"At the independent practice we get involved in everything"

My day-to-day schedule is anything but routine.

Working in a practice that offers a wide range of enhanced services, along with my weekly hospital placement, has provided me with invaluable exposure to areas of optometry that go far beyond what I would expect to experience at this stage of my pre-reg.

I’ve quickly immersed myself in the specialised services we offer in practice, including low vision assessments, a glaucoma enhanced referral service, post-cataract follow-ups, and my personal favourite, emergency appointments.

Every day presents new challenges, expanding my clinical expertise in ways I never anticipated.

My schedule has changed since starting my pre-reg placement, as I am now rotating around hospital clinics.

In addition to a paediatric refraction clinic, I now observe specialist clinics such as hydroxychloroquine screening, macula, orthoptics and glaucoma. This broad exposure has deepened my understanding of diverse clinical specialisms in optometry, and has allowed me to refine my clinical understanding and management to become a more proficient, well-rounded and efficient optometrist.

This broad exposure has deepened my understanding of diverse clinical specialisms in optometry

Completing my pre-reg placement at a practice that is just a 25-minute drive away from home has been ideal for me.

The location has allowed me to maintain a good work-life balance while managing my other responsibilities – including being an AOP Councillor, running Optom Success, and spending time with friends and family.

Barnoldswick is an engineering town and because of this, we receive many referrals for patients with foreign bodies stuck in their eyes that need removal, of which I’ve already witnessed quite a few. We also have a high elderly demographic, which has given me the opportunity to see a wide range of age-related pathologies.

My supervisor, James Bontoft, has an excellent reputation as an independent prescribing optometrist in the area, this enables the management of certain pathologies in practice that would typically require hospital care, reducing the burden on the NHS. My exposure to pathology has been extensive across both the independent practice and the hospital, providing me with invaluable learning experiences.

My exposure to pathology has been extensive across both the independent practice and the hospital

My biggest learning so far has been getting used to how an independent practice operates.

During university, I worked for a High Street multiple and found that the environment was quite departmentalised, with distinct roles for different tasks, such as pre-screening and dispensing.

At the independent practice we get involved in everything, and this is one of the highlights of completing my pre-reg at an independent. In addition to a thorough eye examination, I handle my own pre-screening, assist patients in choosing frames if they need glasses, and see them again when they collect their glasses for fitting. The experience feels personal, as I follow the patient through their eye care journey.

I am also involved with selecting our new range of frames for the store and using the frame tracer to take lens measurements and order patient specific lenses directly from our suppliers. Working in this setting deepens my understanding of running a practice operationally and means I need to be skilled in all areas, not just sight tests.

After graduating from university, a challenge that most face is the limited exposure to different eye conditions that we have had during our clinics.

There is a huge difference between reading about conditions in a textbook and experiencing pathologies in real life. Since starting my pre-reg, the variety of cases I’ve encountered in both the hospital and in practice has been extensive. This exposure has allowed me to become much more proficient in my clinical decision-making and more efficient at delivering high-quality eye exams. The variety of cases is by far the best part of my pre-reg experience

I have made sure I keep my colleagues involved in my pre-reg journey.

I regularly update them on the interesting cases I see in the testing room, and on how my pre-reg is progressing. They have been an integral part of my progression so far.

One way I stay organised is by having a patient encounter list posted at the front reception desk, so if a patient calls in to book an appointment, my team makes sure those patients are scheduled with me. For example, I needed to see a patient with a red eye, and I ended up with three in one day.

I also enjoy attending and hosting pre-reg webinars through Optom Success, the platform I founded, as well as participating in CPD webinars, which have been instrumental in helping me navigate my pre-reg year.

My first referral was for a patient who had presented with a painful red eye that they could barely open, and was suffering from Recurrent Corneal Epithelial Erosion Syndrome.

Despite using drops, their condition wasn’t improving. After discussing the case with my supervisor, I fitted a bandage contact lens, which immediately relieved the patient’s discomfort. We contacted the hospital, and they confirmed this was the correct course of action. The patient was scheduled for a follow-up in two weeks.

This experience was a valuable learning moment for me. Though the patient was agitated and in severe pain, I remained calm and reassuring, ensuring the patient had trust and confidence in my abilities and was relaxed by the end of their treatment.

Staying on top of your finances is crucial during pre-reg, as it is a time of transition and learning.

One of my top tips is to create a simple monthly budget that covers essential expenses like travel, bills and rent. Using a digital bank like Monzo can be really helpful for tracking your spending. Monzo allows you to categorise expenses into custom categories like groceries and transport, which helps you monitor your spending and avoid overspending on non-essentials.