PRIMARY CARE SECTION BYLAWS
Article I – Name and Purpose
Section 1
This section shall be known as the Primary Care Section (PCS).
Section 2
This section shall serve at the appointment and pleasure of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Optometry.The purpose of the Primary Care Section shall be to:
-Serve as a primary resource of the Academy for papers, poster, courses, information and research in the practice of primary care optometry and to advise the Board of Directors on policy in this area.
-Encourage inquiry and research over the breadth of optometry by providing a forum for practitioners and scientists at which new advances in the field of optometry may be presented, questioned, defended and thus incorporated into the clinical practices of the primary care optometrist.
-Promote, advance and enhance the identity of optometry as a profession by supporting the delivery of comprehensive eye and vision care.
-Encourage Academy Fellows to increase their competence in the clinical practice of optometry through a Diplomate program which recognizes those clinicians who demonstrate a broad-based knowledge and expertise in the area of Primary Care.
-To assist the Scientific Program Committee in the selection of meritorious papers, posters and clinical research for presentation at the annual Academy meetings.
-With Academy agreement, formulate positions regarding matters of importance which are published to the professions and/or public.
-Serve as a liaison regarding Primary Care programs and interests with the other sections of the Academy.
-At the discretion of the Academy, provide position papers within the scope of Primary Care Optometry.
Article II – Membership
Any member of the American Academy of Optometry may become a member of the Section by participating in Section activities, attending Section meetings and by paying any dues required by the Academy.
Article III – Officers
Section 1
The officers of this Section shall be the Section Chair, Section Vice-chair, Immediate Past Chair, Education Program Chair, Communications Chair, Diplomate Program Chair, Case Reports Chair, Written Examination Chair, Practical Examination Chair and the Oral Examination Chair.
Section 2
The Executive Committee of the Section shall be composed of the Section Chair, Section Vice-Chair, Immediate Past Chair, Education Program Chair and the Diplomate Program Chair.
Section 3
Only Fellows of the Academy may run for elected office in the Section. Except for the Immediate Past Chair, the Section officers shall be elected biennially by the Section members at the Annual Meeting of the Section. Section officers shall be elected by simple majority of the voting members in attendance at the Section Meeting. An individual may serve up to three (3) consecutive terms for each of the elected offices.
Section 4
All terms of office herein specified shall begin at the close of the Annual Academy Meeting at which the election takes place and shall end two years later at the close of the Annual Academy Meeting.
Section 5
The Executive Committee shall be empowered to seek the removal from office any officer for such cause as will preserve the dignity and integrity of the organization. A majority of the Section officers shall be required to petition the Board of Directors to remove an elected Section officer. If an office becomes vacant by resignation, illness, death or refusal to act, a replacement shall be appointed by the Section Chair for the remainder of that office’s term. Should the office of Section Chair become vacant, the Vice-Chair shall assume the duties of Section Chair.
Article IV – Duties of Section Officers
Section 1
Chair The Section Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Primary Care Section and of the Section’s Executive Committee. The Section Chair shall plan and superintend the programs of the Section at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Optometry and shall superintend the performance of all activities of the Section. The Section Chair shall appoint and/or approve the Chair of any committees within the Section who is to hold office during the term as Chairman with the exception of the Diplomate Committee Chair. Submission of an annual budget for the Section to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Academy shall be the responsibility of the Section Chair. The Section Chair shall perform such other duties and acts that usually pertain to the office.
Section 2
Vice-Chair The Vice-Chair shall aid the Section Chair in the performance of the duties of the Section in such a manner and to such an extent as may be requested. The Vice-Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair in the Chair’s absence.
Section 3
Immediate Past Chair The Immediate Past Chair shall aid the Chair in the performance of the duties of the Section in such a manner and to such an extent as may be requested.
Section 4
Education Chair The Education Chair shall arrange and coordinate the Primary Care Optometry Section symposia presented at the American Academy of Optometry Annual Meeting. The Education Chair shall provide the preliminary symposia outlines and speaker information to the Academy as requested by the Academy office. The Education Chair shall serve as liaison with other educational and scientific committees (ie: Ellerbrock, Scientific Program committee) regarding matters of significance to Primary Care education provided by the Academy.
Section 5
Communication Chair The Communication Chair shall keep the Primary Care Section Manual current. The Chair shall maintain the Section’s information poster current and shall arrange for its display and take down at the Academy meetings. The Communication Chair shall compose and submit the Section’s e-newsletters to the American Academy of Optometry for membership distribution two (2) to four (4) times during the year. A Primary Care Section Program Guide shall be sent to the membership prior to the Annual Academy Meetings.
