Five myths of the pre-reg

1 The practice is a frightening place

Entering a new environment that is full of strangers is always going to be a little frightening. Factor in a grumpy patient, and the prospect of starting your pre-reg training may not be so exciting. However, what you must remember is your colleagues are there to make you feel welcome and help you adapt to your new surroundings – they’ve all been in your shoes at some stage.

Pre-reg Gobi Sivalingam says: ‘It’s not as scary as they make it out to be. It’s not like all patients are scary and want to trick you. The directors aren’t testing you and they’re not expecting you to be a qualified optometrist from day one. They know you’ll be learning.’