When Amar-Kaash Gandecha answered an ad for a new educational programme for recently qualified optometrists he didn’t know quite what to expect. Neither did the 22 other practitioners who enrolled for the inaugural year of the Alcon Scholarship. But what he and his fellow Scholars have discovered over the past year has brought a new perspective to their professional lives. ‘It’s opened my eyes to what else there is in the profession and really sparked an interest in my job,’ says Gandecha.
Introduced by Alcon Vision Care in January 2014 under the Academy for Eye Care Excellence banner, the two-year Alcon Scholarship is open to any optometrist currently practising in the UK or Ireland who has been qualified for 2-5 years.
The programme comprises a series of five, two-day courses or ‘touch points’ each year, four at the Alcon Academy at the company’s headquarters in Surrey and one at another facility in Europe. All travel and accommodation costs are covered by Alcon.
The aim is to offer a novel approach to professional development, different from other educational courses, with the opportunity for new recruits to the profession to broaden their horizons and consider the future direction of their careers.
While the full programme content is revealed only shortly in advance of each touch point, topics range from specialist clinical techniques to business and commercial issues, all delivered using an experiential learning format. The programme also provides the chance to network socially, with an evening event at each course.
Alcon Scholars come from a wide variety of working environments including independent, multiple and hospital practice, research and domiciliary settings, although a majority are practising on the high street. For the first year’s intake it is this diversity of backgrounds, and the opportunity to learn from each other’s experiences, that has been key to the programme’s success.
Out of the ordinary
Amar-Kaash Gandecha left Aston University in 2010 and qualified the following year. After spending his pre-reg year at Optical Express in Leicester, he moved to the Nottingham city centre branch which offers on-site laser refractive surgery.
‘It’s a bit different here from normal practice. I carry out pre-operative consultations and follow-ups, and also provide on-the-day support for the surgeons,’ he explains.
‘I’m always looking for something to keep the job interesting so when I received an email from my former lecturer at Aston saying the course was starting I decided to apply. Initially I wasn’t 100 per cent sure whether it was CET or a further qualification.
‘I’d always wanted to do some sort of further study – possibly independent prescribing or a higher qualification rather than another degree. This course was different from most other courses in that it’s purely focused around professional development.
‘When you’re a pre-reg you get plenty of help and resources for learning but afterwards you’re left on your own and can get in to the same old routine of sight testing. You forget about all the opportunities that are open to you.’
For Gandecha, the Scholarship programme has been a great experience, offering the chance to perform techniques he would not normally learn in practice. Highlights have included gonioscopy, and, in particular, a workshop on advanced contact lens practice when he fitted hybrid designs and lenses for medical applications
‘Specialist contact lenses are definitely something that interest me. In future I’d like to go further in that direction,’ he says.
The chance to perform a simulated cataract extraction in the Alcon Academy wet lab has already helped him in his current role. ‘I’ve watched cataract surgery numerous times at work. But actually having a go, I realised how intricate the procedure is!’
Research route
Optometrist Lesley Doyle came to the Scholarship programme from a different direction. Graduating from the University of Ulster, her pre-reg year was divided between high street practice and the Hospital Eye Service.
After qualifying three years ago, Doyle began a PhD on visual function in children with Down syndrome which is now nearing completion. She continues to do locum work and is about to take on new roles within practice, research and academia.
A year into her PhD, Doyle heard about the Alcon Scholarship through a journal ad and an email from her course director at Ulster. ‘I saw that one of the touch points would be around research. In Northern Ireland there aren’t that many opportunities to mix with others at the same stage of study as me.’
Doyle was also unclear which direction to take in her career, which made the Alcon Scholarship appealing. ‘Because I had a split pre-reg year it gave me an idea that there are more career options in optometry than you might think. I thought the Scholarship programme might give me information about what’s available.’
Her experience of the programme has turned out to be very positive. ‘It’s helped me stay on top of clinical skills and learn new techniques. But it’s also given me ideas about what I want to do in future, especially through learning what others are doing. There are so many roles out there. I’d say being an Alcon Scholar has been both encouraging and reassuring. It’s easy to get stuck in a role after pre-reg so it’s good to know you do have options. This has given me a new lease of life and enthusiasm for my career.’
Alcon’s professional education manager, Krupa Patel, says that the first year’s programme has been a learning experience for the company too. Feedback on each touch point will help to shape the content in future years but the emphasis will remain firmly on innovative learning formats.
‘From our perspective, it’s surpassing our expectations in terms of the involvement, interactivity and breadth of content that we’ve been able to take candidates through. We can already see a difference in the way they engage with us, and interact with each other.'
For more information on Alcon Scholarship email alcon.professionalaffairs@alcon.com. The closing date for applications for the next programme, starting in January 2015, is October 31.