Clinical placements and logbook
Useful guidance and information on registering for and completing your Independent Prescribing clinical placement and logbook.
Useful guidance and information on registering for and completing your Independent Prescribing clinical placement and logbook.
Your clinical practice placement should be within a UK hospital eye service (or specialist general practice), under the supervision of a designated ophthalmologist (the mentor).
The minimum time which must be spent in clinical placement for Independent Prescribing is:
You must have been practising in the UK and registered with the GOC for two full years before beginning the clinical placement. During the placement, you must complete a clinical logbook to demonstrate the learning outcomes below have been achieved. More information about the logbook can be found below.
Within the context of the relevant specialism the period of practice-based learning (clinical placement) should ensure that you:
The mentor will provide supervision, support and arrange appropriate clinical experience so that the optometrist can develop links between the theory and practice of prescribing.
Furthermore the mentor will facilitate in the achievement of the learning outcomes specified by the General Optical Council (GOC).
It is not the mentor’s responsibility to formally assess the learning outcomes since these will be assessed by the University and the College of Optometrists.
During an initial meeting with the optometrist the mentor can plan a training programme based on the optometrist’s learning needs. During the placement the mentor should:
As the approach to teaching and learning is developed on an individual basis, it is difficult to predict how much time this will involve for the mentor. However, given that all those undertaking clinical placements are experienced optometrists, it is hoped that this will not be too onerous.
The optometrist will not need to spend the entire placement with the mentor, as other clinicians may be better placed to provide some of the learning opportunities. However, the mentor maintains overall responsibility for the trainee and will validate their clinical experience.
Clinical training should be structured to ensure that you are exposed to sufficient numbers of patients presenting with the conditions that you will manage therapeutically. In addition, you should be exposed to a range of ophthalmic conditions to develop your differential diagnostic skills to prepare for the final examination. Remember, too, that a third of the final examination is based on glaucoma, so it is advisable to see glaucoma patients during your clinical placement.
On taking up the clinical placement for Independent Prescribing you must inform the College of the details of the placement.
Candidates using the paper logbook must complete the form below and send it to Examinations Co-ordinator, College of Optometrists, 42 Craven Street, London, WC2N 5NG, or email adam.shonk@college-optometrists.org. You do not need to wait to receive confirmation from the College regarding the placement before you begin.
Candidates using the online logbook do not need to complete any extra paperwork as the placement registration is incorporated into the logbook application.
The College of Optometrists will use all personal and contact information supplied as part of this application to process and maintain the enrolment. The College of Optometrists would like to use your email and postal addresses to send you general College news and information on the College’s products and services. The College also shares membership and qualification information with the General Optical Council when necessary. The College uses personal information for statistical and research purposes and, when not anonymised, we seek consent.