Being a locum has allowed me to develop my clinical skills and broaden my experience,” says Farah Awan MCOptom, who undertakes locum work as part of a portfolio career. “I felt becoming a locum would make me a more well-rounded clinician and allow me to develop a range of clinical skills. It’s given me experience of working with different types of practices and a diversity of patients, which has the benefit of allowing me to better represent my optometry colleagues in roles outside of clinical practice.”

Being a locum has its challenges. “There is unfamiliarity when you work with different practices,” says Farah. “You have to learn different procedures and processes. The equipment and software aren’t the same. Even paperwork is filed differently. This means that when you see the first few patients, you’re learning how the practice works at the same time, which can be quite demanding, especially when you first become a locum.” 

With increasing numbers of locums, it’s important that optometric practices support them with relevant orientation around local systems and processes to ensure safe care.

Kyla Black MCOptom, Director of Optical Practice at Boots Opticians, says that the proportion of optometrists working as locums has steadily increased. “We work with a large network of locum optometrists and have over 2,000 active clinicians on our database. This is driven by a desire for flexible working, people wanting to build portfolio careers, the higher day rates compared to salaried roles, and more clinicians seeking control over their work/life balance.”