Being a locum can pay higher rates and allow practitioners to work their own hours.
Indeed, such factors motivated 7.5% more optometrists to take up locum work between 2010 and 2015.
There are drawbacks though, especially for newly qualified optometrists, which include the uncertainty of shifts and missing out on staff benefits and training.
Optician Workplace interviewed optometrists from inside and outside organisations to assess the main differences.
Earning a holiday
Surbhi Joshi, who has been a locum optometrist for more than four years, can see both sides of the coin as she worked as a company employed optometrist for two-and-a-half years at the start of her career.
She says a definite advantage of locum work is flexibility, both in terms of managing her time and not being tied to a contract.
However, disadvantages include staying motivated and accepting that your holidays are all unpaid.
She adds: ‘Locum work is not always readily available in areas of the country that would be more convenient for you.
‘In terms of furthering your knowledge and patient care, working as a company employed optometrist is beneficial.
When it comes to being a locum she added: ‘For newly qualified optometrists I would not recommend it.’
But despite the difficulties, Joshi says she could never become a salaried optometrist again. She says locums earn more per day but when you look at the earnings throughout the year, considering holidays and breaks in finding locum work, yearly salaries can be equivalent to that of a company employed optometrist.
Joshi believes locum work is becoming more popular in the optical profession because of increased flexibility and less attractive full time packages. She notes that being a company employed optometrist has its own challenges, with ‘many multiples driving down the salary for optometrists and reduced testing times’.
Full time relationships
Ross Campbell, an ophthalmic director at Specsavers Richmond, tells Optician Workplace the major benefit of being a salaried optometrist arises from working in the same practice every day.
He says: ‘I have been able to build relationships with my colleagues and my patients over many years. I know my team, and they know me. I know my patients, and they know me.
‘The merit of having better relationships with my colleagues and patients are incalculable. It allows my team and I to give better care for our patients due to a better understanding of their needs. For me, there is no bigger compliment than a patient choosing to entrust us with their eye care.’
It is, meanwhile, the simple things that are most often taken for granted, such as having a dedicated testing room, access and knowledge of every piece of equipment, plus the ability to set clinic times, and even ‘the opportunity of flexible working, working days and hours that suit me’.
Campbell adds: ‘The only disadvantage of being full-time is the level of familiarity my team and I have with our patients.
‘Sometimes we are asked to solve problems even when we are not at work, for example, one of my colleagues is often asked to make adjustments to damaged glasses when she is on a night out.
‘In reality, I am very glad we know our patients as well as we do, and genuinely do not consider there to be any disadvantages working as a full-time employed colleague.’
As a manager, Campbell reports getting more approaches from locum workers as time goes by.
‘My practice is located in a rural location, but there seems to be an increasing concentration of locums in larger cities where there is more abundant work potentially,’ he adds.
Despite the influx, his practice’s real recruitment issue is its rural location.
‘I’m always happy to hear from optometrists who would consider living in a beautiful part of the countryside with access to several national parks and want to spend their time relationship building with their patients.
‘We book locums for holiday cover, as required. We would only consider using locums that have previous experience of working with Specsavers and if they hadn’t been to my practice before we would provide an induction before their first clinic.
‘Once qualified, starting a career in optics can be daunting. Being employed as part of a team that supports each other to provide the best care and service for their patients has many benefits.’
These include Campbell’s salary, pension contribution, paid holiday and payment of professional fees.
‘There is access to a support network of fellow optometrists and dispensing opticians in house,’ he adds. ‘Other benefits include access to industry leading training, and training events such as the Specsavers PAC, and support in other avenues of professional development such as College Higher Certificates or even IP.’
