[ARCHIVE] In October 2020 we responded to the GOC’s proposals for the future of pre-registration optometry education as part of their Education Strategic Review.
About CLiP placements
Many aspects of current work-based placements continue with CLiP:
- placement opportunities are advertised and employers are able to select a candidate through application and interview
- employers will have a contract with the student and will pay them
- students work in a clinical setting, under supervision from an approved supervisor
- College assessors conduct visits to assess them, remotely and in the workplace
- the employer can arrange to continue working with the student when the CLiP placement ends
The Scheme for Registration continues to be delivered over the coming years, as students complete the BSc degrees in Optometry. The College will continue to support the Scheme together with CLiP.
How CLiP compares with the Scheme for Registration
With the introduction of the GOC’s Education and Training Requirements, the CLiP placement forms part of the master’s degree delivered by our University partners.
A summary of the key differences between the Scheme and CLiP
| Scheme for Registration | Clinical Learning in Practice (CLiP) |
| Trainee typically starts after graduation | Placement is part of the students’ degrees |
| Placement can start at any point in the year after the trainee has graduated | Placement starts and finishes at set points in the year, to fit with the university calendar |
| The trainee’s placement is the responsibility of the student and is arranged between the student and employer | The College has responsibility for arranging the student placement, delegated from the university |
| Trainees log their experience in an offline workbook | The student logs experience in the online CLiP Portal logbook and Supervisors, Assessors and others are able to view it |
| Assessment happens when the Supervisor decides the trainee is ready | Assessment needs to happen during set times in the placement, although there are opportunities for flexibility |
| Types of clinical encounter are recorded, and the trainee can progress when certain numbers of encounters have been reached | A risk framework approach is used to monitor student progress |
| There is no written component to the assessment | There is a written Service Evaluation Project in the CLiP assessment |
| All Scheme trainees complete the College OSCE as a final stage of assessment | There is no GOC requirement for a set final stage of assessment which tests everything learnt so far |
| On completion of the work-based learning elements and OSCE, the trainee can register with the GOC | After completing the CLiP placement, the student will need to complete any remaining university assessments and be awarded their master’s degree in order to register with the GOC |
| Many Scheme supervisors only receive initial training and approval from the College with limited ongoing support | All involved in CLiP supervision benefit from an improved package of training which attracts CPD points and includes ongoing development |
ETR background
Why change the qualifying process for optometrists?
Professional regulatory bodies need to review and renew their qualifying structures on a regular basis to stay up to date and to adjust for changes to the profession and within the sector. They also need to benchmark against other similar professions. This review was led by the GOC to replace the existing handbooks for dispensing opticians and optometrists, which had not been changed for some years.
How were changes decided?
The GOC launched the Education Strategic Review (ESR) in March 2016, steered by its Council and expert advisory groups in dispensing optics and optometry. The proposals went out for extensive engagement and consultation in 2020 and new requirements for dispensing optics and optometry were published in March 2021. Following this, the new qualification requirements have been referred to as Education and Training Requirements (ETR). For more background information, see the GOC website.
What was the College's response to the ESR consultation?
We produced an extensive response to the ESR consultation, which is available on our website. Following the publication of the new requirements in March 2021, we also carried out our own consultation with employers, regulatory bodies and universities. This helped shape our own proposal, building on our strengths in work-based learning and assessment, to help the sector with the challenges of delivering the patient-facing learning experience needed for the new degrees.
Our UK-wide network of contacts, and our expertise in delivering placements, allows universities, students and employers to benefit from economies of scale and deliver the best results.