By September of this year optics should have taken its first steps towards a more modern and fit-for-purpose education system.
The Education Strategic Review has drawn interest from across the optical sector as eye care professionals have their say on the future of eye care training. For many it represents a turning point for CET, higher qualifications, optometry and dispensing courses.
Releasing latest findings ahead of its council meeting at Old Bailey this week, GOC chair Gareth Hadley rallied the profession to work together in enhancing the clinical experience of student optometrists and dispensing opticians.
He said: ‘It is clear that the sector recognises the likely benefits of enhanced clinical experience in education programmes, for patient care and the quality of clinical practice, and we acknowledge the various concerns raised by stakeholders regarding how this would be realised in practice.
‘However, our role as the professional regulator is to put patients first. The optical sector has an obligation to find workable solutions to these practical challenges. It is in no one’s interests – patients, optical businesses and other employers, students or educators – to limit the opportunity for more competent and confident practice.
‘I call on educators, employers and professional bodies in the sector to come together now with us to start creating solutions to this issue and in doing so, to draw on what works well at the moment and learn from other professions who have moved in this direction already.’
At the meeting, council members heard plans to consult stakeholders on draft new Education Standards and Learning Outcomes during June and July.
The draft will follow an 18 month period that has included a call for evidence, further consultations and extensive GOC research into patterns and trends in health professional education. Meanwhile, newly qualified registrants continued to be quizzed about their perceptions of current education requirements.
‘High level findings’ from the Education Strategic Review last month showed 97% of respondents agreed with the development of new education standards for optometrists and dispensing opticians.
‘We are delighted to have received many supportive responses to the consultation that will enable us to work at pace to develop our detailed proposals to equip future professionals with the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to practise safely and competently in a changing sector,’ said GOC chief executive and registrar Vicky McDermott.
Furthermore, the GOC this week identified an appetite from education providers and employers for new requirements to be introduced ‘at the earliest feasible opportunity’.
As a result, the regulator set the target for implementing its new education standards relating to current education providers as September this year, with further rollouts in September 2019 and 2020.
‘This approach could enable the new Education Standards developed within the Education Strategic Review to be introduced in September 2018, to overarch the current requirements for education providers and current education competencies,’ the regulator said. ‘Where the ESR Education Standards go beyond current requirements these would be encouraged as voluntary elements and would not be mandatory for GOC approval.’
As part of its roadmap, education providers who expressed an interest to move forward with a full new system from September 2019 would be chosen as ‘Trailblazers’.
The GOC’s latest ‘Principles and Concepts Consultation’, which ended in March, attracted 36 responses, aided by engagement meetings with education providers and student discussion groups. The regulator also held an open invitation consultation in February 2018 with professional associations, patient organisations, education providers and employer organisations.
Analysis from the latest consultation focused on 11 concepts ranging from course content to career transition.
All but one of the 33 respondents agreed with the concept of introducing a new single set of high-level Education Standards for all education and training providers.
Asked about linking any new Education Standards directly to GOC Standards of Practice, 27 agreed but there was some concern a strong link could create pressure to fit different topic areas against each standard.
Meanwhile, the concept of focusing CET on Standards of Practice rather than the current education competencies was not fully addressed, but some identified potential for the removal of the link to entry-level education competencies to better enable further skills development and a transition to Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Indeed, a ‘great majority’ expressed support for the CET scheme to evolve into a CPD approach.
As for reviewing the content of education and training, broad content suggestions related to patient types, modes of practice, clinical skills, research skills, technology, professional skills and statutory requirements. However, a number of respondents felt any involvement of the GOC in setting educational content would be at odds with taking an outcomes-focused approach.
Another area the GOC explored was combining academic study with clinical experience from the start. Most agreed, but a number opposed any move away from a pre-registration year. The importance of high quality and varied clinical experience within education programmes was uncontested.
Retaining the current minimum duration of education and training was also questioned, and while there was no consensus about whether longer courses would be beneficial, shorter courses were generally not favoured.
Finally, enabling effective career progression and transference into and between different optical roles won widespread support, and there were no perceived issues with the pathway between dispensing optics and optometry and between optometry and independent prescribing (IP) optometry.
The GOC noted while some developments required changes to legislation that could not be pursued within the duration of the Education Strategic Review, others may be more possible, including higher level or degree apprentice- ships and conversion courses between approved programmes.
Therefore, while the GOC has been collecting evidence to modernise its education system for many months, delivering meaningful change will continue to be an ongoing project for some time yet.