Visit three

Your third visit will be face-to-face in your practice. You will need to ensure that your practice is suitable and safe for the visit, and follow current guidance. You should also review our guidance on preparing for a face-to-face visit.

You must not attend a face-to-face visit if you have any COVID-19 symptoms or if you have to isolate. Contact your assessor as soon as possible if you find yourself in this situation.

The visit will last up to four hours. 

During the visit, your assessor will:

• discuss your assessment plan with you,
• assess a further 30 competencies by reviewing your evidence,
• for 10 of these competencies, directly observe you interacting with a patient or performing a clinical skill on a patient or a simulated patient,
• carry out a check of your patient records and anonymised patient records,
• check your logbook and reflective learning portfolio,
• review your performance and, if there are still outstanding competencies by the end of the visit, agree an action plan with you and your supervisor,
• agree the date of your fourth visit, if needed, and decide whether this should be face-to-face or remote.

After your visit, you will receive your report and action plan. It will show which competencies you have achieved, not achieved and not been assessed on, and will include the evidence you need at your next visit.

You should discuss and put the plan into practice with your supervisor.

Visit three recommended patient encounter numbers

We suggest that you should have achieved a minimum of 400 patient encounters by visit three, made up of at least:

•    225 refractions, including three under-sevens
•    50 dispenses, including three under-sevens
•    65 contact lenses (fits, aftercares or teaches)
•    5 others.

These numbers are only for guidance. If you have not reached these numbers, your assessor will discuss this with you, either when planning, or during your visit.