“Domiciliary was something that had interested me from the first year of university”

How did you first become aware of the profession?

I didn’t take the usual route at all. I didn’t go to college so I came out of school and went straight into employment. In later years, I was working as ambulance crew and that was when I decided I wanted to continue working in the health sector.

I took Access to Higher Education courses in Access to Medicine and Allied Health Professions. One of the modules was in optics and that was when I became more interested in the area. I applied for the University of Bradford and was fortunate enough to be accepted onto the optometry course.

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

It was the biology that interested me the most. There was so much to learn about the nervous system and the brain, and I was interested in how much can be found in an eye examination. I think the majority of people would say that sight is the sense that they fear losing the most. There is nothing like the gift of sight, so if I can help people to preserve it or improve it, that is very rewarding.

What are your reflections on pre-reg? What would your advice be to students applying for placements?

Make sure that you look for a pre-reg supervisor that you trust and get along with. It’s important to work with someone who you feel would be in your best interest. I was very fortunate with my pre-reg supervisor, who was also an assessor for the College of Optometrists and seemed to know Kanski’s Clinical Ophthalmology back to front. Anything I wanted to inquire about, he was very willing to help.

There is nothing like the gift of sight, so if I can help people to preserve it or improve it, that is very rewarding

 

What drew you to domiciliary after completing your pre-registration placement?

Domiciliary was something that had interested me from the first year of university. During the course we had various career talks and one of those was on domiciliary. I feel that my previous role in ambulance crews stood me in good stead for working in domiciliary optometry, because I’m accustomed to going into people’s houses, respecting their property, and putting them at ease.

My first goal has always been to help people, and to help people who would otherwise struggle to access services is very rewarding. If an individual is not able to leave their house, then their life is very centred around their sight.

Now you are in practice, how does domiciliary live up to your expectations?

It is a lot more physically demanding than I anticipated. You are driving, setting up your office in every house you visit, completing the tests, and if you are in the super optometrist role you are also dispensing.

One of the benefits I wasn't expecting was the appreciation from patients. The majority of people I see are extremely grateful because they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to have this enhancement of their vision or had a check for peace of mind, if we weren’t visiting them.

My first goal has always been to help people, and to help people who would otherwise struggle to access services is very rewarding

 

What area of optometry particularly interests you?

Macular degeneration, because I see it so frequently and how debilitating it can be. Unfortunately, if you’re not in the profession and your family and friends haven’t experienced it then you might not hear of it, but it’s really quite common and has severe effects.

Being prepared, switching off, and staying open-minded

What advice do you have for settling into pre-reg?

Going into pre-reg, the first couple of months are the hardest. It’s overwhelming at first, because you are progressing so quickly, everything has to speed up and you need to become more accurate. Keep yourself in a positive mindset. Have good people around you who are in the same position, or family and friends who can support you. I am especially grateful to my parents, and my partner, Danielle. Go into everything with an open mind but don’t forget there are so many different roles in optometry: in hospital, High Street, and domiciliary.

Is there one thing that you wish someone had told you about optometry before you started?

From the outside looking in you tend to think of the good things: ‘I’m going to improve someone’s vision.’ But sometimes there isn’t anything you can do. The first few times it might knock you off-kilter because you want to help everybody. Telling someone face-to-face that they no longer meet the legal driving limits is something that you have to be prepared for. It’s not always sunshine and rainbows, sometimes there will be tough days. It’s not something that would have put me off the profession, and as I see it, the way medicine is advancing, there is more help and treatment than ever before and it’s going to keep progressing.

How do you approach balancing studying and work, with socialising and making time for yourself?

You have to be able to switch off. If you start thinking too much about what has happened that day or what is going to happen, you can get inside your own head and create hypothetical scenarios that are never going to appear. I love playing basketball. When you are on the court you are thinking about nothing else and that certainly helps.