My placement at Moorfields was delayed because of the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19. I know that Moorfields want to give pre-regs the best possible training, support and experience, and so they pushed the start date back to allow them to do so.
Due to COVID-19 I ended up moving home from university and back in with my parents. I’m from a little village in West Yorkshire, so I was so excited to move to London and experience the big city. However, this time at home has been wonderful, and I’ve got to spend a lot of time with my family that I wouldn’t otherwise have had. I think it’s made me appreciate the countryside and where I’m from a lot more, and I know I’ll miss it once I move.
My tutors at university would be reminding me not to forget my anatomy, so I’m trying desperately hard not to
In the meantime, I have a job as an online shopping picker in the supermarket. This has been hard work given the pandemic, but the job has taught me a lot of resilience and I’ve also gained more experience with the general public – any experience is invaluable for a clinician. I also sometimes work night overtime and end up doing 16-hour shifts, which is crazy.
At the moment I’m just reading through some of my notes from university and trying to keep up my knowledge before starting pre-reg. It’s difficult because I don’t want to feel like I’ve forgotten everything over this extended break, but I don’t want to overwhelm myself and stress about constantly revising. I know a lot of the practical side of things will come back to me once I start practising again. My tutors at university would be reminding me not to forget my anatomy, so I’m trying desperately hard not to.
I’m most excited for the fresh start in a new place and to get back to doing what I enjoy. I really can’t wait to start working with the public again and helping people in any way I can. I can’t wait to receive the training from Moorfields and I’m so excited to start the next part of my career in optometry. I’m also excited to start finding my feet and working out where I’d like my career to take me.
Though COVID-19 completely changed my plans, I’m really grateful for the past eight months. I have met some great people and learnt a lot of new skills. Hopefully my experiences over this time will be beneficial to my pre-reg.
Peter says...
The first weeks of my pre-reg have been… tiring but rewarding. I have gone from seeing one or two patients a week at university to four patients a day in practice. Although I have had to adjust to the increased testing, it has allowed me to carry out over 50 sight tests in the first two months of my pre-reg. This has provided me with invaluable experience, such as testing children for the first time, seeing a range of pathology, and writing several referral letters.
The most important thing I’ve learnt so far is… how to manage a variety of people. Every individual has a unique personality, and it is up to me to address their concerns and meet their needs to the best of my ability, within my limits of competence and to ensure the patient comes away feeling satisfied.
What I’m enjoying most about independent practice is… managing each patient throughout their entire appointment. From the moment I am handed their record card at reception, right up to dispensing their new spectacles at the end of their visit, I am involved in every part of their journey in the practice, including any additional tests or follow-ups required.
Peter Grant is a pre-registration optometrist at Julian Davies Opticians in St Mellons, South Wales.
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