The way we learn

This early morning repetition of words seems to occur whenever he learns how to say something new. The same thing happened when he learned to walk – he would practise by walking up and down his cot at night. He learns and he practises to improve and develop further. It is something we all do throughout our lives personally and professionally (albeit at more socially acceptable hours when we are older).

Over the last six weeks, not a day has passed without the OT team speaking about education and lifelong learning. Initially these conversations were amongst ourselves as we planned and researched, before we moved on to speak to practitioners to find out what education means to them and how the profession is using continued learning to advance.

So why all the talk about education?

OT’s next edition, landing 9 October, is themed around Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and explores the transition that the profession will soon be making to the GOC’s new 2022 CPD cycle.

Luckily for us, education is an important topic for many practitioners, and is one that they are passionate about and have been happy to talk to OT about.

In supporting to put the edition together, I enjoyed interesting conversations with domiciliary optometrist, Steve Clark, as well as practice owners Helen Tilley and Simon Falk.

Having each collected far beyond the 36 CET point requirement of the current CET cycle, they shared how education, formal and informal, helps them to be the best practitioners they can be, as well as how it keeps their careers interesting and enables them to offer the best possible care for patients.

“I don’t think that I have ever completed a piece on continued learning where I haven’t learned something or remembered something that I had forgotten. It makes you a better practitioner, which means you can do better by your patient,” Clark told me.

Be sure to check your letterboxes next Saturday (and visit our website) to read more from the trio, as well as gain further insight.

So, as the curtains begin to slowly draw on the current CET cycle, it is time for many to check where they are in meeting the GOC’s education requirements. Do you have points still to collect? Or competencies to tick off? If the answer is yes, fear not, as OT is here to support you.

Currently we have a total of 17 non-interactive points available through our website, with exams covering all competencies for all practitioner types. In order to avoid scrambling online to find those elusive last points or competencies while your Christmas turkey waits, visit our website and take an exam today. 

A reminder

Earlier this month the Government launched a consultation on proposals for mandating COVID-19 and flu vaccinations for all frontline health and social care workers. In response, the AOP is calling for members practising across England to share their views on the proposal and has launched a survey enabling them to do so. A link to the survey was sent to members in England on Monday (27 September). Check your emails and click on the link to share your views.