Bill Harvey: Listen without prejudice

A regular theme in this column is the changing nature of current education of GOC registrants.

The constant drive for increasing undergraduate places for future optometrists has already caused some consternation among many – see the excellent views of Harper and Lawrenson in the last issue of OPO for a well-balanced article highlighting how we risk a dumbed down and saturated profession.

The current three or four-year traditional graduate approach has for some years been questioned as to it being able to ready students for life in practice and the lack of clinical experience along with some isolationism from allied professions puts all too great a burden on pre-registration qualification. The new courses springing up seem to vary in their approaches, both in addressing these concerns and in the standard of teaching involved.