Develop and maintain competence
A2
You must keep your professional knowledge and skills up-to-date1 so you continue to practise safely.
A3
You must keep up-to-date with the law, the GOC’s Standards of Practice and guidance that is relevant to your work.
A4
You should be familiar with guidance issued by The College of Optometrists and other relevant bodies.
A5
You should be familiar with developments that affect your work and with changes in practice, the needs of patients and eye care services.
A6
You should take steps to monitor, reflect on, and improve the quality of your work, for example through clinical audit 2, 3 and peer review.4
A7
If you take a break from practising for a significant amount of time, you should ensure your knowledge and skills are up-to-date before returning to optometric practice.
References
1 General Optical Council (2016) Standards of Practice for Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians. [Accessed 18 Nov 2020]2 College of Optometrists (2015) Clinical Governance in Optometric Practice. [Accessed 18 Nov 2020]
3 College of Optometrists (2015) Clinical Audit in Optometric Practice. [Accessed 18 Nov 2020]
4 College of Optometrists (2017) Peer Discussion and Peer Review. [Accessed 18 Nov 2020]