A key shift for optometrists, over the past decade, is the trend towards self-employment.
The College of Optometrists’ 2015 Optical Workforce Survey showed a substantial increase in the proportion of optometrists working as locums – 17.5% in 2015 compared to 10.5% in 2010.
The percentage of optometrists embracing self-employment is even larger within the Association of Optometrists’ (AOP) membership, with 35% of members listing themselves as locums in 2017.
A big driver for most is naturally the desire to work flexibly. In our recent survey into the health and wellbeing of UK optometrists, many spoke about having less stress and pressure as the motivation behind their career choice.
Of course, working as a locum brings a mixture of benefits with the most notable being the ability to balance the day job alongside your home life, other interests.
Nonetheless, life as a locum does involve challenges. A locum working in a variety of settings will face unfamiliar equipment and computer systems, as well as having to get to grips with different practice protocols. Locum optometrists also need to safeguard themselves financially through critical illness and income protection policies.
There are gains and losses – locums get freedom to move but lose security of tenure and employment rights and benefits.
With a whole host of specific needs for the locum, from continuity of care to staying up to date, education and training in the sector needs to reflect this upward trend in optics.
For the AOP, ensuring needs of locums are met is paramount. Consequently, we are expanding our offering to meet this growing need. Alongside our locum register and downloadable contract resources, this July we will also be holding our first locum event.