Joint Venture between the Association of British Dispensing Opticians and The Royal College of Ophthalmologists for RCOphth professional examinations

In a joint venture, The Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) and The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) are collaborating to host and deliver the RCOphth Refraction Certificate examination. This is one of four examinations that a trainee ophthalmologist takes in order to achieve the FRCOphth. From 2020 ABDO’s National Resource Centre (NRC) in Birmingham will become the permanent home for this examination.

Dylan Costello, Head of Examinations at the RCOphth said of the collaboration that “The NRC proved to a be a natural home for hosting our Refraction Certificate examination. The state of the art venue will enable the RCOphth to continue to be able to deliver a robust examination with the stability that it requires. We are excited to be undertaking this new relationship with the NRC in the development of our exam delivery.”

Phil Hall, ABDO Head of the NRC says, “This is an exciting new collaboration for ABDO and the RCOphth, and we are extremely pleased that they will be making the most of our extensive range of facilities on an ongoing basis for the refraction exam.”

The venue at ABDO’s NRC provides flexibility, state of the art equipment and facilities, and easy access location in the centre of the UK. The examinations will take place at the venue three times per year as from December 2019, along with a one-off extra exam this June. From 2020, ABDO examinations will take place at the NRC every April, July and December.

The ABDO National Resource Centre is available for large and small meetings and conferences and has a range of optical equipment available to those using the facility. See http://nrcbirmingham.co.uk/ for more information.