Having control of your career choices

The night before: The night before a locum day I will check the location of where I am working, specifically the route that I will take and how long the journey is. I will also plan parking, locating two car parks that will be convenient. I then pack my bag and make sure that I have all of the equipment that I need. I take my own set of patient leaflets that I may wish to share with patients during the day – as a locum, you don’t always know what kind of practice you are going into and how tidy the testing room might be, so I make sure that I am as organised as possible with my own things. I also pack my lunch and iron my clothes in preparation.

7am: My alarm generally goes off an hour before I need to leave for work. I am a bit of a snoozer, hence why I try to get everything ready the night before. I will get up, double-check my route to make sure there are no unexpected traffic delays, get ready and go.

I think the relationship between the locum and the pre-screener is a really important one as pre-screening is a delegated task and I want to be sure that they are confident and capable

8.30am: If I start at 9am, I try to get into the area for around 8.30am so I can grab a coffee and take a look around – it means that I don’t have to rush around. I’ll aim to arrive in practice 15 minutes before I am due to start so that there is time to get shown around and meet the team. After I am shown to my room, I like to set up and make sure that everything is clean and tidy. I carry medical wipes with me and wipe down all of the equipment before the day begins. I also check any solutions and minims, and throw away anything that is contaminated or out of date.

If the practice has a locum folder, which is highly recommended, I will make sure that I read this through – it usually contains information about referrals, shared care schemes and local hospital department details. I find these folders invaluable when a practice does have one as they generally contain all of the information I may need during the day.

1pm: Having been testing all morning, I think it’s really important to get outside and get some fresh air during my lunch break. I love the outdoors so I will always try to go for a stroll around the area. My routine tends to involve eating my packed lunch, catching up on any admin required from the morning and then going out for a walk. I also try to check in on staff to make sure that they feel the morning ran ok and to see if there is anything they would like done differently. I think it’s really important to work well with the team and I always find that they appreciate being asked this question. As a locum you are an optometrist who is filling in for someone who would be there regularly and therefore you should adapt and adopt to their role.

5pm: After my last patient, I double-check that all of the tests and referrals that I would expect to have been done have been. I will then make sure that I leave the room tidy and clean for the next optometrist. I say goodbye to the team and head home.

I also try to check in on staff to make sure that they feel the morning ran ok and to see if there is anything they would like done differently…they appreciate being asked this question

On the administration that is associated with locuming, I leave this to a specific day or two every month. I work on a paper diary and make notes as I go. Setting aside specific days rather than doing this on an evening after a shift works best for me as it gives me the head space I need to relax and unwind day-to-day.