CLiP student resources
If you are looking for information about CLiP assessment visits, all the information and documents are on the Assessment framework pages.
On this page, you will find other guidance and resources we’ve produced to support CLiP students and supervisors, including information on the job application process and the CLiP Portal.
About CLiP placements
If you're studying for a master’s degree in optometry at one of our partner universities, your degree includes an extended work placement called Clinical Learning in Practice (CLiP). For most students, this happens in your fourth year, and it's a chance to step into the real world of optometry!
During CLiP, you'll work under supervision to build your clinical skills, grow your professional confidence, and sharpen key abilities like communication, decision-making, and teamwork—all essential for meeting the General Optical Council (GOC) learning outcomes.
Important note: If you started your degree in 2022 or you're studying for a BSc in optometry, your long placement will happen through the Scheme for Registration instead.
Developing with the College
The College will work with you and your universities in the first and second year of your degree to suggest ways in which you can best prepare for the CLiP placement experience. This will include suggestions for maximising the value of work experience you already have, gaining new experience and using the logbook in the CLiP Portal to record your professional development.
We want you to feel confident and prepared for your CLiP placement when the time comes to start work. Throughout your degree, the College will organise sessions to support you with tips and advice on how to make the most of your journey.
You’ll get ideas on how to:
- make the most of any work experience you already have
- find new opportunities to build your skills
- use your CLiP Portal logbook to track your progress and professional growth
Your introduction to CLiP
An overview
Q&A
Finding a CLiP placement
When you reach the second year of your degree programme, you will be able to apply for a CLiP placement. Your application process will, in most cases, happen over a year before you need to start the placement. We will organise the job application rounds and we will be in touch to let you know the timeframes for this. You will use the CLiP Portal to search and apply for jobs – all jobs on offer on the Portal will be with employers who are approved by the College to deliver CLiP placements. Once you have applied for jobs on the Portal, the employers will carry out the interview and selection process.
If you already have a connection with a practice and would like to work there, you can discuss it with your employer and they will need to let us know in advance. If the arrangement is confirmed, and the employer approved by the College, we would then ask you not to apply for other opportunities.
If you are not successful in securing a placement at the first attempt, there will be subsequent application rounds and the College will be here to support you.
Overview
Q&A
What the placement involves
Your CLiP placement will be a contracted, paid role with an employer. You will work for four days each week, between 28 and 31 hours. Your employer will provide you with a learning day each week in which you are not required at work, but will complete study activities arranged by your university.
While you work on the placement, you will be supervised and will be given a range of clinical and non-clinical work to do so that you experience all aspects of optometry and the optical setting. Your experience will be focussed on patient-facing activity such as eye examinations, with at least 20 hours of your working week spent in the consulting room. You will use the CLiP Portal to log your clinical interactions and reflect on your experience, discussing your development and progress regularly with your supervisors. The logged activity will also underpin and provide evidence for your CLiP assessments.
Assessment
During your CLiP placement, you will also be working toward passing College assessments under the guidance of your supervisory team. You will need to pass all elements of CLiP assessment but will have opportunities to re-take assessment tasks if you are not successful, as with other parts of your degree. The university will use the results the College provides to ensure that you have met all the GOC learning outcomes before you graduate. See our Assessment framework [LINK] area for more detail.
College membership
You will be provided with free student membership of the College while you are taking your degree. We will set up this membership for you during the first year of your degree. This will allow you access to a wide range of CLiP and other College member resources.
After you finish your CLiP placement you may complete some final assessment with the university and, on graduation, will be able to register with the GOC to work as an optometrist. You can then become a full member
of the College. This will allow you to benefit from all the resources and tools you have used as a student as you start your professional journey. The College membership team will be in touch to help you arrange this towards the end of your CLiP placement. If you have any membership queries before then please email membership@college-optometrists.org or call us on +44 (0)20 7766 4392/5366 during office hours.