A shortage of qualified staff remains a problem for practice owners in several regions of the UK. The optometry programme at Plymouth University was launched in September 2011 as a collaboration between the university and Exeter Medical School, with the support of Specsavers, to meet the need for a training centre in the south-west of England. It is the only optometry school in the region.
Faryal Zafar has just completed her first year optometry examinations at Plymouth. Her interest in optometry was sparked during a GCSE biology class, which briefly touched on the function of the eye.
‘I knew immediately that I needed to know more about the eye,’ says Zafar. ‘Since that class I have been working to achieve the grades to apply to an optometry degree. I want to be in the healthcare field, at the start of patient care and go through the whole journey with them. I want that responsibility of taking care of their sight.’
Plymouth student Faryal Zafar wants to work in a hospital
Students accepted onto Plymouth’s degree programme have obtained minimum requirements of three A-grade results at A-level. While the course at Manchester have minimum entry requirement of AAB.
‘The degree has made me realise that optometrists have to put in a lot of time and energy to gain the necessary knowledge and experience,’ says Zafar. ‘But if we diagnose a patient with an ocular disease we are going to have to refer them to an ophthalmologist. This is quite sad because often we could do something to treat them in a high street practice.
‘Ideally, I would like to work in a hospital, probably up north somewhere, like Birmingham. I would like to treat more ocular diseases and be involved in primary care to be there with a patient through the whole process to recovery.’
First year student, Safiya Siddiqui, came to Manchester University from her home in suburban Surrey. ‘People come from all around the world to study here,’ she says. ‘So a strength of taking the degree here at Manchester University is that you get to interact with many international students.
‘I’ve always had an interest in optometry,’ says Siddiqui, ‘I’m surprised at how many people don’t know what I’m talking about when I tell them what I study. People I told didn’t really understand what optometry was until I explained it to them.’
Second year mature student Cheryl Hendicott says: ‘The Plymouth optometry degree is challenging because its modules are heavy on practical. I absolutely love the practical parts: we are doing full clinical routines now, and contact lenses have also been really interesting to work with. This is what you have to do to acquire the skills at a high standard.’
The introduction of the OCT machine into clinics is inspiring to budding optometrists. ‘Studying ocular diseases has been really interesting,’ Hendicott says. ‘The amount of eye diseases and things that can be wrong with someone’s eye is incredible. My dream practice to work in would have as much of the latest up-to-date technology as possible, particularly an OCT machine.’
An area troubling students is the cost of studying optometry, particularly the purchase of equipment without financial support. According to the Destination of Leavers of Higher Education survey, Manchester graduates on average earn £13k per annum six months after acquiring the GOC-qualification, while Plymouth graduates in the same situation were found to earn £21k per annum.
‘One thing that I didn’t realise before I took up this study is that an optometry degree is not considered an NHS funded course, while many other healthcare courses are,’ says Manchester first year Sarah Zam Kaliyati. ‘The equipment optometry students have to privately fund is expensive. Thus most of the students need to have this planned in their budget from quite early on.’
Sarah Zam Kaliyati values experience with patients
Sarah Zam Kaliyati values experience with patientsKaliyati agrees with Hendicott that patient experience is key to acquiring the necessary skills. ‘Another thing that makes studying optometry at Manchester a good experience is that we get patient contact from the first year,’ says Kaliyati. ‘This experience has helped to build capability and confidence when it comes to communication with the patients.’
Kaliyati hopes to one day have her own independent practice or be involved in lens manufacture. She adds: ‘The location of the optometry school does not affect where I will settle after university. My next workplace will be determined by the job opportunities available around the UK for the pre-registration year.’
First year student at Plymouth Bella Reid was accepted onto the course at Plymouth having worked at branches of Optical Express, Scrivens and Specsavers in Southampton. ‘I probably will stay in the south of England just because I know there is demand for eye care professionals here,’ she says, ‘I want to work in an area where I’m well sought after and in a patient base that I have experience working with.’ •