Locsu has just hosted its second highly-successful induction course of the year. The course is open to new LOC officers and those wishing to update knowledge of NHS commissioning and professional skills.
The four-week facilitated course is hosted online and contains a mix of video presentations, information packs and external links as well as quizzes to embed learning. It has attracted glowing praise for its content, as a fun way of learning.
It covers LOC functions and governance, finance, hosting AGMs, conflict of interest and communications. Most participants remarked it is an excellent foundation to becoming involved in an LOC. The platform offers newcomers a private and safe environment to ask questions they might feel awkward about in a LOC meeting. It is interactive and course members can dip in and out to complete short assessments and activities when it is convenient to them and when it suits them best.
LOC ‘buddy systems’ and local jargon busters are two of the practical suggestions LOCs have been asked to adopt to provide more support for new committee members.
Locsu is planning to reach out to third year optometry students to explain the importance of joining their LOC and the potential to develop their career as an optical leader through the leadership skills module.
With the National Optical Conference (NOC) on the horizon, induction candidates have been urged to remind their LOC to send more than one delegate and to use the free place for new officers. The NOC, held at Chesford Grange, Warwickshire, on November 15, 2018, will be workshop-focused and is an unrivalled event for learning and networking.