Glasgow Caledonian University approved to offer integrated optometry and independent prescribing qualification

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) is the first university approved by the General Optical Council (GOC) to offer an integrated optometry and independent prescribing (IP) qualification.

From September 2024, optometry students at GCU will be able to earn a Master of optometry with independent prescribing.

It will be the first university to offer the course under the GOC’s new education requirements.

Professor Gunter Loffler, head of the department of vision sciences at GCU, said: “We are delighted to have received regulatory approval for our new Master of optometry with independent prescribing programme.”

Loffler noted that students enrolling onto the five-year programme in September 2024 will benefit from entry-level and IP placements as part of their course.

They will be able to register with the GOC as optometrists with IP specialty upon successful completion, he said.

The updated qualification will still be subject to the GOC’s routine quality assurance processes to ensure they satisfy the requirements, the regulator said.

Samara Morgan, GOC head of education and CPD development, said: “We are pleased to note GCU’s integrated qualification, which will offer optical students a seamless journey to gaining both an undergraduate and specialty qualification.

“We continue to work with remaining providers to ensure a smooth transition so that optical students are equipped to adapt to changes in delivering eye care services and meet the future needs of patients.”

Providers of existing GOC-approved qualifications are required to submit detailed plans of how their adapted qualifications will meet the new education and training requirements, with the GOC reviewing and noting these changes.

Loffler added that GCU’s integrated optometry and IP course has come after “several years of planning and collaboration with NHS Education for Scotland, who will provide support for students throughout their placement periods, and the Scottish Government.”

“We are particularly excited by the inclusion of IP into the undergraduate training, which the GOC enabled through their education review,” he said, adding: “We see this as an opportunity to equip graduates with the skills that will allow them to provide advanced eye care to the benefit of patients across all communities in Scotland.”