• Accreditation Council on Optometric Education
  • Accredited Programs
  • Accreditation Resources and Guidance
    • Optometric Degree Programs
    • Optometric Residency Programs
    • Optometric Technician Programs
  • ACOE Accreditation Process
  • ACOE Membership
  • ACOE Upcoming Site Visits
  • Recent ACOE Accreditation Actions
    • Accredited with Conditions
    • Withdrawal of Accreditation
    • Archive of Accreditation Actions
  • Call for Comments on Proposed Changes
  • Contact ACOE
• Faculty Resources
  • AOA Faculty Relations Committee Members
  • Summary of Results: AOA Optometric Educator Faculty Opinion Survey
  • Faculty Resources
    • Creole Examination Phrases
    • Spanish Examination Phrases
• Financial Aid
  • Guide to Optometric Loans, Grants and Scholarships
    • Industry Scholarships
    • Non-State Scholarships
    • Schools Scholarships
    • State Residency Scholarships
    • Other Programs
  • Balance Sheet Preparation
  • Planning and Budgeting
  • The Resident's Guide to Resources in Research and Scholarship
    • The Resident's Guide to Resources in Research and Scholarship: Part 1
    • The Resident's Guide to Resources in Research and Scholarship: Part 2
• Professional Transitions
  • Primer for Successful Practice
    • Status Post Graduation: Private Practice Success
    • Strategy and Human Resource Management Illustrated
    • Business Functions and Structure
    • It Is All in the Mind: a Paradigm Shift for Practice Success
    • Action Plan: Preparing for the Entrepreneurial World of Optometric Practice
    • Methods of Securing Practice Ownership
    • The Practice Prospecting Process
    • Buyer Beware
    • Making the Deal: A Guide to Successful Negotiation
    • Practice Management
  • AOA Membership After Graduation
    • Post-Graduate Membership
      • How Affiliated Association Membership Works
      • I've Graduated! Why Should I Continue My Membership?
    • Practice Management
      • Selecting Your Practice Mode and Location
      • Future Practice - Choosing Wisely
      • Obtain Your Licence
      • Optometric Practice Options
    • Residency Program Opportunities
      • Directors
    • President's Letter to New Graduates
• Career Advocate for the New Practitioner
  • Career Advocate 2009 Program
  • Career Options
  • Marketing Yourself
    • Sample Cover Letter
    • Sample Resume
  • Joining a Practice
  • Buying a Practice
  • Starting a Practice
  • Managing Practice Finances
  • Managing Your Personal Finances
  • Day-to-Day Practice Operations
  • Third Party Programs
  • Managing Personnel
  • Dispensing
  • Patient Communication
  • Marketing Your Practice
  • Opportunities for Practice Growth
• Student Member Benefits
• Why Choose Optometry?
• American Optometric Student Association
• Clinical Care
  • Allergan Launches Latisse™ as Treatment for Hypotrichosis
  • Presentation to the FDA Advisory Panel on Contact Lens Solutions
  • Intraoperative Floppy Iris Syndrome (IFIS) Associated with Systemic Alpha-1 Blockers
  • AOA Optometric Clinical Practice Guidelines
  • Quick Reference Guides
  • Clinical Care Publications
  • AOA Diabetes Eye Report form
  • Council on Research
    • Summer Invitational Research Institute
  • Patient Care
    • Geriatrics and Nursing Facility
      • Facts about Optometric Nursing Facility Care
      • Instruments and Equipment
      • A Recommended Continuing Education Curriculum: Geriatric Optometry for the Primary Care Practice
    • Hospital Practice
      • Hospital Privileges Manual
        • Hospital Privileges Manual: Part II: The Importance of Optometry to the Hospital
        • Hospital Privileges Manual: Part III: Hospital Bylaws and Legal Issues in Hospital Privileging
        • Hospital Privileges Manual: Part IV: How to Obtain Hospital Privileges
        • Hospital Privileges Manual: Part V: The Hospital-Based Optometric Examination
      • American Optometric Association Guidelines for Delineation of Clinical Privileges for Optometry
    • Pediatrics and Binocular Vision
      • Vision: A Collaboration of Eyes and Brain
      • The Need for Comprehensive Vision Examination of Preschool and School-age Children
      • Vision Therapy
        • Optometric Co-Management of Vision Therapy
      • Vision, Learning and Dyslexia
      • The Use of Tinted Lenses and Colored Overlays for the Treatment of Dyslexia and Other Related Reading and Learning Disorders
      • Optometric Care of the Patient with Acquired Brain Injury
    • Primary Care
      • Optometric Clinical Practice Recommendations
  • Environmental / Occupational Issues
    • Occupational Vision Manual Part I: Introduction
      • Occupational Vision Manual: Part II: Performance and Productivity in the Work Place
      • Occupational Vision Manual: Part III: Ocular Protection
      • Occupational Vision Manual: Part IV: Contact Lens Use In Industry
      • Occupational Vision Manual: Part V: Medico-Legal and Ethical Concerns Regarding Standards and Regulations
      • Occupational Vision Manual: References and Sources for Further Information
    • Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)
      • Computer Vision Syndrome Symptoms
      • The Relationship of Computer Vision Syndrome to Musculoskeletal Disorders
      • Impact of Computer Use on Children's Vision
      • The Effects of Video Display Terminal Use on Eye Health and Vision
      • Criteria for Determining Whether the Need for Eyeglasses or Other Treatment is Related to Computer Use
    • Motorist Vision Policy
    • Recommendations for the Use of Laser Pointers
  • Ophthalmic Standards
  • Commission on Quality Assessment & Improvement
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Aviation Vision
    • Comparison of Bifocal and Progressive Addition Lenses on Aviator Target Detection Performance
    • Eyes, Right
    • LASIK Refractive Surgery: Clinical Considerations for the Pilot
    • Special Ophthalmic Needs of Aviators
    • Sunglasses in Aviation
    • Ultraviolet Radiation: Hazards in Aviation
    • Eye Exams and Aviation: Prescription for Success
    • The Eye and Night Vision
    • Adjusting to New Spectacles the Easy Way
    • Prescribing Spectacles for Aviators
  • Community Health Centers
    • Community Health Center Optometry
    • Publications and Research

AOA Membership After Graduation

• Post-Graduate Membership
• Practice Management
• Residency Program Opportunities
• President's Letter to New Graduates

After graduation, your first step towards joining AOA is to contact the affiliated state optometric association in which your principal practice or place of employment is located. This will initiate the change in your AOA member status. To continue your membership after graduation, you MUST join through to the state association where your primary practice is located. Click here for more information on joining your affiliated optometric association.

A new graduate who is not licensed may continue student membership for up to 18 months following graduation by contacting Member Records.

Postgraduate students--defined as residents, fellows and interns-- contact the AOA directly ([Email]) to request a postgraduate application. You will have no dues obligation while a postgraduate member, but you must apply for post-graduate status each year. Click here for more information on post-graduate membership.