Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO)

Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA)

Credential: Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA)  In-Demand resource  GI Bill resource  NCCA resource
Credentialing Agency: Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO)

Renewal Period: 3 years

The Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO), Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) certification is an entry-level credential for individuals who work in eye care. The COA is JCAHPO's initial core-level certification; the COA exam assesses candidates' knowledge of ophthalmic care and patient care. COAs work under the supervision and direction of ophthalmologists to perform ophthalmic clinical duties. Candidates must meet education requirements and pass an examination.

More information can be found on the certifying agency's website.

Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA)

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

 

Eligibility Requirements (View Details)

  • Credential Prerequisite
  • Experience: 1000 hours
  • Education: High School Diploma/GED
  • Training
  • Membership
  • Other
  • Fee

Note: This credential may have multiple options for becoming eligible. Listed are the minimum requirements based on the minimum degree required. To view other options, see the Eligibility tab.

Exam Requirements (View Details)

  • Exam
  • Written Exam
  • Oral Exam
  • Practical Exam
  • Performance Assessment

RECERTIFICATION SUMMARY

Renewal Period: 3 years

  • Continuing Education
  • Exam
  • Continuing Education OR Exam
  • Fee
  • Other

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION

Joint Commission on Allied Health Personnel in Ophthalmology (JCAHPO)

2025 Woodlane Drive
St. Paul, MN  55125-2998

Phone: (800) 284-3937

Fax: (651) 731-0410
Email: jcahpo@jcahpo.org

Education/Training and/or Experience REQUIREMENTS

Option 1:

Candidates must have graduated from a CoA-OMP or CMA accredited clinical training program at the Assistant level within the 12 months (one-year) prior to submitting the application.

Note: If the program was completed more than 12 months ago, candidates will need to obtain 18 JCAHPO Group A credits for each year following graduation.

Option 2:

Candidates must meet all of the requirements listed below:

  • Graduated from a CoA-OMP or CMA accredited non-clinical training program at the Assistant level within the 12 months prior to submitting the application. 
  • Employed at least 500 hours (three months full-time equivalent) under ophthalmologic supervision within 12 months prior to submitting the application.

Option 3:

Candidates must meet all of the requirements listed below:

  • Graduated from high school or equivalent.
  • Successfully completed a CoA-OMP approved independent study course such as the JCAHPO Independent Study Course (JCAT) or the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) Ophthalmic Medical Assisting course, within the 36 months prior to submitting the exam application.
  • Employed at least 1,000 hours (six months full-time equivalent) under ophthalmologic supervision within 12 months prior to submitting the application.

Note:- If the independent study course was completed more than 36 months ago, candidates will need to repeat the course or submit 18 Group A credits for each year following completion.

Written Exam

  • History Taking (8%)
  • Pupillary Assessment (3%)
  • Contact Lenses (2%)
  • Equipment Maintenance and Repair (4%)
  • Lensometry (3%)
  • Keratometry (3%)
  • Medical Ethics, Legal and Regulatory Issues (5%)
  • Microbiology (2%)
  • Pharmacology (8%)
  • Ocular Motility (3%)
  • Assisting in Surgical Procedures (7%)
  • Ophthalmic Patient Services and Education (16%)
  • Ophthalmic Imaging (3%)
  • Refractometry (6%)
  • Spectacle Skills (3%)
  • Supplemental Skills (8%)
  • Tonometry (4%)
  • Visual Assessment (8%)
  • Visual Fields (4%)

RECERTIFICATION

Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA)

Renewal Period: 3 years

The Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) credential has the following recertification information:

  • Candidates must earn 18 Credits with a minimum of 12 JCAHPO Group A credits.  The other 6 credits may be Group A or Group B credits. All credits must be earned within the 36 month recertification cycle.
  • Candidates may also successfully complete the COA multiple-choice exam in lieu of earning credits for recertification.
  • Additional information regarding recertification can be found in the JCAHPO Criteria for Certification & Recertification Handbook.

In Demand

This certification is considered in demand

COOL Bucks

See your installation Education Service Officer for credential exam information and coordinating instructions.

COOL Summary

Click to go to the COOL Summary page for this MOC.

COOL Summary

Click to go to the COOL Summary page for this MOC.

