“My drive hasn’t wavered”

What stage of your career are you currently in?

I’m newly-qualified. It’s been a long and sometimes rocky journey, but I’m relieved to be here. No day is the same as a newly-qualified optometrist. It’s exciting.

When did you first become aware of the profession?

I became aware of the profession when I was having my first eye test as a child. However, I didn’t actually consider optometry as a potential career until sixth form, when it was proposed as an option by teachers at school.

What were the main reasons you wanted to become an optometrist?

When I was looking at potential jobs and trying to work out what career path to go down, optometry piqued my interest. However, I think the main motivation came from my family.

When my mum was pregnant with me, my grandma came over from India to help her out. She had dense cataracts and I can remember being told about times when this really caused her to struggle. By the time I was born, her cataracts were so bad that it was difficult for her to see me, which obviously really upset her.

I don’t think anyone should have to struggle like that. Hearing about my grandma’s cataracts motivated me to help others in a similar situation, particularly when treatments for conditions like cataracts are advancing every day and we can make such an impact on people’s lives.

Hearing about my grandma’s cataracts motivated me to help others in a similar situation

What are your career goals?

My goal is to have my own practice one day. The freedom and flexibility that it can provide really appeals to me, so it’s absolutely the route I want to go down.

Even despite all the challenges posed by the pandemic, my drive hasn’t wavered. My primary goal has always been to have my own practice and nothing in the past couple of years has made me change my mind.

What placements have you carried out, and what have you learned from them?

My first placement was one week of work experience during my A-levels. I sat through eye tests and was on the shop floor watching the whole process, learning through osmosis. At the end of the placement, I got offered a permanent role and jumped at the opportunity.

I also had a few hospital placement days during my final year at university, where we were in diabetic clinics and low vision clinics for a day. We got to experience seeing patients with complex conditions, which we wouldn’t normally see in practice.

During my pre-reg, I had a day in eye casualty which was quite intense. I saw real emergencies like shattered glass in the eye, and it was an incredibly valuable experience.

My primary goal has always been to have my own practice and nothing in the past couple of years has made me change my mind

What were your expectations of the pre-reg year and how did you prepare?

I wasn’t sure what to expect – it was a challenging but valuable experience. We were given a framework, which I prepared with – this contains all the resources you need and gives you an outline of types of patients you need to manage. It’s important to let the team know what kind of patients you need to see, as you need to become skilled at supporting patients with all types of vision challenges.

Being newly-qualified can be the hardest part. It’s lonely and scary at points, so to have that support network is critical

What were the main challenges of the OSCEs?

The pandemic meant we couldn’t have typical mock OSCEs in person. However, as part of STEP we did a mock OSCE through Zoom. The feedback from this helped me prepare for different scenarios ahead of the final assessment.

Now that you are newly-qualified, how does working in practice live up to your expectations? What has surprised or challenged you?

What’s challenging is I’m now by myself a bit more. Of course, I still have support when I need it, but I’m going it alone more now and that was nerve-wracking at first. I’m also trying to get up to speed with things whilst ensuring I stay professional and safe with patients. Juggling everything can definitely pose a challenge.

I think the main thing, though, is that you always have your supervisors to lean on. I know I can turn to my supervisor if something challenges me or I’m not sure about something. They have so many years of experience in the field and are always happy to share their expertise.

What is next for you?

I’m trying to find my feet. It’s been a busy few years and right now I need some time to just take everything in and recalibrate. I want to work for someone else for a couple years and then I’ll consider having my own independent practice or franchise.

What are your three top tips for optometry students?

1. Pre-reg is hard. Proper preparation will save you a lot of hassle (and help with your revision)
2. Always ask for help if you need it. The process can be mentally draining. It’s a lot of work and you deal with complex topics. Remember to talk to your supervisors and ask them for support
3. Finally, join JJV’s STEP if you can. STEP means you’re supported at every point on your journey into optometry, so you never feel rudderless, and this support doesn’t end when you’re newly-qualified. Being newly-qualified can be the hardest part. It’s lonely and scary at points, so to have that support network is critical.