Apprentice Optician


Click on the appropriate tab below to see the Initial Licensing Requirements, Process, Fees, Statutes and Administrative Rules for an Apprentice Optician.

To become an Apprentice Optician in Florida you must:

  1. Apply online or submit a completed application. Select “Apply Online” to begin your application.
  2. Submit the required registration fee.
  3. Submit a completed Sponsor Registration Form.
  4. Submit a copy of high school diploma, transcript or equivalency certificate. To submit electronically, click here.

HELPFUL INFORMATION ABOUT APPRENTICESHIP

Find a Sponsor:

Did you know that you can obtain a list of licensed opticians in your area at any time 24 hours a day 7 days a week? Simply use the Department’s Public Data Portal to download a current list. For detailed instructions, use the Licensure Data Download Guide.

NOTE: An optician must be licensed for a minimum of 1 year to sponsor an apprentice. Sponsors may only have two apprentices at one time. Apprentices may only have one primary and one secondary sponsor at one time.

Before Sponsorship Begins:

Verify that your apprentice license has been issued by the Department. To verify, click here. Sponsored hours will not count until your apprentice license has been issued. An approval letter will also be sent to the new apprentice to notify the applicant of his/her Apprentice Optician number and starting date.

During Apprenticeship:

A total of 6,240 hours of training under the supervision of an approved sponsor is required. The hours must be documented on the Apprentice Sponsor Form to receive credit. Apprentices have 5 years to complete all requirements of the program.

Apprentices must complete an Apprentice Orientation course from a Board approved provider listed on www.cebroker.com within 1 year of being licensed as an Apprentice Optician. Apprentices will receive 2 hours of credit upon completion and submission of a copy of the certificate of completion to the Board Office. To submit to the Board Office electronically, click here.

Looking for other ways to obtain hours towards your apprenticeship? Please see below:

  • On January 30, 2017, the Florida State Board of Opticianry approved the Ophthalmic Career Progression Program (OCPP) offered by the National Academy of Opticianry. Apprentices receive a total of 2,080 hours upon completion of the OCPP program. For more information click here.
  • Coursework at the associate’s level or higher from a regionally accredited school of Opticianry will count towards the accumulation of hours at a rate of 86.67 hours per credit hour. Coursework must be documented on an official transcript and sent to the Board Office directly under seal.
  • An apprentice can claim an unlimited number of hours of continuing education (CE) credit over the entire length of the apprenticeship. CE must be taken from a Board approved provider listed on cebroker.com. Each credit hour of board approved CE will count as 1 hour towards the apprenticeship program.

Please see Rule 64B12-16.003, Florida Administrative Code, for more information.

Need to Add a New Sponsor? Follow the steps below:

STEP ONE: Provide the Sponsor Registration Form to your new or additional sponsor for completion.

STEP TWO: Submit completed Sponsor Registration Form signed by the new or additional sponsor to the Board Office. To submit electronically, click here.

NOTE: Incomplete forms will be returned for correction and will cause additional delay.

Need to Terminate a Sponsor? Follow the steps below:

STEP ONE: Provide the Apprenticeship Sponsor Form to the sponsor you are terminating for completion.

STEP TWO: Submit completed Apprenticeship Sponsor Form signed by your sponsor to the Board Office. To submit electronically, click here.

NOTE: You must submit within 30 days from the date of terminating the sponsor. The hours will not count after this time. Incomplete forms will be returned for correction and will cause additional delay.

Completion of Apprenticeship:

Apprentices are responsible for submitting the Apprenticeship Sponsor Form within 30 days of the date of terminating a sponsor or within 6 months of completing the program. To submit electronically, click here.

Please see Rule 64B12-16.004, Florida Administrative Code, for more information.

SUPERVISION OF APPRENTICES

  • An Apprentice Optician may perform opticianry tasks only under the direct supervision and physical presence of a licensed Optician, Ophthalmologist or Optometrist licensed under the laws of this state. An optician must be licensed in this state for at least 1 year before providing supervision.
  • A sponsor may only supervise 2 Apprentices at any given time.
  • An Apprentice may have 2 sponsors, a primary and a secondary sponsor, and may only work at the location(s) specified on the application.
  • Sponsors are required to keep copies of all apprentice records for a period of 6 years or one year after the date the apprentice is licensed as an optician, and pursuant to Chapter 64B12- 16.009, Florida Administrative Code., the sponsor shall provide copies of the apprentice’s time records to the Board upon request.

Applying for the Apprenticeship Program

  1. You must first submit an apprentice optician application
  2. Submit a copy of your high school diploma or equivalency certificate
  3. Submit a completed, signed sponsor registration form
  • Within one year of registering as an apprentice optician, you must submit a copy of certificate documenting completion of a two-hour board approved apprentice/sponsor orientation course

Make checks or money orders payable to the “Department of Health.”

Apprentice Registration Fee:$60.00 (nonrefundable)
Initial Licensure Fees:
If licensed in the first year of the biennium (Every odd numbered year)$130.00
If licensed in the second year of the biennium (Beginning on 01/01 every even numbered year and your license expires 12/31 of the same year it was issued)$67.50
Application Fee:$100.00 (nonrefundable)
National Practical Exam Fees:
American Board of Opticianry Practical and National Contact Lens Examiners Practical by the American Board of Opticianry (Paid to ABO)$75.00
National Optician’s Practical Examination by the National Commission of State Opticianry and Regulatory Boards (Paid to NCSORB)$325.00
Board Certification Application Fee:$50.00 (nonrefundable)

Applicants and licensees are responsible for the fees outlined in applicable board or department rule at the time an application is received.

Click on Chapter or Section Number to View

Florida Statutes

Chapter 484, Part 1: Preparing and Dispensing of Eyeglasses and Other Optical Devices
Chapter 456: Health Professions and Occupations: General Provisions
Chapter 120: Administrative Procedure Act
Chapter 119: Public Records
Chapter 408: Health Care Administration
Chapter 112: Public Officers and Employees: General Provisions

Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.)

Rules: Chapter 64B12: Board of Opticianry
Rules: Chapter 64B29: Optical Establishments