this opportunity and attend these courses. Please note that this year is the end of the biennium for licensure, and this is a great opportunity to receive multiple hours of approved CE.
In addition to the convention education, the WOA’s annual business meeting will be held on Saturday morning, Sept. 24th, beginning at 9:45 a.m. All WOA member doctors are encouraged to attend the meeting, which will cover the essential business of the Association, including the election of officers and directors. I, along with the rest of the WOA Board, would appreciate and welcome your ideas for discussion topics for the meeting. Too often we overlook the need and value of having an open discussion with members in addition to conducting association business.
The annual business meeting is your meeting. It is your opportunity to not only hear from the WOA leadership, but also and more importantly, it is your opportunity to raise issues that concern you, to voice your opinions, to vent frustration, and make suggestions to improve the services provided by the WOA. WOA members have diverse and creative ideas which your association leadership and staff want to hear. Therefore, please feel free to send agenda or discussion items that you would like to see covered during this year’s business meeting to me at lslaby@oneidanation.org. Please plan to attend the Saturday morning business meeting at Convention, for you and your WOA.
On a different topic, the first ABO Certification exam of 2011 was held this June, and results are expected to arrive this month. For those of you might be interested, the next testing dates will be Nov. 28th - Dec. 11th, 2011. See ABOPT.org for more information on registration for the exam, and please remember that this is a voluntary test. Also, do not forget that the AOA’s EyeLearn program is now available either for ABO exam preparation or if you simply want to test your current knowledge base. Regardless of how you use EyeLearn, this program is available online through the AOA.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, and I will see you all at our Convention in September!
Respectfully Submitted,
Lisa Slaby, O.D.
2011 WOA President
