Alcon’s Scholarship programme for this July and August welcomes applications from optometrists qualified for between two to five years.
Interested professionals can still register online and complete an assessment for the two-year Scholarship which is designed to help newly qualified optometrists develop their business and clinical skills while networking and developing their careers. The Scholarship also welcomes international applicants; last year’s intake included professionals from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands and Finland.
Jonathon Bench, head of professional affairs at Alcon says the firm is committed to education and last year trained more than 10,000 people. ‘With over 87 training courses, round tables and conference seminars already scheduled to take place, as well as sessions operated at practice level to support practitioners and their teams, our broad suite of educational opportunities is guaranteed to help eye care professionals develop.’
Ceri Probert is the optometrist director of a group of independent practices in Wales.
How did you hear about the Scholarship?
CP I read about it in an advert in Optician. The advert was a little mysterious and gave little away in terms of what was involved but it looked interesting.
What prompted you to get involved?
CP I was at a point in my career where I was keen to experience different aspects of optometric practice and I thought applying would help in my development, giving me a better idea of where I would like to be five or 10 years down the line.
Was it tough to get selected?
CP I had to submit a written application which comprised of a clinical assessment and a personal statement. I was also required to provide a reference.
Did you need to secure the support of your employer?
CP I had recently started locuming so was flexible with my time. I would strongly encourage employers to support any of their employees in applying for this programme. While it means a few days out of practice, the development opportunity is massive.
Was it tough to complete?
CP The programme certainly took us out of our comfort zones, but I always feel that’s a good thing for development.
What did you have to do?
CP One thing the organisers told us on day one was that none of the content was CET approved. While this sounds like a negative, it actually meant that they could design a course that covered content which was very relevant to optometrists but not confined to the sometimes restrictive CET requirements.
Almost all of the content was stuff that I don’t do day to day as a primary care practitioner but very useful anyway, ranging from complex contact lens fitting, to writing a business plan and presenting it at a mock business meeting, writing and presenting lectures, to dealing with the media
We also got to visit the Dailies factory just outside Frankfurt which was an incredibly interesting experience. The group of practitioners came from diverse areas of practice - multiple, independent, academia and hospital optometry, so everyone had their own experience levels and expertise, meaning that a lot of the learning was amongst ourselves. It was also interesting to meet practitioners from all over the UK and Ireland to see how differently they operate.
Was it as you expected?
CP I didn’t really know what to expect when I started to be honest. It certainly wasn’t like your run-of-the-mill CET event.
Do you think it has improved you as a practitioner? If so how?
CP Most definitely, I feel that I am more rounded, confident practitioner as a result.
What would you say you have gained most from it?
CP When I first started the programme I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do in my career. I had just started locuming and was working in a wide variety of practices. Through the experiences, skills and confidence obtained by being part of this programme it made me more certain about my future plans.
Since starting the Scholarship I have started working part time in a hospital and in postgraduate teaching, sat on councils of local and national optometry bodies and have recently become the owner of my own practice. I certainly wouldn’t have had the confidence or skills to do all that without courses like this.
Have you made new friends/contacts through the Scholarship?
CP I certainly have, the networking opportunities involved are great. You get to chat to a diverse group of practitioners, and more than a year after finishing the course we are still in touch.
Give me your top positive and worst negative?
CP It’s difficult to pick out a single positive from the experience really, overall it was fantastic. The only negative is that these sort of opportunities aren’t available for more experienced practitioners.
Would you encourage others to take part and why?
CP I would say go for it! It will help you to push the boundaries of what you can do in your career, and experience different aspects of optometry that you might not otherwise try.
Dr Nicola Szostek PhD BSc (hons) McOptom FHEA is a lecturer at Plymouth University.
How did you hear about the Scholarship?
NS I saw the advert and thought it looked interesting, so I went on the Alcon website to find out more, and it all snowballed from there.
Dr Nicola Szostek
What prompted you to get involved?
NS At the time I had just moved to Plymouth to start studying for a PhD. I was keen to use my time as a post-graduate student to develop as many skills as possible and explore the different career options in the optical sector. The Alcon Scholarship looked like a great opportunity to do both. I also knew of Alcon and their product ranges, having fitted many of their contact lenses in clinical practice, however I thought this would be a great opportunity to see what other work Alcon, and its parent company Novartis does.
Did you need to secure the support of your employer?
NS As soon as I mentioned the Scholarship to my PhD supervisors they were very supportive, they recognised it was a great opportunity to develop skills alongside research, teaching and locuming.
Was it tough to complete?
NS At times we were certainly pushed out of our comfort zone. But this helped us to grow personally and as clinicians. Everyone in my cohort was also very supportive of each other, and everything was set up in a very friendly environment, so even if we were trying something new and failing miserably, it really didn’t matter, we still had fun and learnt something new.
What did you have to do?
NS We attended five two-day ‘contact points’ over a two year period, four were at the Alcon headquarters in Surrey and the other was in Frankfurt in Germany. Occasionally we were given individual or group tasks to complete in-between. One of the first things we were told when we started on the Scholarship, was not to talk about the Scholarship, or more specifically not to go into detail about what we did on the course, so as not to spoil it for future cohorts.
However, I will say that every course we attended was engaging, interesting and useful. As well as being able to try specialist and niche clinical skills and techniques that aren’t taught at undergraduate level, we got a chance to develop skills that went beyond the test room. I haven’t found these available on any other training or CET courses aimed at optometrists.
Was it as you expected?
NS To be honest I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was certainly a very positive experience and something I am very grateful to have been a part of.
Do you think it has improved you as a practitioner? If so how?
NS Absolutely, it has helped to consolidate what I do in the test room, but also has encouraged me to try techniques different to my usual routine.
What did you find the most useful part?
NS It’s difficult to say which part was the most useful, as we got a chance to try so many different clinical and professional skills that were all useful in their own way.
In addition, having the opportunity to meet with optometrists from different parts of the UK, at similar stages in their careers, but all with very interesting and varied roles within the optical sector was a real eye-opener into the different career pathways that are available. It was a great way for us all to network with each other and with different people/companies that came to work with us and find out more about what they do.
Have you made new friends/contacts through the Scholarship?
NS Yes, one of the best parts of the Scholarship programme is catching up with everyone at each contact point. We really ‘gelled’ as group from day one and created a group on social media to stay connected in-between each contact point. We still use it every now and then to post job opportunities and for general ‘catch-ups’.
Additionally, Alcon really makes you feel welcomed and valued. They have kept in touch with all of us since the Scholarship and have invited us back since finishing it to take part in some very interesting events.
Give me your top positive and worst negative?
NS A top positive is a difficult one, I think overall it was being inspired by the different sessions that we got to take part in.
The worse part for me was the train journeys. That said, I had a colleague in the same cohort and we were accommodated in some lovely hotels and there was always a good dinner waiting for us.
Would you encourage others to take part and why?
NS Absolutely, the Scholarship programme is so varied, from developing clinical skills to be used in the test room, having a go at simulated surgery, or developing skills to serve you outside the test room, I can’t see how anyone would go away disappointed.
It goes far beyond the scope of many other training programmes. Additionally once you are on the Alcon Scholarship, you really feel like a valued part of Alcon, who clearly want to support clinicians in a variety of ways.