Some

Credential is related to some tasks associated with the duties of the military occupation (at least one critical task but less than 80%)

Most

Credential is directly related to most of the major duties associated with the military occupation (at least 80%)

Other

Credential is related to this military occupation, but is more advanced or specialized and therefore will likely require additional education, training, or experience

Promotion Points

This certification has been approved for promotion points.

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Star

Star credentials are MOS enhancing, as designated by the Proponent. MOS enhancing credentials are directly related to an MOS or ASI, are taught either partially or completely as part of a Program of Instruction (POI), and improves the MOS technical proficiency.

Skill Level

The Skill Level reflects the level, based on MOS training and/or experience, the Soldier should be the most prepared to successfully earn the credential. See the Table Legend for details about each level.

Proponent Funded

Indicates the credential may have funding through the MOS proponent. Some proponents offer credentialing opportunities in conjunction with military training and/or as part of MOS development beyond the training base.

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Navy Bucks

Credential voucher or reimbursement for credential exam, re-certification, or maintenance fee has been approved for payment through the Navy's Credential Program Office. To get a voucher request form, click 'Complete Voucher and Apply' at the top of any page.

CG Bucks

Coming Soon - Coast Guard policy regarding service member eligibility requirements to participate in the Voluntary Credentialing Program is under review with a projected release date of first quarter FY20.

Early Career

1-3 years experience; Enlisted E1 through E4

Mid Career

4-10 years experience; Enlisted E5 through E6

Late Career

10+ years experience; Enlisted E7 and Above

Early Career

1-3 years experience; Enlisted “A” School through E5

Mid Career

4-10 years experience; Enlisted E6 through E7

Late Career

10+ years experience; Enlisted E8 and Above

LaDR

This credential is recommended on the rating Learning and Development Roadmap (LaDR) for Sailors currently in the pay grade indicated on the icon, BUT MAY BE TAKEN BY SAILORS IN OTHER PAY GRADES.

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GI Bill®

Reimbursement for exam fees has been approved for payment through the GI Bill. Click for external link to GI Bill licensing and certification information.

Note: GI Bill approval data is updated quarterly. For the latest information, visit the WEAMS Licenses/Certifications Search page. Make sure to select "Both" in the LAC Category Type drop-down before searching.

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ANSI

This credential has been accredited by ANSI. Click for external link to the ANSI web site.

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ICAC

This credential has been accredited by ICAC. Click for external link to the ICAC web site.

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ABSNC

This credential has been accredited by ABSNC. Click for external link to the ABSNC web site.

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NCCA

This credentialing program has been accredited by NCCA. Click for external link to the NCCA web site.

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IAS

This credential has been accredited by IAS. Click for external link to the IAS web site.

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Low

May be difficult to attain: minimum education requirement is a Bachelor's degree, and/or minimum experience is 10 or more years.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

Medium

Moderate ease of attainment: minimum education requirement = Associate's and/or prerequisite and/or minimum experience = more than 2 years and less than 10 years of experience.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

High

Highly attainable: mimum education requirement = HS or less and/or minimum experience = 2 years or less experience and no additional requirements.

Note: In some cases “years of experience” refers to time actively on duty or while holding a certain occupation or prior certification and not always in consecutive calendar years. Additional years required for certain preliminary stages may not be included in this classification. For requirements measured in hours, 1080 hours was considered a year. For days, 365 days was considered a year. Please review all prerequisites and requirements for eligibility, and additional information for details.

MOS is Military Occupational Specialty
ASI is Additional Skill Identifier
WOMOS is Warrant Officer Military Occupational Specialty

Army e-learning

State-of-the art Computer Based Training available for free to the Army Workforce. Click for more information.

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NKO e-learning

Credential preparation courses are provided at no cost through Navy e-Learning. Click for external link to the Navy Knowledge Online (NKO) web site, then select the “Navy e-Learning” link within the “Learning” tab to proceed to Navy e-Learning.

Bright Outlook – new job opportunities are very likely in the future for this job
Registered Apprenticeship
Click here for External link to: My Next Move for Veterans - Medical Assistants
Click here for External link to: My Next Move salary info for Medical Assistants
Click here for External link to: My Next Move for Veterans - Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
Click here for External link to: My Next Move salary info for Ophthalmic Medical Technicians
This is an official U.S. Navy website
Updated: October 16, 2019
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