October 1, 2025

COPE Reaffirms Substantive Equivalency with Medicine

The Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE®) is pleased to announce that the COPE Continuing Education Accreditation system has reaffirmed Substantive Equivalency to the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) CME accreditation system, a status that COPE has proudly held since 2017.

Why this is important for Optometrists:

• COPE accredited CE is designed to support relevant, evidence-based, and independent learning free from commercial influence.
• COPE accreditation means the education received is deemed equivalent to colleagues in medicine.
• COPE accredited CE is designed around the identified educational needs of optometrists, providing them the tools needed to expand skills and enhance patient care.

Why this is important for CE Providers:

• COPE’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE (SII) create a clear, compliant framework for industry support, helping CE Providers secure educational grants for CE activities.
• Adopted from the ACCME and aligned with other health professions, COPE’s SII provide consistency and credibility across the health care landscape.
• COPE accredited CE expands the network of potential learners:
  • COPE’s rigorous standards ensure integrity and freedom from commercial influence.
  • COPE Accredited CE is universally accepted by licensing agencies in the U.S. and Canada.

Why this is important for Regulatory Boards:

• COPE accreditation guarantees consistent, high-quality continuing education across all delivery formats and providers.
• COPE accredited CE provides confidence that licensees are meeting the highest standards of continuing competence for patient protection and improved health outcomes.
• COPE accreditation provides a quality foundation of continuing education for regulatory change as scope of optometric practice expands.