Whether you have worked in optics prior to your degree or not, studying to become an optometrist can be a challenging and sometimes daunting task. Working on top of this
can make or break you, and I am here to offer some tips designed to help you ensure the former:

It can feel scary to try something new, especially when you have a real patient sat in front of you. Most patients are very understanding and patient with students, so explain that you are learning and that there is help close by if needed. Take your time and try to enjoy the learning experience. Try not to let the fear of getting something wrong stop you from giving it a go - mistakes are part of the learning process. Often, getting it wrong and correcting it is more beneficial to your learning than getting it right straight away!

Every time you are at work, you will have at least one fully qualified optometrist there who is able and willing to answer your questions (outside of their test time of course). All you have to do is ask! Don’t be afraid to go in during a free appointment to ask them: “Have you seen anything I would find interesting today?”, “Can you explain this?”, or even “Could you run through this technique with me?”. The worst that can happen is they say they haven’t got time to go through it with you right now, but you can always go back later. Get into the habit of doing this regularly, and quickly they will notice that you are keen to learn and will come and find you when they have an interesting case to show you.

The simple act of explaining what you are learning to someone who doesn’t know about the topic helps to solidify and deepen your understanding of it. Find a colleague who isn’t an optometrist or student to sit down with when you have some downtime at work and tell them about what topics you have been learning recently. Practice explaining in simple terms what you know about the topic so far, and quickly you will uncover aspects you are less sure about and need to revisit.

When the practice is quiet and you have no tasks that need completing, ask your colleagues (after asking your manager’s permission) to be a patient for you. Practice non-invasive techniques that often get pushed to the side when you’re rushed in your university practicals. Cover tests/motility, pupils, confrontation fields and colour vision/stereopsis are all good examples of quick and simple tasks that you can practice multiple times in a quiet day at work. The equipment and location are there so you may as well ask to use it!

Finally, optometry is an intense course and whether you are used to full-time working or fresh out of school, it can be easy to overestimate your ability to work alongside it. If you are unsure about how many days you can cope with, communicate this with your employer. Trial a certain shift pattern out and see if it works for you, and if it doesn’t then communicate this and readjust. Set a regular reminder to review how you are feeling and whether you are coping with the workload and be honest and open with your manager when you are struggling rather than pushing too hard and letting yourself burn out.

Studying and working at the same time can be a huge challenge, however when you utilise your experiences at work to support your learning, both can be made a little easier. Why not try out a few of these tips during your next shift at work and let me know which you found most useful?