OT  launches free locum guide for AOP members

In partnership with Johnson & Johnson Vision

Working as a locum optometrist is a rewarding way of combining clinical practice with flexibility and variety. In 2020, COVID-19 has had a serious and wide-ranging impact for locums across the UK. In response, Optometry Today (OT), the journal of the Association of Optometrists (AOP), in partnership with Johnson & Johnson Vision, has created a free locum guide for members. The guide will be issued with the December/January edition of Optometry Today (OT) from 12 December.

OT’s practical 20-page guide covers how locum optometry has changed in 2020, how to negotiate contracts, and the skills needed to adapt and thrive via an essential locum toolkit. The guide also explores the importance of internal referrals and tips for clinical practice, offers guidance on maintaining balance during times of uncertainty, and provides simple ways locums can take control of their finances.

The guide will appeal to new and established locums as well as those considering such work.

The guide is part of a broader commitment by the AOP and Johnson & Johnson Vision ¹ to ensure that locums receive the support they need during an unprecedented time. The AOP offers a range of support services to over 5,000 locum members including targeted locum events and webinars, the AOP locum register and vacancies list, the AOP Locum logbook, OT’s ‘Life as a locum’ series, general legal helpline and tax investigation cover. Johnson & Johnson Vision is a key partner in supporting many of these activities.

In order to obtain a free copy of the locum guide, AOP members need to ensure their AOP record of employment status is up to date by midnight on Tuesday 24 November. They can do this by visiting MyAOP/Mydetails and click edit details to select their employment status based on the locum work they are currently doing.

For media enquiries, please contact Mary Jones, Interim PR and Media Manager, at the Association of Optometrists, [email protected] or telephone 020 7549 2040.

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Notes to Editors

Association of Optometrists

The Association of Optometrists (AOP) is the leading representative membership organisation for optometrists in the UK. We support over 82% of practising optometrists, to fulfil their professional roles to protect the nation’s eye health. For more information, visit www.aop.org.uk

¹ The AOP and Johnson and Johnson Vision (JJV) have worked in partnership over the last four years to ensure locum members have access to tailored support, ensuring their clinical and professional development needs are met.

Johnson & Johnson Vision 

Johnson & Johnson Vision, part of Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies**, has a bold ambition: to change the trajectory of eye health around the world. Through our operating companies, we deliver innovation that enables eye care professionals to create better outcomes for patients throughout their lives, with products and technologies that address unmet needs including refractive error, cataracts and dry eye. In communities with greatest need, we work in collaboration to expand access to quality eye care, and we are committed to helping people see better, connect better and live better. Visit us at www.jjvision.com and www.jnjvisioncare.co.uk. Follow @JNJVision on Twitter and Johnson & Johnson Vision on LinkedIn.

Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies

At Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies, we are helping people live their best lives. Building on more than a century of expertise, we tackle pressing healthcare challenges, and take bold steps that lead to new standards of care while improving people’s healthcare experiences. In surgery, orthopaedics, vision and interventional solutions, we are helping to save lives and paving the way to a healthier future for everyone, everywhere.

**The Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies comprise the surgery, orthopaedics, vision and interventional solutions businesses within Johnson & Johnson’s Medical Devices segment.