The Auditor
State of Hawai‘i

A Comparative Study of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Professional and Vocational Licenses

Report No. 05-14
December 2005

 

Foreword

Introduction

License Summaries

Accountant, Certified Public

Acupuncture

Chiropractor

Contractor

Electrician, Journeyman

Electrician, Supervising

Optometrist

Osteopathic Physician

Pharmacist

Pharmacy

Physician

Physician Assistant

Plumber, Journeyman

Plumber, Master

Podiatrist

Veterinarian

 

OPTOMETRIST
Summary Overall Rank Continuing Education License Fees Table 

Summary

Hawai‘i
ranks close to the national median in optometrist license requirements. Hawai‘i’s license fees are at the low end, and while thirty-eight states require additional state examinations, Hawai‘i does not. The one hundred hours of additional education required for a therapeutic pharmaceutical agents (TPA) certification places Hawai‘i in the minority of states.  

Requirement

Hawai‘i

Category Rank

National Median

OVERALL RANK (quintile)

 3

 

 

Education

Graduation from optometry school

Not ranked

Graduation from optometry school

Examination

Four parts of the National Boards

4

Four parts of the National Boards plus one or more state examinations

Fees

$245

5

$415

Continuing Education

16 hours per year

3

16 hours per year

Reciprocity or Endorsement

Yes, with four years of experience

3

Yes

Therapeutic pharmaceutical agents (TPA) certification

100 hour course at Kapi’olani Community College

2

Most states with TPA certification do not require additional education hours.

 Notes on Optometrist ranking:

1 = most difficult, most requirements, highest fees.
5 = least difficult, fewest requirements, lowest fees.

Education:  As all states require graduation from an accredited school or college of optometry, no rank was assigned for this category.

Examination: Rank is based on the number of examinations required. Most states require passing all four of the National Board examinations administered by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO). Thirty-eight states also require passing a state examination, including open book or take home, clinical practical and oral interviews. Source: National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO State Board Requirements).

Fees: Rank is based on the cost of an initial license and an annualized renewal fee. This reflects the cost of obtaining and renewing a license. 

Continuing education: This is expressed as hours per year.  

Reciprocity:  Most states have some form of reciprocity or endorsement.  

Therapeutic pharmaceutical agents (TPA):  Forty states have an equivalent to Hawai‘i’s TPA certification. In ten of those states, TPA certification is built into the license rather than a separate certification. Hawai‘i requires one hundred additional hours of courses at Kapi’olani Community College, but will recognize education taken in other states if the state’s requirement is one hundred hours or more.