Article V – Meetings
The Annual Business Meeting of the Section shall be held during the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Optometry.
Section 2
The members of the Section present at any meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Section 3
All binding action of the Section shall be by a majority vote of the members present at the Business Meeting.
Section 4
All meetings shall be governed by the parliamentary rules and usages contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Article VI – Diplomate Program
Section 1
The Diplomate Program Committee shall be composed of the Diplomate Chair, the Case Report Chair, the Written Examination Chair, the Practical Examination Chair and the Oral Examination Chair.
Section 2
The Diplomate Chair and the other chairs of the Diplomate Program shall be Diplomates in the Primary Care Section.
Article VII – Duties of the Diplomate Program Officers
Section 1
Chair The Diplomate Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Diplomate Committee. The primary responsibility of the Diplomate Chair shall be to insure that the integrity and quality of the Diplomate program are maintained, and that the prescribed process for achieving Diplomate status is followed. The Diplomate Chair shall be responsible for:
-Coordinating the overall activities of the program
-Providing guidance to the Diplomate Committee and Diplomate candidates
-Assigning mentors to candidates when requested
-Continuously reviewing the candidacy program
-Recruiting candidates for the program
-Informing the Section Chair and the Board of Directors of those candidates who have successfully completed the Diplomate process
-Announcing the new Diplomates at the Annual Awards Banquet
The Diplomate Chair shall perform such other duties and acts that pertain to the office.
Section 2
Case Report Chair The Case Report Chair shall be responsible for the initial review of case reports received by Diplomate candidates. If deemed appropriate, the case report chair shall distribute the case reports to the appropriate reviewers for evaluation. When all ten (10) case reports have passed the evaluation process, the Case Report Chair shall inform the Diplomate Chair of successful completion of this portion of the Diplomate program.
Section 3
Written Examination Chair The Written Examination Chair shall be responsible for the creation of the written examination in compliance with the directives of the Diplomate Program Candidate Guide. The Written Examination Chair shall be responsible for the planning, coordination and implementing of the written examination which shall be given at the Annual Meeting of the Academy. The Written Examination Chair shall inform the Diplomate Chair of the successful completion of this portion of the Diplomate program.
Section 4
Practical Examination Chair The Practical Examination Chair shall be responsible for the planning, coordinating and implementing of the practical examination which shall be given at the Annual Meeting of the Academy. The Practical Examination Chair shall appoint examiners for each area of the practical examination who are considered knowledgeable/experts in each of the tested areas. The Practical Examination Chair shall inform the Diplomate Chair of the successful completion of this portion of the Diplomate program.
Section 5
Oral Examination Chair The Oral Examination Chair shall be responsible for the planning, coordinating and implementing of the Oral Examination which shall be given at the Annual Meeting of the Academy. The Oral Examination shall serve as a review of the ten (10) case reports submitted and discuss other case management or treatment scenarios related to the case reports. The Oral Examination chair shall inform the Diplomate Chair of the successful completion of this portion of the Diplomate program. A second ‘exit’ interview will be conducted when all parts of the Diplomate process are completed during which time the candidate will be informed of his/her status.
Section 6
Diplomate Examination Process The examination process and details of the examination are outlined in the Primary Care Section Leadership Guide. Any changes to the structure and format of the examination shall be made after careful deliberation and shall be approved by unanimous vote of the Primary Care Section Diplomate Committee and the Primary Care Section Executive Committee. Changes to the examination structure and format may occur when deemed appropriate and necessary.
Article VIII – Miscellaneous Provisions
Section 1
All bills incurred by the Section, before being forwarded to the Secretary-Treasurer of the American Academy of Optometry for payment, shall be approved by the Section Chair.
Section 2
These Bylaws shall become effective upon the approval of the Primary Care Section and the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Optometry.
Article IX – Revision of Bylaws
The Bylaws of the Primary Care Section may be revised when deemed appropriate. Revisions require a majority vote of the members of the Section present at an Annual Business Meeting of the Primary Care Section. No revision shall become effective until approved by the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Optometry.
Article X – Revision of Section Documents
Section 1
Revisions to the Leadership Guide, Candidate Guide and other Primary Care Section documents require a majority vote of the members of the Section present at an Annual Business Meeting of the Primary Care Section.
Section 2
Revisions to the structure, policies and examination procedures of the Diplomate Program of the Primary Care Section require the unanimous vote of the entire leadership complement of the Primary Care Section Diplomate Program and the Primary Care Section Executive Committee.
Approved by the Primary Care Section 10/2007
Approved by the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Optometry
