Dispensing optician Deepali Poojara is currently on the final stepping stone to qualifying as an optometrist as she completes her CLiP placement at Specsavers Westway Cross in north west London.
Poojara, who has previously worked as a practice manager for the multiple, studies at the University of Lancashire (formally UCLan) on its three-year Master’s in optometry course. Having started her CLiP placement at the end of August, the pre-registration optometrist will share her journey to qualification with OT throughout her placement period.
OT visited Poojara in practice last month to find out how the first four weeks of her placement have gone.
“The first week was quite intense,” she shared, expanding: “There was quite a lot of pathology, and a lot of information to take in.”
Poojara, who is also an AOP Councillor representing pre-registration optometrists, highlighted that during her last year at the University of Lancashire she would test one day a week under supervision, which has helped ease her into testing over the four days that she is now. “It’s kind of been a nice stepping stone,” she said.
When Poojara has been unsure of anything, she has been able to seek the support of her supervisors, and noted that the team have been really welcoming.
Poojara has two supervisors, each overseeing her work two days a week.
“[My supervisors] are able to speak to me in a way that doesn’t put me down… If I have any questions or anything like that, they will go through things with me,” she said.
In the past four weeks, Poojara said that she has learned that “any patient can walk into the room.”
“I have learned to keep an open mind, and to listen to the patient and what their concerns are, and tailor the eye test to them,” she said.
When OT met with Poojara, her next assessment was four weeks away. She shared honestly: “I am worried a little bit, but with a little bit of studying, and support from my peers and the university, I will be able to get through them.”
Poojara keeps in touch with her university peers, noting that they share different cases that they have seen, allowing them to learn from each other.
Her top tip for others preparing for their CLiP placement is to keep as organised as possible. “It can get quite overwhelming with the number of patients you are seeing… there can be a lot of information that’s coming to you,” she said.
“Staying organised is key.”
Reflecting on personal experience, in the long-term Poojara would like to complete her professional certificate in glaucoma. She shared that her parents both have glaucoma and are under the care of clinics at Moorfields Eye Hospital.
“It was caught quite early thanks to the OCT scan, and they get seen regularly,” she said.
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