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MOA Member Benefits

As a member of the Minnesota Optometric Association (MOA) you will be able to take advantage of all that membership has to offer, including:

Our Newest Member Benefit: Mentor Program

The MOA Membership / Young OD committee recently announced the formation of our new mentor program. In our continuing effort to build and maintain membership in the MOA, we have created a program to help pair optometry students or recent graduates, with an experienced, educated OD mentor. It is our aspiration to help and encourage new OD’s (those out five years or less) develop contacts, network, and discuss various opportunities, while giving them the guidance that only an experienced OD such as yourself could give. At the same time it is our objective to introduce them to the many benefits the MOA has to offer and help facilitate their ongoing involvement in the association.

To help further this goal, the membership committee established a “New OD Retreat” at the upcoming MOA Fall Meeting in Duluth. Our long term desire is to have time dedicated at each of the future MOA meetings that would allow for education geared toward this group, as well as giving them access to the MOA board and committee chairs. As stated above, this retreat is going to be kicked off at the MOA Fall Meeting in October. Among the list of invitees will be optometry students that are from Minnesota, or that have plans to practice in Minnesota after graduation, OD’s that have been in practice five years or less, or any new OD to the MOA. Our hope is to have all mentors in attendance to give them the opportunity to meet their protégé, and help put a face to their name.

We are certainly excited about this new program and we hope you will consider becoming a MENTOR. If you are interested, or would like more information on the program, or if you would like to be involved in the Membership Committee, please feel to contact Dr. Nick Colatrella directly at NColatrella@pineconevisioncenter.com or 320-258-3915, or contact the MOA office.

Speakers Bureau

In a combined effort between the Minnesota Optometric Association (MOA) and the American Optometric Association, the membership committee of the MOA is pleased to announce a new benefit for its members.

After careful planning and production, we have created a statewide Speakers Bureau. The purpose of the Speakers Bureau is to raise the visibility of the MOA and to help educate the public about optometry by speaking to local communities, school nurses, senior centers, etc. It will function by providing presentations for MOA members use for speaking engagements, and it will pair optometrists with interested organizations who would like a speaker to visit them within their community.

Members of the AOA have put together several power point presentations and given them to the MOA for use for all of our members. The presentations that are currently available on CD-ROM are:

Eye Safety – The Importance of Eye Protection for Work and Recreation
Rites of Sight – Your Second 50 Years
Diabetes – Sight For Life
Glaucoma Awareness
School Nurses Presentation – The Importance of Good Vision in Children
Children’s Vision Parent Presentation – Eye Examinations for Young People

As an additional member benefit, our public relations team will offer presentation training to those who desire. The purpose of this training is to provide volunteer speakers with pointers to help make their presentations more successful.

The long term goal of the MOA and AOA is to have this title list expanded as much as possible. Therefore, if you have a presentation that you would be willing to share with the AOA membership, please feel free to contact one of us or the AOA directly. The AOA Public Relations Specialist is Julie Mahoney at JMMahoney@aoa.org.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in, and you would like to sign up for the Speakers Bureau, please e-mail MOA staff member, Jessica Miller, at jessica@mneyedocs.org with your name and contact information, as well as topics you are willing to speak on and areas of Minnesota you are willing to speak in.

Discounted Registration — MOA members received discounted registration at all MOA-sponsored events.

Free Subscription — The official newsletter of the MOA, "Insights," provides you with innovative ideas and insightful articles.

AOA Membership — Your membership in the MOA also gives you an automatic membership in the American Optometric Association (AOA).

Legal Services Program — The MOA offers a program of legal services to members through a local law firm.

Speakers Bureau — The MOA hosts the Speakers Bureau where you can offer your speaking skills to events in your community, and we have presentations ready for you to use, compliments of the AOA.

Practice Opportunities — The MOA maintains a list of practice opportunities, which is housed on this web site.

Legislative Advocacy — The MOA serves as your eyes and ears by retaining legislative counsel, maintaining a staff that is active at the capitol in St. Paul, and coordinating grassroots legislative contacts. Through promotion of proactive legislation and reaction to other legislation introduced, the MOA's goal is to create an environment that allows optometrists to practice to the highest level of optometric education with the restrictions on patient care.

Health Plan Advocacy — Just as with legislative advocacy, the MOA maintains constant communication with the major health plans in the state. The goal is to create an environment that allows optometry to practice to the highest level of optometric education with the fewest restrictions on patient care.

Education — The MOA is committed to offering the latest and highest quality continuing education in the region and nation. All of our educational offerings bring in regional and national experts to make sure Minnesota O.D.s are ahead of the curve with the latest clinical information.