Dispensing optician, Deepali Poojara, is currently in the process of completing her Clinical Learning in Practice (CLiP) placement to qualification at Specsavers Westway Cross in north west London.
Poojara, who has previously worked as a practice manager for the multiple and studies at the University of Lancashire (formally UCLan) on its three-year Master’s in optometry course, began her placement at the end of August.
OT visited Poojara in practice last month (December) to find out how the three months of her placement have gone, including her first assessment.
Poojara described the training period to date as both “interesting” and “intense.”
Her first formal assessment was conducted remotely and required her to demonstrate competencies through patient records while answering questions on health and safety.
Speaking about her assessment, she shared: “Presenting the case with the competency was the hardest bit. When you see the patient, it makes sense, but explaining why they meet a competency doesn’t always flow.”
For Poojara, the assessment made her recognise key aspects of the training process, including the ability to justify decisions clearly and confidently with assessors. “It makes sense why we need to present ourselves. They’re not there to see the patient themselves,” she said.
While the outcome was positive overall, Poojara told OT that the process uncovered areas for improvement, including how to effectively articulate clinical reasoning.
One of Poojara’s key takeaways from the assessment process is that technical skill alone is not enough.
She emphasised that clinical judgement and patient management are central.
“General routine eye tests are something we do every single day,” she said. “But deciding which extra tests to do, or not to do, is very important to making sure we’re seeing the patient in the best way,” she added.
Deepali Poojara: “Staying organised is key”
Deepali Poojara shares insight into her CLiP placement journey with OT
A demanding few months ahead
Looking ahead, over the coming months Poojara will have a face-to-face assessment visit during which she will be perform an eye examination and a contact lens appointment, a second remote visit, a week at university, and an exam.
To prepare, she has been asking colleagues to shadow her eye exams and provide feedback, while also reviewing case records with fellow pre-registration trainees.
Poojara shared that the experience in practice is providing her with a “new layer” of learning that goes beyond university teaching.
“What we learn at university might not always be what we need in practice,” she said.
“Communicating with patients, empathising with them, and understanding what they need comes from seeing more and more patients,” she added.
Advice for others
Providing advice for future CLiP students, Poojara emphasised the importance of keeping up with the required logbook.
“Log every patient the same day you see them,” she said, warning that records can quickly pile up.
Equally important, she said, is reflection – identifying strengths and weaknesses at the end of each day and revisiting topics that are less comfortable, even those trainees might prefer to avoid.
“Sometimes you avoid the hard topics,” she admitted, singling out binocular vision as an area she finds challenging. “But then you get a patient come through the door and you realise you really needed those notes,” she added.
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