View from the High Street: Current cohort’s challenges

In the last few months, we’ve spent more time in practice supporting our pre-registration optometrists. As a national cohort, they’ve had to quickly develop maturity and resilience to deal with the challenges of this pandemic. In many cases their progression into their career was delayed, by no fault of their own. I know many pre-regs feel they’re at a huge hurdle, which they never thought they’d have to clear at this early stage.

Our practice in Longton has always tried to support pre-regs through what most say is their most challenging year to date, even before a pandemic. The progression from graduate to professional proves easier for some than others. The switch of learning being laid out to developing their own learning can be tough. There’s also the need to constantly reflect on performance. This is as well as adapting to a full-time job, from the days of student life when punctuality may not have been the first thing on their mind.