Proposals by the General Optical Council for peer review points to become a requirement in the next CET cycle have been met with a mixed response.
A straw poll of 44 Optician readers showed 86 per cent believed peer review should not be a compulsory part of the CET scheme.
However, the GOC said responses had been very positive at events including Optrafair and the National Optometric Conference. Linda Ford, GOC head of education and standards, reported the same from Local Optometric Committee meetings she had attended where peer review trials had taken place.
CET proposals for the cycle starting January 2013 were tabled at the GOC's member meeting this month (News 03.02.11) but were subject to approval by the Council and Department of Health.
One session per three-year cycle was suggested, either as a traditional peer review or structured case-based discussion with up to eight peers in the same room. Isolated registrants could opt for online peer discussion.
The GOC has vowed to post video footage of peer discussion online during the next few months, including a series of podcast interviews, example cases, discussion topics and approval criteria for each of the available modes of learning.
A statement by the GOC said: 'We're aware that registrants are unsure how peer discussion will work, and so we're currently developing a toolkit for registrants to help explain what the changes will mean in practice.'
Registrants were also encouraged to ask questions about peer review at next month's Optometry Tomorrow event. 'Our intention is that peer discussion will offer registrants the opportunity to become more aware of best practice and areas for improvement,' the GOC added.